For most first-time visitors, the moment the plane’s wheels touch down at the Londolozi Airstrip is unforgettable. But for one lucky group of guests, that moment was made extraordinary. Before the planes door even opened, they were being watched by a pride of lions lounging on the airstrip.
The moment a Cessna Caravan landed on the airstrip, it captivated a pride of lions nearby.
We were heading up to the airstrip to welcome some new guests staying in Pioneer Camp when we found the Msuthlu Pride resting on the apron (the parking area for the plane). One of the best parts about the wild is that you often see animals where you least expect them to be, and this day was no different.
With the heat of the midday sun glaring down on the tarmac, a pride of lions is the last thing you’d expect to see resting out in the open on hot asphalt. But as we approached, there they were resting in all their glory.
These cute faces glanced over to an approaching game drive vehicle. When an arriving guest’s plane is on approach, we make sure to be ready and waiting with big smiles. These young lions certainly made those smiles even bigger.
Trackers Joy and Equaliser with Guide Kate waiting for the plane to land.
One of the older lionesses gets up and moves closer to her pride, grooming and removing ticks from her ears.
With much effort from the air marshal and the Land Rovers, we tried to usher the lions off the strip, but they did not budge. I immediately thought this would make for some incredible content and an opportunity to capture truly unique images of these magnificent cats. I parked my vehicle at different angles to get interesting photographs of the lions sprawled across the tarmac.
Behind the scenes of the images taken in this blog. Kate Tennick snapped this image of me and the pride near the airstrip.
The Msuthlu Pride resting on the apron, typically the area where planes park to allow the passengers to disembark, was very comfortable for most of the day.
The younger members of the pride enjoyed some downtime, and others took in the views of the open plain, often dotted with herds of impala and wildebeest.
A young male lion yawns, exposing his teeth, before getting up to snuggle up next to his mother.
The next moment was even more fascinating. Watching the lions quickly get up and react to the loud noise of the aircraft, the smell of jet fuel, and the movement of humans walking off the plane with pure delight. They hardly hesitated and knew that safety in the thickets was a better option than staying near the loud commotion.
After warning the guests and pilots that there were numerous lions nearby, we carefully manoeuvred the Land Rovers to separate the lions from the guests. Safely, we then transferred the guests from the plane to the vehicles and headed off towards Pioneer Camp, after spending ten minutes with this very “special welcome party”.
Travelling to Londolozi, especially as a first-time visitor, is always filled with excitement. But I don’t think these particular guests could believe their eyes when their plane’s tyres touched down, and they were welcomed not only by my tracker and me, but by eleven lions.
0 Comments
on A Special Welcome Party at the Londolozi Airstrip