Up close and personal with the wild in Mauritius: Day 4

 Swim with the dolphins and walk with the lions – could this day have gotten any better?

Till now we had spent enough time on land, we didn’t want the sea to feel deprived of our presence. So, our fourth day was all about sun, white sandy beaches and the sea that beamed in every shade of turquoise. I was super pumped for our adventure of the day since not only were we going to see the dolphins in the wild where they rightfully belong, but we were also going to try and swim with them as well.

By the time we reached where the dolphins were, I was a little disappointed to see few boats and people already swimming with the dolphins. I think it is decided by the boat owners that each boat gets a turn to swim with the dolphins, probably to avoid scaring away the dolphins with overwhelming humans. We all were ready with our gear to jump in, snorkel or swim. 

Now in this blog, I have to admit my phobia of putting my head under the water due to which I can never snorkel. My heart beats over a 100bpm and I get struck by panic. I jumped with Aananya next to me in the water and she brought her head out of the water with excitement and said “Mumma the dolphins are swimming right under your leg”. I can’t even begin to express the dismay in myself for not having the courage to put my head under the water to see such a spectacle. However, when the dolphins came out a little further ahead to breathe, I enjoyed every moment of it. Aakaash was the only one who made a mad dash and tried to keep up with the dolphins just for a while and could say literally “I did try and swim with the dolphins”. The rest of us can just say we were in the same water as the dolphins!

We had decided to dedicate our entire day to the animals. When I was plotting out our trip to Mauritius, all I had in my mind was the sun, sand and sea. Never had I thought about the interaction that I was about to experience. Our next stop was the Casela Nature Park. It’s a huge nature and adventure park but we only visited the big cat’s kingdom, bird park and middle kingdom.

We started walking through the aviary and saw various colorful bird species from around the world. Next, we went to the middle kingdom to see the tortoise and petting farm. This place gives you a great opportunity to have face-to-face interaction with zebras, African antelopes, impalas etc. We also saw a lot of lions and cubs that were kept in an enclosure and in another were cheetahs. Not that we have not had these interactions while staying in Kenya, but it’s always humbling when you can interact with wild animals no matter where you are. Aan enjoyed running after the chickens that were free to roam around the middle kingdom.

Alongside the petting zoo was also a play area. The kids enjoyed the gardens along with a stream full of fishes, swans, turkey, flamingoes, peacock, crown crane and a varied species of ducks. This was the perfect set up for us to leave the kids with Neha and Vividh and head towards the big cat’s kingdom. We were lucky to be travelling with our friends for we decided to go for the walk with lions turn by turn since the kids were not allowed. Why? Because if you are less than 5 feet tall, the lions think you are potentially food.

Recently, in one of our safari trips in Kenya, Aananya was talking to me about what is it that I love about safari, which animal excites me the most and that’s when I realized that I am a great lover of the big cats. I can spend hours and hours with the big cats without getting bored or tired. Just watching their every move makes me feel happy.

Now, back in Mauritius, we were going to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience of walking with the lions. We were taken to the lion reserve by bus and were given a short briefing about the safety measures that needed to be followed while on the adventure. We were also advised to walk behind the lion handlers with our canes… like that could protect us in any way if things turned south. FYI, you do have to sign a disclaimer if anything goes wrong, you are responsible.

Never did I think that during my trip to Mauritius I would be giving a potential disclaimer for getting maimed by a lethal predator. Yet here I was in an open-air bus bumping along a dirt road into the forest to meet one of the most efficient predators of the world. I always feel blessed whenever I get a unique opportunity to spend time with the cats but this was way beyond. The thrilling sensation that went through my body when I saw the lions come out, and we were walking alongside them and at one point even interacted with them. You can feel the adrenaline rush through your veins when you are in the presence of these magnificent and majestic creatures.

It is amazing to see the lions so up close and personal; we walked with them through the long grass and tropical foliage while the lions were playing around, tackling one another, scaling the trees doing their day-to-day business. The lions were called Mpara and Matata were 10 months and 2 years old respectively. Matata is a white lion originally from South Africa. The handlers showed us how long they can leap by motivating the lions with chunks of meat or how they could climb trees, motivation being the same. We were walking along a narrow stream when suddenly both the lions crouched down to drink water. Now came the time to take a few prized pictures when the handlers encouraged us to come forward and touch their bristly tails and their back.

While writing this blog, I can’t help but think about my mother… if she had her way, I would definitely be grounded for doing this, regardless of my age or the fact that I live oceans away.