A delayed trip report to Klaserie and Timbavati, November 2023

[Toxic]

I debated whether it was too late to post this, but it seems I am not alone in the tardiness of trip reports 😂  Also it is a great reason to relive what was a very rewarding trip!

 

How did this trip come about?

 

During the pandemic, Ryan Johnston, who was my guide on my first ever safari back in 2020, had moved away from Ulusaba and joined a different company - WanderingThru. Since the plague, I've done a lot of travel, including an epic trip to Kenya to see the last two northern white rhinos, my first trip to India in search of tigers (and amazing food and touristy sites) and more, but as you all know more than anyone I know in real life, the itch for getting back to the bush is always there waiting to be scratched!  So I reached out to him, with the very rough idea of returning to South Africa and wanting to see some of the different private reserves bordering Kruger alongside an equally rough budget.

 

To his credit, despite me not having a fully fledged idea, he came back with a few itineraries and from there we built a trip that would look like this: 

 

Overnight flight to Johannesburg 

Stay at a hotel for 1 night 

Fly to Hoedspruit and transferred to Nzumba Lodge for 4 nights (Klaserie, guided by Ryan with a private vehicle)

Transferred to Bateleur Safari Camp for 4 nights (Timbavati)

Transferred to Ngala Safari Lodge for 4 nights 

 

As with the two previous trip reports from me, all photos will have been taken by my phone. I have realised I have too much of a trigger finger for more professional kit so very much a 'snap and done' kinda guy 😇

 

I have given some thought of how best to introduce you all to this trip, and figured a good introduction to this trip report would be (with full acknowledgement that the final one is a blurry photo because of being zoomed in!!)...

 

A photo from my time at Nzumba

 

 

...one from Bateleur

 

 

...and one from Ngala

 

[michael-ibk]

Very impressive mobile photos, and never too late for a report indeed!

[Toxic]

Thank you @michael-ibk 😊

 

I will gloss over the flight and the overnight stay at the InterContinental, aside from an interaction on the flight from London and a delicious ostrich steak, not much to report on. 

 

Flight

The flight to JNB was largely uneventful, aside from my seat neighbour who had been separated from her mother. She asked me to swap with her mum, so they could sit together.  I paid for seat selection and specifically chose the aisle (I prefer aisle as like to get up and stretch without worrying about bothering someone else) on the right side of the plane. Configuration was 2-3-2, so I had one of the two-seaters.  I asked where her mum was sat, as if it was a like for like seat in a different row or on the left side, no point getting stressy about it and would have been happy to accommodate. She pointed to her mum who was looking back expectantly, sat in the middle seat in the middle of the cabin, with neighbours on either side.   I politely declined, saying I had paid for this seat and asked if she had asked the two fellows on either side of her mum? She said yes, they also declined as they also preferred sitting in aisle seats.  I shrugged and apologised, and softly suggested that if you want to guarantee you are sat with each other, to choose your seats and pay the uplift. 

 

She did not like this suggestion, and called over a member of the cabin crew who was busy serving the welcome orange juice and prosecco. She had suggested I was rude for not giving up my seat and letting her mum sit with her.  Of course, the cabin crew dismissed her and said once everyone had boarded and taken their seats, they would be able to identify if any seats were free next to each other, and was asked to take her seat. She did so. The same team member later came back to say they had identified an empty row close to the back of the plane and that they were welcome to move there (going from premium economy to economy) if they wanted to sit together.   Readers, I'd love to tell you at this point she was happy with a resolution and went to be reunited with her mum - but no, swapping "class" was not a satisfactory option. At this point the doors were closed, and the cabin crew couldn't offer her anything else, so with one final glare she put her eye mask on, turned to face the window and the rest of the 10 hour flight went by peacefully. She didn't partake in dinner, nor watch any of the onboard entertainment. It wasn't until breakfast was served that she "woke up". The cabin crew member gave me a small pack of cookies before lights out while rolling her eyes at my now rage-sleeping neighbour. 

