Driving through the endless savannah of the 25 thousand square meters size Masai Mara National Park looking out of the window the soundtrack of the movie Out of Africa playing in my head. Sydney Pollack’s classical true love story was filmed in these African plains in the ’80s.
While daydreaming in the car we got a radio announcement that lions were spotted. We drive there quick but not even the binoculars are enough to give us a close up of the pride of lions. Someone in the car says we need a drone to see them, I go – I happen to have one.
Waited until all the Land Cruisers cleared, put my drone Horus together and tracked the lions from about 400 meters. I was being cautious not to disturb the lionesses siesta on the rocks. I kept my distance and hovered at 36 meters height. Given the animals incredible hearing it didn’t take long for them to notice and scatter around. I followed one of the lioness as she was running and looking for a hiding spot underneath a tree and observed ‘Horus’ for a few seconds before she continued her race. I was manuvering the drone from the car with my heart pumping while the lioness was leaping through waterholes and bushlands. It was great fun but needed more practice and to be a bit more brave to hover lower – but as it later turned out droning is illegal in Kenya.
Stock footages are available by request. If you are interested please send an email to naomi@xpeditionr.com
Other related articles on Kenya
Through African plains and savannah http://www.xpeditionr.com/africa/day-8-through-af…ins-and-savannah/
Masai Mara Safari http://www.xpeditionr.com/africa/day-9-masai-mara-safari/
Lake Nakuru, Kenya http://www.xpeditionr.com/africa/day-10-lake-nakuru/
Lake Naivasha and some tips for a Kenyan safari http://www.xpeditionr.com/africa/day-11-lake-naiv…-a-kenyan-safari/
Amboseli National Park in the foreground of Mt Kilimanjaro http://www.xpeditionr.com/africa/day-12-amboseli-…f-mt-kilimanjaro/
