Woke up at 5 a.m., a virtual sleep in, and found that we were supposed to have met at 5:15. We ran to our little truck to find Hayden waiting patiently for us. We had a good 45 minute drive ahead of us (without stops) if we wanted to hunt big cats. We drove and drove, then drove some more over pretty good dirt roads until we got to the most beautiful valley that had a large, crocodile-filled lake off to one side of it. Radio chatter among guides helped, and nearby we found four lions laying under an olive tree, sound asleep! Our first lions this trip!! Yay!! We stayed for about 20 minutes waiting for them to move. Nope. Nada. Zip. Off we headed towards a blind to view the lake up close and be able to get out of our vehicle and wander in a protected area (we didn't want to get eaten by anything, and we wanted to drink our coffee and eat our biscuits in safety!). Then it was back to the lions to see if they had decided to move. On our way we saw our first hippo, a few warthogs and three ADORABLE baby warthogs that our guide guessed had just been born! They ran so fast it was hard to snap a photo. Anyway, we made it back to the lions and saw another group of warthogs headed straight for them. Just
before they hit the tree the warthogs must have smelled them because they turned tail and ran as fast as their little legs could go back in the same direction they came from! Luckily, this did get the lions attention and one of them finally sat up and yawned, stood for a bit and gave us an
opportunity to snap some good pictures. Success!
The valley contained not only the above mentions but herds of antelope, zebra, springbok and wildebeests along with an assortment of this and that mixed in. It was really an amazing site. I took lots of photos but they just don't do justice to the views.
In the afternoon we headed out with Matthew, a new guide who was billed as the “wild dog specialist.” He had seen his babies earlier in the day sleeping during the heat, so we meandered over and made sure they were still there. Then we took a leisurely drive around until we ended up on a knoll with a lovely view of the valley, drinking a tailgate cocktail as the sun went down. We jumped back in the truck and headed back toward the dogs, to find out that they were already on the move. Thirteen of them, almost identically built, headed down the dirt road, clearly intent on a mission. We followed them for about three or four miles as they trotted along, able to see them most of the time. Even though the vehicles are capable, off-road driving is strictly forbidden, since the park would quickly become a mess of tire tracks, mud, and torn up turf. We were lucky that the dogs stayed within sight of the road, casting about for the scent of some unlucky impala or wildebeest. Unfortunately, we lost them when it got fully dark, and we had to pack it in.
Most amazing of all was how they completely ignore the safari vehicles. Drivers and passengers never alight, and the vehicle simply forms one picture in the animals’ minds—not good to eat, never does any harm, it’s just part of the landscape, like a tree or a rock outcropping.
This morning’s drive was a bit of a bust. We drove around and saw lots of animals, but heard that there had been a sighting of two cheetahs. We headed for the area, cast back and forth, all eyes peeled, but nothing seen. We had a bit of a thrill at one point when we came around a bend on the dirt road and saw a big bull elephant headed toward us. The driver immediate slammed the truck into reverse and backed away, and the elephant shortly veered off the road and into the tree line. Afterward, the guide explained that the elephant was in musth (secreting an overabundance of testosterone through glands in his cheeks), was in pain and agitated, and would have loved nothing more than to tangle with our truck.
After a late breakfast back at Black Rhino Lodge, we loaded up in the van and Hayden drove us toward Kruger National Park on the eastern border of South Africa. Kruger is several times larger than our first two preserves combined, and everyone tells us it will be a fantastic time.
We drove through some gorgeous rolling green hills, through farms, pine and eucalyptus plantations, and quaint towns filled with golf courses, guest houses, trout fishing, and more restaurants. Hayden tells us this area is a favorite recreation destination for the city dwellers in Johannesburg and Pretoria.
We have stopped about 75 per cent of the way to Kruger so we can overnight at a B&B in the town of Lydenburg. We had pretty good food and drinks at a nearby restaurant called “The Spur”, a themed restaurant based on cowboys and Indians! Prices seem to be very low in South Africa, for the few consumables that we’ve seen so far, much less expensive than New Zealand or Europe.
More later!