 

[Time slip, we arrive at Hoedspruit and I am greeted by Ryan and taken to our first stop - Nzumba Lodge, about an hour by car. A mini game drive, but aside from some warthogs and impala, not much to report on] 

[Toxic]

Nzumba Day 1 

 

I arrived just after lunch, so enjoyed a nice meal, signed the standard indemnity form and was shown around camp by the general managers Meg and Matt, two lovely people who clearly love what they do. Matt is a guide himself, so was able to share some stories of his sightings.  After checking in and freshening up, it's time for our first drive. I always enjoy the first drives in new places as on top of all the wildlife all the landscapes are new to me too and I like to try to orient myself. 

 

We first came across a jackal puppy, who was relieving himself on the side of the airstrip 

 

 

As everyone knows, November is baby season and there were hundreds of impalas bouncing about. They're very cute. Unfortunately they are inexperienced in the school of life and we saw a fair few perish this trip. It's amazing how quickly life can be snuffed out.

 

 

 

 

We ran into a small tower of giraffe, we saw one lone elephant, and then stopped to overlook a dry river bed, initially for sundowners. 

 

 

 

I will preface this part by saying one of the challenges of using only a phone as a camera is that in low light settings it is largely useless so hopefully my words will fill in the gaps where photos blur and become crappy quality... 

 

In the riverbed was a small pride of lions, 12 of them, resting. Sleeping lions do not make for good sundowner companions, the drinks would have to wait.  One of the lionesses had lost part of her bum cheek. Hopefully the males aren't looking for bubble butts!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Though as the sun was setting, one of them was clearly spooked by something in the distance.  Two of the dominant males were approaching on the other side. The lions scattered behind our vehicle, though the lionesses slowly returned. We spent the rest of our night with this group in case a confrontation were to happen, but they ended up laying on the other side just staring at each other with the occasional warning roar when one ventured too close.  If memory serves correctly, 14 lions on the first game drive - was pretty happy! It was not the last time we would see this group nor the last time the dominant males would exert their authority... 

 

Satisfied, we started our drive back to the lodge for a well earned sleep, with not much more to report on but a hare going about its nightly business. 

 

[Toxic]

Nzumba Day 2 

 

The morning drive was uneventful with not much to report on. We came across some kudu, a small bachelor herd of buffalo, a lone hyena and a threesome of lions (two chaps and one girl, not related to the previous pride). 

 

 

 

 

A photo to show how much water was left in the river 

 

 

Nzumba overlooks a small watering hole, so in between drives I enjoyed watching giraffe, zebra, impala and some wildebeest come for a pint. It was also frequented by the jackals, hyena, elephants, and one morning a lone rhino - more on that in a later part. 

 

 

I am someone that enjoys a mid-afternoon nap on safari (early wake-up calls are not my thing!) and on this day I was woken from my slumber from a tapping at the window.   It was a side window, which I thought was weird; if anyone was trying to get my attention, surely it would have been the windows to the front of my room?

 

I pulled back the window and what was actually tapping the window was a hornbill and his mate.  He was quite startled seeing me, but he did come back. I watched these two for approximately 30 minutes, having a great time. I'm not sure what they were trying to achieve but I enjoyed it none the less.

 

 

 

The evening drive was much more eventful. We had found the pride of lions from the night before. I believe it was a full moon, and our vehicle died.

Edited July 21 by Toxic

[Toxic]

Thank you @AndrewB, @michael-ibk, @duenelle, @Tom Kellie,  @Zubbie15, @Bush dog, @janzinand everyone else for following along 😊

 

Nzumba Day 2 - Continued

 

After the leisurely pace of the morning drive, the afternoon was different. I have tried to upload unlisted YT videos, where the camera fails in low light situations the videos and some narrative will have to do... lets see if this works!

