On Safari With Gert 16 March 2016

16 March 2016

After an early breakfast we left for our morning Game Drive, again in a faint drizzle.

It didn't last very long however, although it remained cloudy for a large part of the morning.

We had some good general game sightings early on and then found 1 quite large Spotted Hyena on the move close to its den site. It came out onto the road, walking in front of our vehicle for some time, sniffing the breeze for the scent of its companions, or perhaps something to eat! Eventually it turned back in the direction it came from and disappeared down the den.

A little while later we came across a few vehicles parked on the side of the road and saw what they were all looking at, at least 6 lions lying flat under a tree about 50 meters off the road, our first cats of the Safari! They were very lazy, as is so often the case with lion, but we got a good view when one got up to change position and the others rolling over or lifting their heads every now and then. There was an adult male lying a few meters away from the rest of the pride and we could see his head and face quite well through a gap in the trees!

Arguably the highlight was a small breeding herd of Elephants, 4 in total, which might have been a mother with her 3 offspring. The youngest was about a year old and very playful. They came out and crossed the road in front of us, the youngster running back and forth and charging at some vehicles with its ears out, trying its best to look scary, while its mom was watching closely from where she was browsing next to the road. Eventually a large bus approached and the 2 youngest took off into the bush, followed by their mum, while the other, a teenage male, had no interest in their antics and was in no hurry to chase after them!

After lunch and some pool time back at camp we went for a late afternoon drive during which we found a magnificent Sable Antelope bull grazing in a patch of moist grassland, accompanied by a waterbuck bull and small herds of Impala and Kudu.

On safari With Gert 14 March 2016

14 March 2016

After an early breakfast, we set out for our morning Game Drive amid cool and cloudy conditions. Although there was a fair bit of rain around we managed to escape most of it during our drive. As there was also a bit of a chill factor due to the wind, our first hour or so was relatively quiet.

However, we were lucky enough to find a few Spotted Hyena out of their den, one crossing the road in front of us on approach and heading off into a thicket, while another was lying by the den entrance; barely giving the passing vehicles a second glance! Not too long after that we came across a small crash of 3 White Rhino, consisting of 2 adult females and a calf of just over a year old, grazing on the fresh grass after the recent rains. Although they were partly obscured by some bushes and a large termite mound we managed to get a decent view and some pictures before they headed back into the thicket.

We had a pretty good morning for  reptile sightings as we found both Hinged- and Leopard Tortoise, Marsh Terrapin, Giant Plated-lizard and Nile Monitor; all in or right next to the road!

The highlight of the morning was our first elephant breeding herds of the Safari, as we found 2 herds in close proximity of each other. Both were on the move and feeding as they did so. The second herd was near the road and we got a very good look at them, including a calf of just about a year old. The first herd we found was quite large with about 40 members, including 2 very active young males, about 3 and 5 years old respectively. These 2 were the main attraction as they chased each other back and forth playfully, the prize apparently a stick, as this changed hands (or trunks) every now and then and invariably the one in possession of this highly regarded piece of vegetation was the one being chased by the other! We observed their antics for some time, before they moved deeper into the bush and it was time for us to move on.

Another good day with great variety, even though we had little luck with the cats today!

On safari With Gert 14 March 2016

14 March 2016

After an early breakfast, we set out for our morning Game Drive amid cool and cloudy conditions. Although there was a fair bit of rain around we managed to escape most of it during our drive. As there was also a bit of a chill factor due to the wind, our first hour or so was relatively quiet.

However, we were lucky enough to find a few Spotted Hyena out of their den, one crossing the road in front of us on approach and heading off into a thicket, while another was lying by the den entrance; barely giving the passing vehicles a second glance! Not too long after that we came across a small crash of 3 White Rhino, consisting of 2 adult females and a calf of just over a year old, grazing on the fresh grass after the recent rains. Although they were partly obscured by some bushes and a large termite mound we managed to get a decent view and some pictures before they headed back into the thicket.

