Skip to content
Menu
Travel Tales from India and Abroad
Travel Tales from India and Abroad
African Lion, Manyeleti Game Reserve, South Africa

Close Encounters with the African Lion!

Posted on May 15, 2013May 17, 2021

The wildlife experience at the Manyeleti Game Reserve with the Tintswalo Safari Lodge has been beyond expectations, if you need a proof look below. We were that close to the lion. And contrary to what it looks like, this was not a roar, it was a yawn! I wonder why I told you that!

Some of my encounters with the wild life in South Africa have been so close I actually shot with the normal (18-55 mm) lens rather than the 75-300. However the above picture has been shot by the 75-300 and you can see I almost chopped off the nose of the lion. Our jeep was right next to the two sleeping lions, we were so close that we could hear them breathe. This one just lifted its head once or twice and then went back to sleep completely unconcerned about two jeeps full of human beings gawking at it at such a close range. We were told if the lions have a full stomach all they care for is sleep! These two were living proofs of it.

The guides were clearly bored with the two sleeping lions but we tourists were so excited. So what if they were sleeping and there was hardly any action, they were lions and I rarely get to see them!

A Sleepy African Lion, Manyeleti Game Reserve South Africa

A Sleepy African Lion at the Manyletei Game Reserve, South Africa

Folks I have no internet in my room and I am typing this from the lobby and my colleagues are waiting for dinner. So have to go. Two more days in South Africa but the safaris have come to an end. I have to say you can never go back home the same person after visiting South Africa! I hope I will go back to South Africa again.

facebookShare on Facebook
TwitterTweet
FollowFollow us
PinterestSave

17 thoughts on “Close Encounters with the African Lion!”

  1. Meghana says:
    May 16, 2013 at 12:24 am

    omg, those are terrific shots, enjoy your stay…..:)

    Reply
  2. Arnab Maity says:
    May 16, 2013 at 12:32 am

    You are lucky! Its not always you get to spot them such close. Enjoy your remaining days in SA.

    Reply
  3. jahidakhtar says:
    May 16, 2013 at 12:53 am

    wow! daring click 🙂

    Reply
  4. My Say says:
    May 16, 2013 at 1:22 am

    Mesmerizing , graceful, kingly and awesome ….words shall fall less dear Mridula … absolute Super click of the King of all Jungles

    Reply
  5. Lady Fi says:
    May 16, 2013 at 12:05 pm

    Enjoy the rest of your time! I’ve been to South Africa twice but still haven’t been on safari. But one day – yes!

    Great shots indeed.

    Reply
  6. Nandini Deka says:
    May 16, 2013 at 12:12 pm

    Wow!!! thats all i can say…

    Reply
  7. Meena Menon says:
    May 16, 2013 at 1:32 pm

    Errrr I missed ur bday dint I! Haaapiee bday to u n u couldnt hv asked for a beta bday gift than this rt 🙂

    Reply
  8. Easwar Arumugam says:
    May 16, 2013 at 2:38 pm

    the lions ma be yawning & sleeping, but still they scare the onlookers. nice, tell-tale pictures.

    Reply
  9. Sfurti says:
    May 16, 2013 at 4:28 pm

    Wow loved the first snap.. feisty!!!!!!

    Reply
  10. Vikram yadav says:
    May 16, 2013 at 10:23 pm

    Hi Mam,

    The First pic is really good…..

    Good to see you’re travelling now, Changes the note of the entire forum from the time in Feb, when you were sad because you were not travelling!!

    Reply
  11. Debopam Banerjee says:
    May 16, 2013 at 11:54 pm

    Wow………… Great shots, especially the first one….. Perfect timing….. Should thank the lion also for giving the post….. This is the beauty of Africa…. Hope to visit some day……………

    Reply
  12. Puru says:
    May 17, 2013 at 10:28 am

    So you finally met the King of the Jungle. And he doesn’t disappoint us at all 🙂

    Reply
  13. Suresh Urs says:
    May 17, 2013 at 10:53 am

    Nice post. You have been missed from the attack. 😛

    Reply
  14. Sonia says:
    May 17, 2013 at 12:23 pm

    Was that a yawn or the lion making a face at the camera? It s a beautiful shot, Mridula. cant wait for more.

    Reply
  15. Suresh Rao says:
    May 17, 2013 at 2:17 pm

    Nice yawn. Hope you are having a great time. God bless.

    Reply
  16. Niranjan says:
    May 17, 2013 at 3:42 pm

    Interesting and exciting experience.

    http://rajniranjandas.blogspot.in/2013/05/juhu-beach.html

    Reply
  17. anjan roy says:
    May 17, 2013 at 6:54 pm

    This proves they are as lazy as the Human beings…when they are sleeping they don’t care about anything else…!!!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Me

I am Mridula Dwivedi and I started this blog in 2005. It has been an amazing ride. I have visited 33 countries till date! I have worked with many tourism boards and prominent travel companies. My blog was featured on the BBC and the Guardian.

I did my Ph.D. from IIT Kanpur. I worked full time in academics till 2015! I quit my job as a professor, thinking I will take a break for one year, which turned into five.

Subscribe to the blog!

Subscribe

* indicates required

Support provided by Credible Content Writing & Copywriting Services

©2025 Travel Tales from India and Abroad | Powered by SuperbThemes