 

We first found the pride from the previous evening a little further down from where we saw them. They were lounging near a small body of water in the reeds, with the youngsters enjoying a rubber hose.  In the second video, towards the end where the lioness finishes drinking, you will see her bum injury in much

rawer detail than the photo posted yesterday. 

 

The sun was setting, but we stayed with them. It's always fun watching lions do more than just lay, and these ones seemed to be on the move. A notable absence from this group were the two dominant males. For now.

 

 

 

Once the final lion had wandered off, we continued to follow them. Something had spooked them as the young males kept looking back. I'd like to say they were very intimidated by my presence but that would be a lie. We decided that we should check out the direction they kept looking back at, so having made mental notes of their last known location, off we went.  Not 5 minutes up the road, the two dominant males were hot on the pride's tail.   Ryan, being the skillful guide that he is, turned us around in sand and across some treacherous terrain, and found the pride again. They were relaxing, but not for long. 

 

My recommendation is to watch the next videos with sound on.  I actually didn't expect family drama to unfold nor for crap to hit the proverbial fan so quickly, I was just innocently filming the sun go down over the horizon. 😇

 

 

All the lions dispersed and we were off.    We lost them for a short while in the bush but we were soon reunited.

 

There was a huge commotion, the dominant males were not happy with the younger ones, we followed them overlooking the dry riverbed. 

 

 

It was shortly after the clip above, after we had re-positioned ourselves for what would be the final time, that our vehicle died. It was a quick death, but light was running out, and we had an entire pride of active and fighting lions in our presence. What a blessing! 

 

I know the following videos aren't great in terms of visuals, but, hopefully the sounds and what little you can see make up for it!

 

 

 

With the car dead, we radio'd for help. I don't know anything about cars but apparently just a small nudge to get it to roll would have started the battery again. 

 

We enjoyed the sounds of the bush, the lions choosing to do their best performances for Klaserie's Got Talent, and I snapped these photos of the moon (if the spotlight wasn't on there was nothing one could really see) and a final picture of one of the dominant males, now with a brand new battle scar.

 

      

 

It took 30 minutes for another guy to come help us, but the problem was with lions in every direction, getting out to attach the cars to drag us was going to be a problem, and nudging us over the river bank ridge, where even more lions lay waiting, was possibly even more problematic.

 

In the end they pulled up beside us and we had to do what any brave sailor does - abandon ship. We gathered our belongings and jumped into their vehicle as stealthily as we could (I am not very stealthy) and left the car there. The couple who were in that other vehicle were on their honeymoon, and the wife did not seem like she was having a great time. Under her breath were "I'm hungry", "Did we have to help them?" and "When are we going back to the lodge?".  Never mind... 

 

Eventually we were met by another person with a different car that would take us back to our lodge, and the newlyweds were off to theirs. Good luck to them. I snapped this final image of a giraffe's silhouette against the night sky. We made it back to the lodge with a new car but all in one piece. What a great drive!

 

 

 

Edited July 21 by Toxic

[mopsy]

Super lion encounter @Toxicand great videos too.

 

Not sure who I would be more intimidated by - the lions or the fellow tourists you have encountered so far!

[John M.]

On 7/21/2024 at 12:06 AM, Toxic said:

 

 She had suggested I was rude for not giving up my seat and letting her mum sit with her.  

   Delightful TR. But surely it was not your first encounter with an entitled fellow passenger?  I like the way you handled the situation.

    But after my first such experience on long-haul years ago, I found they were becoming so common (not just seat swapping demands) that they diminished in importance, became par for the course and not worth mentioning. Only the experiences at destination mattered.

   Did you have any experience with the Hoedspruit endangered species sanctuary?  I had contact with them about 25 years ago when they supplied our local safari park with its first cheetahs.

[Hads]

@Toxicgreat trip report so far, I am really enjoying it thanks.

Being in a broken-down safari vehicle with a big pride of lions does not get much better.

[Toxic]

6 hours ago, mopsy said:

Not sure who I would be more intimidated by - the lions or the fellow tourists you have encountered so far!

