Yesterday we ran the first of a two part series, in which we told how the Mhangeni pride had taken down a buffalo.
Having finished the kill, the pride began heading for a nearby waterhole, just as we had hoped.
Following them down there, we were thrilled to see them begin to approach the water one by one:
The first to test the water…
And then there were two…
Four…
The lions just kept coming, settling in next to each other one by one.
The male arrives at the scene…
But chose to drink a little further away… Photograph by Kevin Power
We didn’t dare get our hopes up as more and more of the pride approached the water, and the first ones there still weren’t showing signs of drinking their fill. Eventually the stars aligned, as did the pride, and we were treated to the following spectacle:
A photographer’s dream. Unfortunately the remaining three members of the pride and the Majingilane male were drinking a little to the side, but to see 13 lions drinking all in a row was incredible. Photograph by Kevin Power
This photograph captures thirteen members of the pride drinking at once; three other adult females were about five meters over to the left and another five meters or so to the left of them the male drank alone. All seventeen were drinking at once! This photograph was taken by Kevin Power, there were so many lions that my fixed 400mm lens could not fit them all in frame!
The sighting that day had many dimensions to it which made it a complete experience; tracking the lions in the early hours of the morning, the euphoria of finding them on a kill, watching them feeding and then seeing the change of cast as the scavengers moved in. Finally the epic experience of following them as they moved in single file through the bush down to the waterhole, where the above photos pretty much say it all…
What an incredible sight! I can’t imagine everyone’s thoughts as the line-up continued and continued.The images are excellent also. I had to grin to myself when I thought of the fish story…..where a man brags that he caught a fish “This Big!” as his arm swings out further than belief. When telling the waterhole story to disbelievers, just whip out your photo and give them a big smile!
Thank you Joanne! I’ll make sure I am armed with the photo when I am telling the story!
And that’s just incredible! To get some many lions in one photo in one drinking line is so lucky!!
Missing the thrill of the hunt?????
You have no idea!!! It’s torture!
Callum it was one of those moments that truly humble and inspire you!
I can imagine!
Wow! A fantastic image. You never know when the oppurtunity presents itself for a once in a life time sighting. A wonderful experience.
Thank you Marinda, it was a true privilege!
That is an amazing picture!
Thank you Karen, a photographers dream!
How amazing and fortunate! Nice photograph, too!
luckily they didn’t drink from the lodge pool ,as we had with 10 elephants at the little pool of the Vlei lodge.
I sent the picture to James
Awesome pictures! Once a group of about 20 lions passed our car one by one crossing open grassland. It was thrilling, same as your pictures of those 13 lions drinking together. It makes me looking forward to another safari, though, of course, it rises expectations to an incredible level.
Christa that must have been an incredible moment having so many pass the vehicle one by one! It raises expectations, and Londolozi is the ultimate place to meet those so make your way over here!
A ‘once in a lifetime’ experience for sure! Love these photos and the story. Thanks so much for sharing, Bruce!
Thank you very much Darlene for your appreciation, the moment is etched in my memory!
Absolutely epic!
Wow, this is so spectacular! Well done Kevin Power for having all the patience in the world to capture this amazing photo.
Thank you for this amazing photograph. I am in Toronto, Canada where we are about to get our first snow storm of the winter season. Reading the blog and seeing this magnificent gathering of lions has really warmed my day.
Kim I am so glad to see that we had an influence in brightening your day; it is the bush that does that job for us over here!
What an absolutely amazing event to see! Quite surreal!
Awesome photo of the 13 members of the pride. I remember when they left a clearing in Singita, the 16 passed next to our rover one by one , and then four of the youngest stopped to drink from a large puddle, all the while keeping an eye on the rest of their family as they continued to quietly walk off into thick vegetation. It was a sight I’ll never forget.
So, are they moving between the two properties??
Hi Denise! That sounds like a wonderful sighting of this pride. Yes they move a lot and have a large territory, having 16 individuals in the pride they need to eat more and thus need to cover more ground.
That is amazing! What a great day for you all.
Amazing – how incredibly lucky to witness this sighting! Loved the appearance of “Big Daddy” to join the harem. The photo has to be a “first” and thanks for sharing.
A classic photo, I would copyright it and put it with a photographic library
Wow what an amazing photo, the chances of seeing thirteen lions drinking in a row has to be one in a million. This has to be a photo enlarged to go on a nice big wall. Just fantastic.
This is one of the most special images I have ever seen. We have 3 house cats, and for years we have tried to get them to line up for a group photo with no success. Clearly 13 was the lucky number that day.
Wow that picture with the 13 lions looks majestic..Truly beautiful
Oh Bruce that is just the most beautiful picture I have seen in a long time! I bet you, your tracker & guests were speechless as I would have been – wow what a sight to behold & every wildlife lover spend years waiting for!! 🙂 Thank you
Kevin Power – you have surpassed yourself! Those images are absolutely incredible and what a sight it must have been. Truly fantastic and a ‘once in a lifetime’!
Beautiful story, I particularly like the last paragraph. Stunning images by you and Kevin.
Thank you Ian!
Nice one Kevin
What an exciting sighting! How amazing that they lined up so perfectly to be photographed. Interesting to look at the different expressions on each one and how most are keenly alert as to what might be happening around them, while a few others are relaxing and focused (for the moment, at least) on enjoying the cool drink. In fact, except for the two lions on the end, they almost are expressive in pairs…I’m sure that the balance of that shifted more than a few times in the timespan of the viewing, but a fascinating photo to say the least! …and I love the ‘two tails up’ on the bank 🙂
Amazing two part blog Bruce, and an unbelievable picture of the 13 drinking together. But ever so cruel of you to leave us all hanging on overnight to find out!
Incredible sight and shot!!!
Wonderful pics! and an amazing experience! The whole day was a lucky day for observers .Watching the whole pride drinking together is really awsome !!! Thank you so much for sharing the bush with us!
Well that is awesome!
we’ll be there in 4 weeks.
i’m trusting you guys to get us to a sighting just like this!
magnificent!
Fantastic pics! Would their natural instinct kick in with regards to crocodiles? Looking up ever so often?
Will they stafe this again in December for me??
Will they stage this again in December for me.??
Let’s keep fingers crossed Judy! I’m sure Freddy can organise… 😉
Almost doesn’t look real! Love the one on the end – maybe counting how many too!
Wow!! This is breathtaking!! I can’t get my 3 cats at home to do this! Well done!
Great two part blog and fantastic photographs. After the reading the first instalment I was wondering what on earth could be coming next. Like you guys, I never expected to see that spectacle. (PS. Is there a prize for the most number of comments on a blog? This seems to have caught the fans attention!)
Great two part blog and fantastic photographs. After reading the first blog I wonder what on earth could be coming next. I like you guys didn’t expect to see that spectacle. Amazing. (PS. Is there a prize for the most number of comments to a blog. this seems to have caught everyone’s attention!)
What an incredible story and photograph to accompany it. So fantastic to see this pride of lions looking so strong! I remember back in 2013 when James first wrote about them: http://blog.londolozi.com/2013/08/21/more-of-londolozis-new-favourite-pride/
Right place at the right time. Luck must follow you. Wonderful picture.
When we left Londolozi in mid-September, we shared a flight that left from Richard Branson’s Safari camp. A couple that got onboard there showed me a video of 13 lioness’s bringing down a water buffalo. Could this be the same pride of lioness’s that has migrated to Londolozi? What a fantastic experience you had to see them all lined up at the river! Great photos!!
Good day! Yes I’m sure that you saw the same lions as the ones referred to in this blog. There aren’t any other prides as big as this one in the Sabi Sands 🙂