If yesterday’s introductory game drive was any indication, we have a lot to look forward to today — an all-day safari through Masai Mara National Reserve.

Unlike yesterday, the skies are bright. Following breakfast we pile into our 4WD vehicles to being our drive.

We immediately stumble upon a pair of ostriches — that’s a male with black feathers above, and a female with brown feathers below:

Can you spot what’s happening in the photo below?

That’s a lion cub sleeping in the grass on the left, next to the disemboweled remains of the carcass lying to the right. Older lions probably made the kill and have gone out to look for more food — probably not too far away — as this little one watches the leftovers. Don’t be too grossed out by the multitude of flies… they are everywhere. And they’ve gotta eat too!

We spot a gaggle of safari vehicles, which can only mean one thing… big game ahead.

There’s a couple of adult lions. They get up and move around for us, which is especially generous since most lions I spot on subsequent safari trips are content to lie down in the shade all day.

Big yawn…

While our attention is first and foremost drawn to the lions, we stop to watch them for so long that my eye wanders to the tree above the action. The trunk appears normal but the top resembles a giant cactus with hundreds of prickly branches.

The spots on this lion’s face are actually flies. Huh, you’d think a big scary lion would be enough to keep them at bay.

Again, more flies on this big guy:

Fair warning, this is kind of gross — the young baboon below has had the hair on his head completely ripped off, exposing his skull.

This bachelor elephant shows off his impressive tusks:

More 4WD vehicles surround a large bush… ready your cameras, everyone.

This lioness feasts on her latest kill, a poor zebra:

Endless fields of wildebeests:

Another herd of elephants! I’ll never get tired of seeing them up close.

A few adult females and their young:

And then they crossed right in front of our vehicle! I find myself holding my breath as they pass, just knowing how powerful these creatures are. With a little effort they could overturn our 12-passenger safari vehicle.

A cheetah takes advantage of a small shady spot under this tree:

Next up, we encounter a dozen giraffes.

These two lovebirds below won’t stop sniffing each others’ nether regions… our group wonders if we’re about to witness giraffe sex, but it doesn’t happen. Given their lanky bodies it seems physically awkward (you could say the same for other big game like elephants and rhinos).

Photos of baby animals make me unspeakably happy; I just want to cuddle with them. (Is that weird?) This little giraffe is no exception. That face!

Can you spot all those giraffes dotting the horizon?

Dozens of hippos snooze either semi-submerged or exposed on the banks of this river. Their skin is very sensitive to sun, which is why they spend most daylight hours in the water and then hunt for food on land at night.

I spy one or two baby hippos in the middle of this group…

A lone croc dozes in the shallow water, basking in the sun.

Our group stops by this tree to enjoy our packed lunches.

Hundreds more wildebeests graze in the distance.

That wraps up our six-hour game drive. We’ll spend the afternoon visiting a traditional Masai Mara village — more on that tomorrow!

Thanks to Acacia Africa for discounting the 18-day Mountain Gorillas to the Mara tour in exchange for blogging and photography. Opinions are my own.