After a heart-stopping breakfast – eggs, bacon, sausage and cheese with tomatoes we drove out of the bushman camp and back to Berg-en-dal where the rest of our gear was safely locked in the cab of our truck. We gassed up and began the 280 kilometer drive up to our next camp in Letaba. There are eight or nine different micro-climates in Kruger and we covered most of them today. There wasn't much new on the drive but after we set up camp we took a drive and saw our first ostriches. Chicken and home fries for dinner and a good night’s sleep.
Today we headed north to see even more of the park. The highlight was a recreation of a native iron-age village complete with smelting furnaces and forges. The natives lived in that fashion until the mid-1800s. One hundred years after the industrial revolution they were hand-forged spear tips! Amazing!
From Musovini, we headed farther north through Mapani and Shingwedzi, mainly to see sable, nyala, and other rare antelope species which are said to be in the far northern sectors. Even though we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn the antelope eluded us. It’s really to lush to spot much unless it is standing on the roadside. We did manage to see African spoonbills and the saddle-billed stork, a colorful creature. On a quest for the ever elusive, and possibly fictional leopard we chanced upon dozens of elephants, some of whom hadn’t accepted the ‘share the road’ philosophy and caused us more than a little concern. One faced us off on a single land road and we were ready to reverse until an idiot pulled in behind us for a better look. I got him to move back and the elephant look a different path. I find it amazing how such a large creature can vanish into the bush so quickly!
Back at camp we did laundry and ate dinner at the riverside restaurant. The meal wasn’t exceptionally good but we neither had to cook or clean up so there are no complaints. Tomorrow is our last day here and we’re debating whether to explore the northernmost regions which seem to be devoid of animals or return to the central area with its’ plentiful game.