 

I was quite surprised by that woman's words (and also that she thought none of us could hear), surely extra time in the bush and at a lion sighting is a good thing?!    I think there is one more person I will write about, not that she did anything (she was in a completely different car), but it did make me laugh 😅

[Toxic]

4 hours ago, John M. said:

But surely it was not your first encounter with an entitled fellow passenger?

 

I have seen others complain of this but have thankfully have always dodged it myself! 

 

4 hours ago, John M. said:

But after my first such experience on long-haul years ago, I found they were becoming so common (not just seat swapping demands) that they diminished in importance, became par for the course and not worth mentioning.

 

This is depressing. At the risk of getting political I do think we (the royal 'we') have become very entitled, showing less empathy for others and the world at large, and the planet is a colder (warmer?) place as a result.  I had a suggested post on my social where it was one of these airline horror stories, where someone who had boarded the plane early was sat down and someone who was one of the last people to board had removed the earlier person's luggage from the overhead bin and left it in the aisle so that they could put their stuff in!!  I am not sure I would be able to keep my cool with someone like that... 

 

4 hours ago, John M. said:

Only the experiences at destination mattered.

 

Wise, sage advice @John M.☺️

 

4 hours ago, John M. said:

Did you have any experience with the Hoedspruit endangered species sanctuary? 

 

I had not heard of this. I am going back (and doing basically this same trip again with some small differences) later this year so will do some research - thank you! 

[Toxic]

4 hours ago, Hads said:

Being in a broken-down safari vehicle with a big pride of lions does not get much better.

 

Thank you Hads, yes I agree with this.  I never once felt unsafe (aside from the night bugs, but some incognito helped sort that out 🪰) and sometimes you just need to go with the flow. I had never been so close to lions roaring (or fighting) before so it was a new experience though imagine a first time safari person, or indeed the woman from the other car, would have not found it quite so enjoyable 😂

[John M.]

@Toxic I think you're right about the growth of "entitlement" generally. It is more noticeable in the airline industry because more and more people are flying, and they're  close together. Like self-described "sovereign citizens", entitled ones crave attention ... which I refuse to give.

   If you go to the Hoedspruit sanctuary, I would like to hear about it. Just today I was looking at the photos I took of the cheetahs after they arrived from Hoedspruit in 1999. They had a very long flight via Singapore.

  @Toxic 

CORRECTION: It was via Kuala Lumpur because Malaysia Airlines sponsored the transfer of 5 male and 3 female cheetahs. There's a magazine article, "Cheetahs- out of Africa" about those Hoedspruit cheetahs on ST... in the "African wildlife- Latest conservation news and talk" forum on February 7, 2008.

Edited July 23 by John M.

[Toxic]

Another thanks to @duenelle, @lmSA84, @Caracal, @Hads, @mopsy, @Treepol, @Bush dog, @janzin, @AndrewB, @John M., @TonyQ, @offshorebirder, @michael-ibkand everyone for following along! 💕

 

Day 3 - Nzumba Morning

 

The third day started with a lovely sunrise, the usual teas/coffees/biscuits and we were off.  We ran into some zebra, some wildebeest (and possibly one of the earlier babies of the season), a steenbok, a giraffe, what I think is a purple roller (if anyone can tell from the phone pic!). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was time for our coffee break. We stopped somewhere I hadn't recalled seeing before, and took some shots of the cactus and rock & fig tree because I thought they were cool. Coffee was accompanied by a pod of hippos grunting and being nosey.

 

 

 

 

As we packed up and headed off, we came to a watering hole where 3 elephants were having a drink. Elephants are my favourite, so I was keen to observe and listen for as long as possible. It was enjoyable watching this elephant whom I mentally named Jesus wash his feet with the freshwater pipe.

 

 

 

Soon after, a small herd arrived including a sweet baby angel. We watched them drink, itch and throw water over themselves.  Magical.