We had a pretty good morning for  reptile sightings as we found both Hinged- and Leopard Tortoise, Marsh Terrapin, Giant Plated-lizard and Nile Monitor; all in or right next to the road!

The highlight of the morning was our first elephant breeding herds of the Safari, as we found 2 herds in close proximity of each other. Both were on the move and feeding as they did so. The second herd was near the road and we got a very good look at them, including a calf of just about a year old. The first herd we found was quite large with about 40 members, including 2 very active young males, about 3 and 5 years old respectively. These 2 were the main attraction as they chased each other back and forth playfully, the prize apparently a stick, as this changed hands (or trunks) every now and then and invariably the one in possession of this highly regarded piece of vegetation was the one being chased by the other! We observed their antics for some time, before they moved deeper into the bush and it was time for us to move on.

Another good day with great variety, even though we had little luck with the cats today!

On safari With Gert 14 March 2016

14 March 2016

After an early breakfast, we set out for our morning Game Drive amid cool and cloudy conditions. Although there was a fair bit of rain around we managed to escape most of it during our drive. As there was also a bit of a chill factor due to the wind, our first hour or so was relatively quiet.

However, we were lucky enough to find a few Spotted Hyena out of their den, one crossing the road in front of us on approach and heading off into a thicket, while another was lying by the den entrance; barely giving the passing vehicles a second glance! Not too long after that we came across a small crash of 3 White Rhino, consisting of 2 adult females and a calf of just over a year old, grazing on the fresh grass after the recent rains. Although they were partly obscured by some bushes and a large termite mound we managed to get a decent view and some pictures before they headed back into the thicket.

We had a pretty good morning for  reptile sightings as we found both Hinged- and Leopard Tortoise, Marsh Terrapin, Giant Plated-lizard and Nile Monitor; all in or right next to the road!

The highlight of the morning was our first elephant breeding herds of the Safari, as we found 2 herds in close proximity of each other. Both were on the move and feeding as they did so. The second herd was near the road and we got a very good look at them, including a calf of just about a year old. The first herd we found was quite large with about 40 members, including 2 very active young males, about 3 and 5 years old respectively. These 2 were the main attraction as they chased each other back and forth playfully, the prize apparently a stick, as this changed hands (or trunks) every now and then and invariably the one in possession of this highly regarded piece of vegetation was the one being chased by the other! We observed their antics for some time, before they moved deeper into the bush and it was time for us to move on.

Another good day with great variety, even though we had little luck with the cats today!

On safari With Gert 14 March 2016

14 March 2016

After an early breakfast, we set out for our morning Game Drive amid cool and cloudy conditions. Although there was a fair bit of rain around we managed to escape most of it during our drive. As there was also a bit of a chill factor due to the wind, our first hour or so was relatively quiet.

However, we were lucky enough to find a few Spotted Hyena out of their den, one crossing the road in front of us on approach and heading off into a thicket, while another was lying by the den entrance; barely giving the passing vehicles a second glance! Not too long after that we came across a small crash of 3 White Rhino, consisting of 2 adult females and a calf of just over a year old, grazing on the fresh grass after the recent rains. Although they were partly obscured by some bushes and a large termite mound we managed to get a decent view and some pictures before they headed back into the thicket.

We had a pretty good morning for  reptile sightings as we found both Hinged- and Leopard Tortoise, Marsh Terrapin, Giant Plated-lizard and Nile Monitor; all in or right next to the road!

The highlight of the morning was our first elephant breeding herds of the Safari, as we found 2 herds in close proximity of each other. Both were on the move and feeding as they did so. The second herd was near the road and we got a very good look at them, including a calf of just about a year old. The first herd we found was quite large with about 40 members, including 2 very active young males, about 3 and 5 years old respectively. These 2 were the main attraction as they chased each other back and forth playfully, the prize apparently a stick, as this changed hands (or trunks) every now and then and invariably the one in possession of this highly regarded piece of vegetation was the one being chased by the other! We observed their antics for some time, before they moved deeper into the bush and it was time for us to move on.

Another good day with great variety, even though we had little luck with the cats today!