aw. Wildebeests, Zebras, Giraffes, Impalas and Baboons were easy to come by, but spotting the ‘King of the Jungle – The Lion’, Leopard or Cheetah was much harder.

Our Land-Rover driver exchanged notes with other drivers and soon the word passed around that there was a leopard close by. Every few minutes someone would exclaim, ‘Shhh, there’s a leopard’, and point in the direction that turned out to

The vast plains of Tanzania are home to some of the world’s most dangerous and most beautiful beasts and they left Harish Kohli enraptured.

Africa is a land that inspires the senses. The eyes become sharper, ears more alert and noses begin to differentiate various aromas. Driving across huge landscapes in search of the elusive leopard or cheetah, you become the hunter, the pursuer, using all your senses to pick up even the tiniest of clues. How often do we look intently at our surroundings, listen in silence or sniff the air? Truthfully, most of us would agree it’s probably never. On a wildlife safari, though, it becomes instinctive, and the rewards are enormous.

Taking a safari in the Serengeti National Park in Northern Tanzania makes all the senses to play, and sing. Alertness and patience pay in large dividends and it’s fairly easy to spot a lioness near a pond waiting to lay an ambush on a wildebeest that had strayed from the herd or watch a jackal at one end and a hyena approach from the other end to have a mouthful of the prey. And then the game of predator-prey heightens when the wildebeest, having sensed danger, raises his head and desperately searches for an escape route. There never are very many.

I witnessed a similar game. Where the lioness spotted its prey and suddenly plunged forward with a spurt but the wildebeest got a head start and lioness slowed down panting. Such dramas are repeated every day amid these vast expanses of land in Northern Tanzania. Our party was aboard two Land-Rovers, each of us as taut as guitar wire, straining to see and realise nature in the raw. Wildebeests, Zebras, Giraffes, Impalas and Baboons were easy to come by, but spotting the ‘King of the Jungle – The Lion’, Leopard or Cheetah was much harder.

Our Land-Rover driver exchanged notes with other drivers and soon the word passed around that there was a leopard close by. Every few minutes someone would exclaim, ‘Shhh, there’s a leopard’, and point in the direction that turned out to

senses to pick up even the tiniest of clues. How often do we look intently at our surroundings, listen in silence or sniff the air? Truthfully, most of us would agree it’s probably never. On a wildlife safari, though, it becomes instinctive, and the rewards are enormous.

Taking a safari in the Serengeti National Park in Northern Tanzania makes all the senses to play, and sing. Alertness and patience pay in large dividends and it’s fairly easy to spot a lioness near a pond waiting to lay an ambush on a wildebeest that had strayed from the herd or watch a jackal at one end and a hyena approach from the other end to have a mouthful of the prey. And then the game of predator-prey heightens when the wildebeest, having sensed danger, raises his head and desperately searches for an escape route. There never are very many.

I witnessed a similar game. Where the lioness spotted its prey and suddenly plunged forward with a spurt but the wildebeest got a head start and lioness slowed down panting. Such dramas are repeated every day amid these vast expanses of land in Northern Tanzania. Our party was aboard two Land-Rovers, each of us as taut as guitar wire, straining to see and realise nature in the raw. Wildebeests, Zebras, Giraffes, Impalas and Baboons were easy to come by, but spotting the ‘King of the Jungle – The Lion’, Leopard or Cheetah was much harder.

Our Land-Rover driver exchanged notes with other drivers and soon the word passed around that there was a leopard close by. Every few minutes someone would exclaim, ‘Shhh, there’s a leopard’, and point in the direction that turned out to

e pay in large dividends and it’s fairly easy to spot a lioness near a pond waiting to lay an ambush on a wildebeest that had strayed from the herd or watch a jackal at one end and a hyena approach from the other end to have a mouthful of the prey. And then the game of predator-prey heightens when the wildebeest, having sensed danger, raises his head and desperately searches for an escape route. There never are very many.

I witnessed a similar game. Where the lioness spotted its prey and suddenly plunged forward with a spurt but the wildebeest got a head start and lioness slowed down panting. Such dramas are repeated every day amid these vast expanses of land in Northern Tanzania. Our party was aboard two Land-Rovers, each of us as taut as guitar wire, straining to see and realise nature in the raw. Wildebeests, Zebras, Giraffes, Impalas and Baboons were easy to come by, but spotting the ‘King of the Jungle – The Lion’, Leopard or Cheetah was much harder.

Our Land-Rover driver exchanged notes with other drivers and soon the word passed around that there was a leopard close by. Every few minutes someone would exclaim, ‘Shhh, there’s a leopard’, and point in the direction that turned out to

ever are very many.

I witnessed a similar game. Where the lioness spotted its prey and suddenly plunged forward with a spurt but the wildebeest got a head start and lioness slowed down panting. Such dramas are repeated every day amid these vast expanses of land in Northern Tanzania. Our party was aboard two Land-Rovers, each of us as taut as guitar wire, straining to see and realise nature in the raw. Wildebeests, Zebras, Giraffes, Impalas and Baboons were easy to come by, but spotting the ‘King of the Jungle – The Lion’, Leopard or Cheetah was much harder.

Our Land-Rover driver exchanged notes with other drivers and soon the word passed around that there was a leopard close by. Every few minutes someone would exclaim, ‘Shhh, there’s a leopard’, and point in the direction that turned out to

aw. Wildebeests, Zebras, Giraffes, Impalas and Baboons were easy to come by, but spotting the ‘King of the Jungle – The Lion’, Leopard or Cheetah was much harder.

Our Land-Rover driver exchanged notes with other drivers and soon the word passed around that there was a leopard close by. Every few minutes someone would exclaim, ‘Shhh, there’s a leopard’, and point in the direction that turned out to be a boulder or a shrub in the grass. We were like excited school children but that is what most of my group was anyways; I was accompanied on this safari by a group of 8 school girls and their teacher from London.

We missed the leopard, but saw a pride of about 8 Lions. And only by seeing them in real can one understand why it is called a ‘Pride’. The family is united by a very dominant lion who receives respect and affection from the clan’s members. Suddenly, the heat began to rise and it became obvious that we were in for heavy rains. As we made our way back to our camp site a storm gathered pace, sending great sheets of water cascading onto the plains and scattering lightning like neon across a dark, boiling sky.

By dawn the following morning the rain had gone. We made an early start and saw a lioness ambling away from a kill. She and her pride had just had breakfast of a wildebeest and were graciously leaving the carcass for the hungry jackals. A vulture descended untidily to join the table. Much bloody-muzzled squabbling ensued, until a lone hyena approached. Hyenas are beefy, and would normally drive off a pack of jackals, but this one was different. He was limping.

Warily, the injured hyena circled the jackals and the vulture, holding his tender right paw in the air. They sensed his unease and began to circle him. Suddenly, he seized his chance and dashed at the pile of flesh and bone, grabbing at what he could. Pathetically, almost comically, he emerged with the beast's tail and dragged it away to gnaw at a safe distance. After watching the jackals, we were driven further