 

 

As they started to head off, mum displayed signs at discomfort at our presence, staring us down and shaking her head, so it was also our time to head off. 

 

I didn't pick up on the signs earlier on the first two days; Ryan had something special planned and was phishing for information. I would say I have two major fears, spiders and heights, and this was along the lines of the questioning. This becomes important momentarily. 

 

Even when he suggested Meg and the rest of the camp would be expecting us for breakfast and we needed to be back by a certain time - he has not suggested food over animal sightings ever - I didn't catch on.

 

We arrived at camp, took a quick restroom break, and returned for breakfast. It would be outside on the lawn today which was different, maybe it was a special lunch? 

 

In the distance we could hear and see a helicopter. Unusual, I asked if that was usual for the area and was told "oh, they sometimes do that around here" by Meg with a cheeky smile. It was not until it landed on the lawn of Nzumba did I realise what was going on... 

 

I was told that Hope for Wildlife had partnered with Nzumba, and do an anti-poaching flight every so often as a deterrent. I didn't have to, but if I wanted to I could go up with them and they'd return us 30-40 minutes later.  I may have let out a "what the ***" at this point.

 

Anyway, Ryan and our fellow guest hyped me up and despite the shaking (I couldn't even do the seat belt up properly 🙄), off we went. I didn't take too many photos but knew no one back home would believe me so I took these and now using them as evidence here!

 

The pilot, a lovely lady I think named Jana, told us to keep an eye out for rhino in particular.  We didn't see any rhino. It is surprising how difficult it is to see anything up there, though looking down was not my first priority - I looked over at Jana and saw that her door was wide open and was like "oh crap!".

 

It was a very scenic flight and we saw the dam, the mines, flew along the river and saw some massive crocs and some elephants (who really didn't like the helicopter) and buffalo. 

 

 

 

 

   

 

We returned to camp and off Jana went. I went straight for a chair firmly planted on the ground and requested a tequila shot. It was 10am. 

 

It was a great experience, and a total surprise. I would consider it again but perhaps with a little bit of advance warning 😂

 

 

[John M.]

   Now, that's different @Toxic!  Chopper flights are something, aren't they!

[Toxic]

On 7/22/2024 at 11:49 PM, John M. said:

Chopper flights are something, aren't they!

 

Possibly me being a bag of nerves but it was surprisingly hot considering one side had no door down!!  But it was an incredible experience seeing the reserves from that perspective, and seeing the expanse, going over mountains and rivers, and it being so surprisingly hard to spot anything even if they are the largest animals on land!

 

[Toxic]

Day 3 - Nzumba Evening

 

After the adrenaline from flying started wearing off, and a delicious breakfast finished, it was off to nap for a short while. I ended up not napping for very long, possibly 30 minutes, and used the rest of the time enjoying the pool and watching the animals at the watering hole.

 

The first thing we saw not far out of camp was what I think is some kind of sandgrouse? 

 

 

After some excellent tracking from both Ryan and Peter, we managed to find our first white rhino of the trip. We spent a good ~20 minutes watching him patrol and mark his territory. 

 

 

 

We then made friends with a guide from another lodge as he was passing (I try to fist bump everyone that drives by, you never know who they are!) . He had traversing rights for a bordering property. We pointed him in the direction of our rhino spot, and off we went searching for more things to see.

 

Karma was swift that day, because not 20 minutes later we receive a call on the radio from the same guide, saying they have a leopard on their property and we are welcome to access; it would be a little bit of a drive but off we went! 

 

We came across this beautiful female leopard, walking around a bit before resting on a tree and posing for us. We spent a lovely 30-40 minutes following her, as the sun went down, with only one other vehicle. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apparently, there was still time for some sundowners after we said our final thanks to the other guide and goodbye to our lovely cat. So off we went.

