Next it's time to ROAR! The stars of the Big Five tend to be the lions and they did not disappoint! These big cats are beautiful up close and we were lucky enough to happen upon an entire pride feasting on a fresh buffalo kill on our first morning game drive! (only scroll through these photos [coming soon] if you can handle it) 
When we were in Nairobi National Park, we saw a few lionesses piled up on top of each other for a nap, then later we saw an injured lioness being helped by rangers (we heard some hyenas attacked it). Then early on our first morning game drive we saw a single lioness walking through the tall grass - we were impressed, as were the hot air balloon riders floating overhead.
Just when we thought the morning was wrapping up, we crossed a creek and found this beautiful (in a circle of life way) scene. It was absolutely fascinating to watch the different lions of the pride alter between feasting and resting. One of the little cubs climbed right into the carcass to get a better angle, and appeared to fall asleep right inside!
The lions were certainly not interested in the circle of vehicles that watched this morning show, so I was able to get some nice photos of lions of all ages! Kifa, our guide, told us that this buffalo was a good size, so the pride would probably feed on it all day and then let the jackals (small, wild dogs) and hyenas and other scavengers have the rest. We saw the jackals and hyenas lurking nearby, waiting for their opportunity! Turns out, we drove by the same location about midday the next day and the lions were just finishing up - in fact, we witnessed the last lion protecting the carcass give a nod to the jackals to take over - the jackals swarmed in and the lion sauntered off! They hyenas had given up and moved on, but some hyenas would probably find the bones later.
It was amazing to witness the various working relationships between so many animals on the savanna!
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