We started from Numbi Gate with another daytrip with Care
for Wild Volunteers. We turned onto Albassini to find a duiker hanging around
on a recently burned patch. At Mestel Dam the hippos were not really showing
themselves as we only spotted ears and nostrils. Also there were no animals
thirsty enough for a drink on this cold cloudy morning.
Down Shabeni road we found kudus, 2 young giraffes close to the road and one adult in hiding, a hoopoe and two bull elephants feeding. The biggest one took down a Marula tree branch by branch as the younger ones were feeding on grass and creepers close to the road.
On Shabeni rock we found baboons skipping their morning ritual of warming in the sun, as there was no sun, but the youngsters played with the same enthusiasm nonetheless. A quick loop around Pretoriuskop Koppies gave us a sighting of green wood-hoopoes and a small herd of elephants crossing while trumpeting in front and behind our vehicle. Especially the youngsters wanted us to know they will protect their herd from us!
We stopped for breakfast at Pretoriuskop where the guineafowls and vervet monkeys were roaming the parking lot. After breakfast we continued down Napi. A giraffe showed that animals have right of way, and don't have to look out when crossing, as he stepped onto the tar road from behind a bush right in front of us. Luckily we have good brakes! The giraffe however didn't look twice and continued crossing. We also had some lovely sightings of white rhino, kudu bulls, a lone steenbok and a hyena cub lying outside its den.
A look down H3 gave us more giraffe sightings, two white-backed vultures gliding on a thermal, a slender mongoose crossing the road, warthogs and lilac breasted rollers. We continued our drive where we had multiple great sightings of white rhinos. One of them was shy and kept showing his butt to us no matter how we turned the car. He always turned with! We also saw a wildebeest and two honey badgers that ran away as soon as we stopped, redbilled oxpeckers on top of rhinos, redbilled and yellowbilled and grey hornbills as well as a steenbok couple.
While having lunch at the Skukuza Golfclub the hippos were playing in the water. And while we were not looking vervet monkeys were having a great time in our vehicle! We had seen them upon arrival hanging around in the parking lot, so we decided to take everything out of the car. However, not everyone in the parking had done the same, as the vervets had been feasting on what looked like a pear or apple and afterwards had a play in our vehicle, what resulted in apple or pear juiced foot and handprints.
On the way out we had some trouble scaring a skink from under Dean's car. The poor creature thought the safest hiding place was underneath a tyre, so he moved from one to another. In the end he settled in the middle so Dean could quickly move out. Then we were lucky to see a daggaboy cross the road on the way to Lake Panic and a giraffe blocking the road just before we reached the tar. We turned onto River road where we saw kudus and a couple of wet elephants striding through the bush (and at least one of them was in must, so we smelled).
Down Doispane we had an elephant feeding close to the road reaching for the highest and therefore bestest leaves to eat. A herd of buffalo just had some gulps of water in a nearby pool and were now taking a rest. We also saw a family of dwarf mongoose in the road and on the side of it. They were quite brave, hanging around our car until another park visitor thought it was necessary to race by us and scared them off.
At Nyamundwa we paid some attention to the waterbirds around: a wooly necked stork, grey heron, african darter, white breasted comorant, blacksmith lapwing and fish eagle in a tree close by. A hippo was also popping up in the water close to the parking lot area.
We finished our drive with another sighting of giraffe, just before Phabeni Gate.
Down Shabeni road we found kudus, 2 young giraffes close to the road and one adult in hiding, a hoopoe and two bull elephants feeding. The biggest one took down a Marula tree branch by branch as the younger ones were feeding on grass and creepers close to the road.
On Shabeni rock we found baboons skipping their morning ritual of warming in the sun, as there was no sun, but the youngsters played with the same enthusiasm nonetheless. A quick loop around Pretoriuskop Koppies gave us a sighting of green wood-hoopoes and a small herd of elephants crossing while trumpeting in front and behind our vehicle. Especially the youngsters wanted us to know they will protect their herd from us!
We stopped for breakfast at Pretoriuskop where the guineafowls and vervet monkeys were roaming the parking lot. After breakfast we continued down Napi. A giraffe showed that animals have right of way, and don't have to look out when crossing, as he stepped onto the tar road from behind a bush right in front of us. Luckily we have good brakes! The giraffe however didn't look twice and continued crossing. We also had some lovely sightings of white rhino, kudu bulls, a lone steenbok and a hyena cub lying outside its den.
A look down H3 gave us more giraffe sightings, two white-backed vultures gliding on a thermal, a slender mongoose crossing the road, warthogs and lilac breasted rollers. We continued our drive where we had multiple great sightings of white rhinos. One of them was shy and kept showing his butt to us no matter how we turned the car. He always turned with! We also saw a wildebeest and two honey badgers that ran away as soon as we stopped, redbilled oxpeckers on top of rhinos, redbilled and yellowbilled and grey hornbills as well as a steenbok couple.
While having lunch at the Skukuza Golfclub the hippos were playing in the water. And while we were not looking vervet monkeys were having a great time in our vehicle! We had seen them upon arrival hanging around in the parking lot, so we decided to take everything out of the car. However, not everyone in the parking had done the same, as the vervets had been feasting on what looked like a pear or apple and afterwards had a play in our vehicle, what resulted in apple or pear juiced foot and handprints.
On the way out we had some trouble scaring a skink from under Dean's car. The poor creature thought the safest hiding place was underneath a tyre, so he moved from one to another. In the end he settled in the middle so Dean could quickly move out. Then we were lucky to see a daggaboy cross the road on the way to Lake Panic and a giraffe blocking the road just before we reached the tar. We turned onto River road where we saw kudus and a couple of wet elephants striding through the bush (and at least one of them was in must, so we smelled).
Down Doispane we had an elephant feeding close to the road reaching for the highest and therefore bestest leaves to eat. A herd of buffalo just had some gulps of water in a nearby pool and were now taking a rest. We also saw a family of dwarf mongoose in the road and on the side of it. They were quite brave, hanging around our car until another park visitor thought it was necessary to race by us and scared them off.
At Nyamundwa we paid some attention to the waterbirds around: a wooly necked stork, grey heron, african darter, white breasted comorant, blacksmith lapwing and fish eagle in a tree close by. A hippo was also popping up in the water close to the parking lot area.
We finished our drive with another sighting of giraffe, just before Phabeni Gate.
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