 

 

As we exited the vehicle, there was a commotion on the other side of the dry river bed. A large, lone elephant bull was trumpeting. He was going about his business trying to eat some bark and leaves, but was being harassed. With nightfall fast approaching, and our table only just having been set up, we look at what the hubbub  was about.   These pictures are absolutely terrible due to the zoom, and the low-light situation, but hopefully you can all still tell what was bugging our elephant friend... 

 

 

 

Edited July 24 by Toxic

[mopsy]

Dogs, leopard and rhino - that's a very productive drive by any standards!

 

Enjoying following along @Toxic

[offshorebirder]

What a day!    @Toxic

 

 

 

[Peter Connan]

Wow, what a day indeed!

 

Klaserie is very close to my heart. My grandfather had property there for many years.

[Toxic]

Thank you @mopsy, @offshorebirder, @Peter Connanfor your kind words and Peter, this was my first time in Klaserie but as I think I posted further up I loved this trip so much I am basically doing the exact same one again in a few months but spending more time in Klaserie (5 nights)

 

Thanks also to @Zubbie15, @Zim Girl, @Hads, @John M., @Treepol, @leras, @lmSA84, @ElenaH, @Caracal, @TonyQ, @Bush dog, @duenelle, @janzin, @michael-ibk and everyone else for following along - glad I haven't put you all off with either my phone photos or narrative 😇

 

---

 

Nzumba Day 4 

 

The dogs being across the riverbed the night before still fresh in our mind, we knew we couldn't attempt to find them (different property), so expectations tempered off we set. It was a peaceful morning, both in terms of sightings and weather. 

 

We came across this steenbok, which was less shy than they usually are, stopped to admire some mopane worm eggs and ran into this mum and younger rhino. We stayed with them for a short while, they were not entirely comfortable with our presence, so we wanted to give them space.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped at a viewing vista for morning coffee, enjoyed looking over the expanse we had flown over and trying to spot any of the things we flew over the day before. It was here we also admired some of the rocks on the ground. The name escapes me but maybe someone will have a better memory or knowledge, it was pieces of shiny metallic flakes that were silver/gold colour. No pictures so maybe it's better to just move on... 😂

 

 

 

We came to a small watering hole and saw some grumpy cape buffalo, and at this point I think it is worth mentioning that the smell was worse than wild dogs, the water smelled rancid. Not like sewage, but like something had died. 

 

 

We saw a hyena on the other side sleeping in the water. It wasn't until another hyena also approached also looking suspect that Ryan suggested that they may have stashed remnants of a kill in the water, and the one in the water was a resting (floating?) guard, that the smell made more sense.

 

 

 

 

Our nostrils thanked us once we had left the hyenas to their business, and shortly after we ran into this handsome kudu. 

 

 

We also came across this big bull playing with the freshwater pipe. It was such a peaceful scene, listening to him drinking, spraying himself, with the impala in the back also enjoying a drink.  We stayed with him for a while, listening, admiring, and a giraffe later came to drink too with some ugly legs - this one has had a hard life, but it seemed in good spirits despite its appearance. It would also not be the giraffe with the ugliest appearance or battle wounds, but that will be in a slightly later post... 

 

 

 

 

 

The evening drive was cancelled. That night there was a storm in a way that only Africa can deliver. Bolts of lightning in the distance, big rain, thunder. We actually saw the lightning make connection with the top of one of the mountains in the distance, and what we assume was a fire (the mountain then had a red tinge). So instead of putting ourselves through what would have been a miserable and dangerous experience, we decided to stay in Nzumba Lodge, enjoy dinner, abuse the bar, and watch the skies.

 

Maybe the storm would clear up by the morning for our last drive at Nzumba before I headed off to Bateleur.

[Toxic]

Nzumba - Day 5 (Morning Drive)

 

The storm passed. I always find it quite soothing sleeping to the sound of the rain, and the distant echoes of thunder.  What always amazes me is how quickly the landscape changes after rain, you start seeing life blossom immediately, and various insects get to work. 

 

This morning's wake up coffee had a special visitor to the watering hole. It was the same rhino we saw on day 3. Actually, the watering hole was quite active this morning, as I also have photos of zebra and impala getting their early morning drinks in.

