On Safari With Mark

Mark has been a very busy guide for the last nine days of being on Safari.

12 August 2013

The highlight of this day was definitely the sightings of a Lioness and her cubs and the herd of over 400 buffalo.

Route: napi - eloff - lower sabi - eloff - napi - Nkambeni

General game viewing was great today with the following animals seen:

Kudu, giraffe, warthog, impala, waterbuck, zebra, mongoose, steenbok, common duiker, nylala, bushbuck, klipspringer, vervet monkeys, chackma baboon and spotted hyaena and lots of birds seen.

Both black and white rhino

A herd of 400 buffalo

Lioness with her 2 cubs

2 male lions lying sleeping on Marola loop

7 different herds of elephant

A young female leopard at boulders exit

Just got to show clients a cheetah and wild dogs then they have seen it all

13th August 2013

After breakfast this morning we went in search of Cheetah and Wild Dogs as guests had a fantastic day on the 12th August. The morning was a bit slow and guests were departing the park by 11h00am after which new guests were arriving for another three day safari. General game was spotted early morning.

My new guests arrived from the United States and we went straight to Nkambeni Camp for lunch and then for an afternoon drive where we once again had a bit of a slow start to the day with sightings of general game before returning to camp late afternoon.

14 August 2013

Route: napi - H3 - doispan - albaseni

General game seen was giraffe, klipspringer, zebra, impala, waterbuck, kudu, warthog, steenbok, chackma baboons, vervet monkeys, common diukers, bushbuck, hyaena and rhino was seen on our drive today.

We had a pride of 9 lions lying in the riverbed just past Eco entrance on eloff.

2 different elephant herds crossed over the napi (1 at boulders exit and 1 near the S114 napi junction.

Buffalo bulls seen on eloff crossing over to have a drink in the river

2 African rock pythons just past high level bridge on eloff. Both lying basking in the sun. Wow can you believe the snakes are out already?

A total of 10 southern ground hornbills for the day.

No leopard, so we will just have to try and get one tomorrow.

Temperature was 36.7 deg today. Other guests arrived late afternoon and then all went on a Sundowner driver with the rangers from Nkambeni.

15 August 2013

Route: Napi - eloff - Napi - Nkambeni camp

General sightings: giraffe, zebra, common duiker, warthog, kudu, waterbuck, steenbok, baboons, monkeys, hippos, nile crocodiles, buffalo's and rhino's

As we started our drive, we found 3 sable antelope on the Numbi tar (1 bull, 1 cow and a sub adult). This was an awesome sighting!

2 male lions lying in the shade of a gwaribush approx 200m from napi on S114.

At lower sabi, we got word of 3 female that had just killed a warthog. We responded and found them 500m down saliti from highlevel link. Warthog was almost finished and only entrails was still lying in spot they killed it.

Further to that the drive back to camp was rather quiet, with only general game spotted.

Still no leopard, will try before we exit the park.

16th August 2013

This morning guests left at 10h00am to return to Johannesburg and we are having a well deserved two day break before returning to the bush on the 19th August 2013 with new guests. We shall see what we can find on their arrival.

Till then! ………………………………