Botswana: Having Gin & Tonic with 5 Lion Cubs
Another insane experience – we spent 2 hours searching for a group of 7 lions (2 females and 5 one-year old cubs) that were spotted in a certain area earlier in the day but couldn’t find them. When we finally gave up and headed home – boom! – they were lying in the open not far from the road. The adult females were hidden, but the five cubs were all lounging around and playing with each other. At one-year old, they weren’t that small anymore, but still all had the baby lion spots on their bodies (the leopard-like spots disappear as lions grow up). Their massive paws looked oversized for their bodies. They groomed each other, licked their paws, wrestled with one another, played around, and rolled in the grass – it was all absolutely surreal! And as the sun went down, it was time for a gin & tonic in a classic safari tradition – sipping on a refreshing taste of good gin while five lion cubs perform in front of you! No other tourists and no other vehicles – totally outnumbered by lions!
