On Safari With Gert From 28 March 2016

28 March 2016

After a good breakfast we departed on our first morning drive of this Safari, with 6 guests from Dubai. Already early on it was evident that today will be a hot one as even the Impala were already hiding in the thick shady spots.

It was an exceptional morning as far as Giraffe go and we found at first a solitary female and later on 2 different journeys of Giraffe. We got some very good views of them feeding and also one very large bull staring off into the distance, something they are very good at considering their high vantage point and good eyesight. We also found a mixed group of Giraffe and Zebra together and it is always a crowd favorite seeing these 2 unique creatures together!

We also had a few good Elephant sightings throughout the course of the morning and although some were quite far, we did encounter a small breeding herd crossing the road in front of our vehicle, as well as a few young males, solitary or in small groups, feeding quite close to the road.

Halfway through the morning we stopped for a short refreshment break at a nearby camp after which we went towards a nearby waterhole. A few hundred meters from the waterhole we found 2 very full lionesses basking in the dappled shade of a small Marula tree on top of a granite outcrop. The combination of the heat and their full bellies meant that they weren't going anywhere fast and although one rolled over, the most movement we got was the odd flick of an ear or tail...

Shortly before getting back to camp for lunch and some relaxing time we also encountered the first rhino of the day, a large bull White Rhino who had just had a good mud bath, in the shade of an Acacia tree.

On Safari With Amanda From 25 March 2016

25 March 2016

Today I picked up my new guests from Germany. Their first safari and very excited to be here!

After checking in they relaxed by the pool for a couple of hours before they headed off for a sunset drive! They returned and were very excited to tell me over supper of the huge puff adder snake they saw and some lovely buffalo. 

After a filling supper we retired to our tents to get a good sleep for an early start tomorrow. 

26 March 2016

An early morning bushwalk for my 2 guests where they enjoyed tales of early inhabitants in the area and spotted lots of tracks.

After breakfast we did a short drive around the area close by and returned for lunch and a quick dip in the pool.

Our expectations were low for the afternoon drive and we set off to mestle dam and saw 2 buffalo wallowing in the water having a drink every now and then. A small herd of Elephants entertained us for half an hour as we watched the sun going down behind them. With 45 mins until the gate closed we decided to do one more loop then head home... a good decision I'd say, just past manungu koppies we saw a few cars and there laying clumsily was a young male leopard in a silver cluster leaf tree. We watched him shift around until he found his spot and then reluctantly we had to leave him!

A beautiful day in a beautiful place...the best office in the world!!

27 March 2016

Expected temperature for today, Easter Sunday, was 39° not bad for an autumn day!

After breakfast we headed off for a morning drive around the area. First thing we see is a very young Giraffe browsing, we looked for his mother and were relieved to see her 20metres behind him also browsing. We checked around the koppies to see if our leopard from yesterday was still around...no luck! We drove to shitlave dam where I was pleased to see how full it had become after the few days of rain we'd received.

An update of a cheetah lying close to the road and we headed off unfortunately we'd missed him by minutes, that's how it goes though "right time right place". 

By 10 am the temperature was rising so we headed back to camp, a siesta for my lovely Spanish guests and a spot of last minute sun bathing for my lovely German guests!

We met again at 2:30 for an afternoon drive it was actually quite hot but hopefully it wouldn't deter the animals.

A quick trip to Manugu koppies and there on the eastern side we spotted, just quickly, a movement and there was the leopard trying to hunt klipspringers! The klipspringers alarm called as the leopard walked to the shade of a sycamore tree, we watched as he nonchalantly observed the klipspringers for 45 minutes until it was time to hunt but they were too fast for him, at one point he hid behind a rock with his whole tail visible flicking every now and then. After 10 minutes he decided it was enough and he headed off into the long grass where we lost visual of him.

What a fantastic way to spend an afternoon, the only way actually! !