safari in kumana national park

Kumana is a renowned wetlands bird sanctuary and national park... all the standard fare (leopards, elephants, wild boars, deer, etc...ho hum...) are here, but people come for the birds. Sadly, record low rainfall has turned at least half of the marshes and ponds to cracked mud, but it is still gorgeous and takes no imagination at all to marvel at what it must be like when all is properly wet! 
3 different lone elephant sightings here, a huge King Mongoose (not pictured)... and my FIRST COBRA!!! also leopard tracks ( I am dumbfounded each and every safari that Dinesh can spot these things, fainted distant, while driving...!)

the photo doesn't do it justice, but that water buffalo was  COMPLETELY covered in green mud. The birds are painted stork fledglings, who we saw earlier flying in a slowly revolving circle - so slowly it was like they were just weirdly floating. I am told this was "flight school", and they were being trained by their mamas...! Next, my favorite bird, the african green bee eater, and well, no explanation needed...

ABOVE: Pretty damn stoked to have this rare viewing - our arrival scared off 2 mongoose (mongeese?!?!?), who are known to pick fights with cobras!
BELOW: more pachyderms, the aforementioned leopard footprint, and an array of the extraordinary geological formations unique to this country. I swear I can feel the power of these huge gala (rocks) vibrate my very soul...and I'm not alone - historically, many of them were homes to cave-dwelling monks and buddhist temple sites