 

 

Not far out of camp, and perhaps bringing my stay at Nzumba full circle, we saw the jackal pup again.

 

 

We came across three lions we didn't think we had ran into before, who we found in a bush just off the side of the road. They tolerated our presence but when a second vehicle approached they darted into the bush. 

 

In the middle of searching, we came across some kind of eagle.

 

 

We spent a good while trying to find them again, and ran into them once more.

 

 

 

 

They had managed to snatch a baby impala, noted only by the singular scream it let out before its life was snuffed out, and that was it. It was all so quick so no photos of that (and one of the males took the carcass and ran off) but here are some pictures of impala.

 

 

 

 

 

We also saw ran into a hen party of kudu

 

 

With this excitement over, it was time to head back to camp, to pack up my things and check out. 

 

We met this big elephant bull on the road, who played with us for a short while; he was very happy eating the bushes, but did not want to let us pass. 

 

 

 

 

A gentle tease with the vehicle saw him square up to us, but he maneuvered himself behind the bush, revealing to us he was all bark with no bite.

 

Off we went. We ran into this older lion on our return back to camp.

 

 

 

I packed my things, settled my bar tab, said my "until next times" to Ryan, our tracker Peter, Meg and Matt, and was picked up and transferred to Bateleur.

 

 

Edited July 28 by Toxic

[Toxic]

Day 5 - Bateleur First Drive

 

I think Bateleur is a favourite of many visitors who are on this forum, so I won't go in to too much detail. I will say on check-in, I went through the usual indemnity form and was told that although I don't need to take the key to my tent with me, I need to lock the room so that the monkeys don't get in. They haven't learned how to turn the key yet, just open the door.  Just as the lodge manager told me this, a monkey appeared and entered the common area kitchen to take a piece of fruit - couldn't have planned it better!

 

I settled in to my tent, which also overlooks a dry riverbed, and enjoyed the sounds and getting my bearings. In camp were some Nyala and a family of mongoose.  I was given one of the tents closest to camp which meant I didn't need an escort when I wanted to wander around or go back to my room, however when I go back I will be requesting one further away from the common areas if possible; there was a distinct lack of privacy (the path goes behind the bathroom, and I'm pretty sure I gave someone the fright of their life when I exited a shower...), and the noise from the kitchen carries so when the staff are busy working late at night/early in the morning, there is also some light pollution. 

 

 

I was introduced to my guide and tracker, and joined a vehicle with some others who were staying in camp, and off we went for my first drive. 

 

Our first encounter was this giraffe. People who have been following along will have seen two posts above a battered giraffe, this one took the crown for the one with the hardest life - not only did he have a huge hole in his knee, but half of his head was split open. Despite this he seemed in good spirits and was enjoying eating the trees.

 

 

 

 

We moved on to a watering hole about 15 minutes away from camp where there is a treehouse for honeymooners.

 

This became my favourite watering hole of the entire trip, I would always look forward to going here. The sightings will stay with me forever - nothing unusual or rare, just magical moments. 

 

Our first stop at this watering hole gave us elephants and rhino, whose mere presence drinking was frustrating the resident hippo!  There was so much to hear and see.  Just as one herd would venture off, more would arrive. I could have stayed here for hours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we turned around to go find a sundowner spot, we came across a tower of giraffe (in much better condition than the one we first saw) ... 

 

 

 

 

Drinks finished, we headed back to camp and came across this chameleon. Always fun seeing the little guys that often get overlooked!

 

 

[TravelMore]

WOW, @Toxic.  Fantastic trip.  I agree with that last waterhole.  If all the herds are coming to you, why not just set up and wait 

[Peter Connan]

A bushveld thunderstorm is just a magical experience!

 

Is the mineral perhaps Iron Pyrite (also known as fool's gold)?

 

Your eagle is African Hawk. Usually seen in pairs.