29 December 2015
This afternoon
we entered the park at about 16:00, making our way to our camp for the night.
Shortly after
entering we saw a few vehicles stopped, but apparently we arrived a few seconds
too late and had just missed a Leopard walking into the bush. We continued and
saw some good general game, including many Impala, Zebra and Kudu.
About an hour into
our drive I noticed something looking slightly out of place on one of the lower
branches of a Marula tree.
To our delight,
it was an adult female leopard sleeping in the tree. We watched her for a while
and she eventually woke up, lifting her head to survey her surroundings, before
getting up and out of the tree. We lost sight of her and continued towards
camp.
We also saw a
large breeding herd of elephants as well as many bulls, solitary or in small
groups.
Towards the end
of our drive we also saw 2 very large male White Rhinos, both fairly good
sightings as they seemed very relaxed and were quite close to the road and in
the open. A fairly short, but sweet introductory safari setting the tone for
the days to follow!
30 December 2015
Setting out
bright and early on a fairly cool morning, our first sighting was of a small
breeding herd of elephant not far out of camp. They were very relaxed even
though they were on both sides of the road and with cars constantly passing
through, dissecting the herd. Their deep rumbling noises fascinating the guests
as they checked up on each other, making sure there were no undue disturbances
from passing vehicles.
A nearby
waterhole yielded some general game in the form of a large hers of Impala
drinking as well as a family of Warthogs with small piglets grazing nearby.
Not long after
we passed an old Rhino carcass which was still being fed on by a large number
of vultures, predominantly White-backed and also a few Hooded Vultures,
together with 7 Spotted Hyena. The sounds of the squabbling Vultures and the
loud crunching of bone as the hyenas tucked in to the leftovers really adding
to the authenticity of the experience. They were not the only ones enjoying
breakfast, as shortly after we came across 2 male and 2 female lions feasting
on a buffalo that must have been killed early last night. There was not much
meat left on the old bull, but it still seemed quite fresh and I suspect that
there were more lions around, probably just taking a break to digest.
On arrival at
the scene the 2 males moved off to a nearby shady spot, leaving the 2 females
at the scene. They got up, first one, shortly to be joined by her companion and
we watched them feeding on the buffalo carcass for a few minutes before
settling in the shade about 3 meters from the carcass and from the road,
affording us a great view of the entire process.
It was also a
good morning for birding as we got to see Martial Eagle, Brown Snake-Eagle and
a Bateleur perched on trees quite close to the road in the early morning,
offering good photographic opportunities.
31 December 2015
We set out at
dawn this morning and it paid off again as the first animal we saw, about 10
minutes into our drive, was a young male leopard in the road as we rounded a
bend. He was a bit skittish and went into a thicket on the side of the road.
We slowly
drove past the spot, turned the vehicle around and waited. Less than a minute
later it came back out and carried on walking down the road. We followed it,
not too closely as it was still quite skittish and broke into a trot every now
and then.
After
following him for a while, he took a pathway leading into the bush,
eventually moving out of sight, but not before pausing in a gap to stare back
at us and give the guests a good picture opportunity!
Next up we got
a very relaxed breeding herd of elephant foraging on both sides of the road
moving past us, with barely a glance in our direction. It is always a special
experience observing these unique creatures when they are in such a peaceful
mood! We also saw many Bulls of various ages feeding at regular intervals along
the way, including a few in musth on the trail of the females.
A little
later, we noticed a large traffic jam ahead, the kind that usually indicates
only one thing: leopard! What luck we had, as on approach, while trying to figure
out where to look, said leopard, a magnificent male, came walking out of the
grass, crossed the road in front of us and continued down a drainage line and
out of sight!
Towards the
end of the day we found 2 Sable Antelope bulls grazing nearby and getting
comfortable for the night, settling in the tall grass at the foot of a large
granite outcrop.
A great Safari
to see out 2015!
