Safari Day 3: A rest camp on the banks of the Letaba River

What a day. Hours of safari - perched on the edge of today's allocated seat - eyes peeled to make a sighting and holding your breathe waiting in anticipation for the next thing to make itself visible.

Have to say it's pretty hectic on safari. There is lots to do. The roads in the park are sealed - you drive slowly (10 to 40 kms an hour) and then pull up for a sighting - we made dozens of stops because there was so much to enjoy. You are concentrating so hard as the kms disappear under your wheels, your eyes are peeled, your ears are strained, your brain is whirring as you take in the info that is shared (could be scientific description of the animal, its habitat or the way it survives and adapts - might be a myth or story or even funny anecdotes), you are armed with a reference book to tick off the sightings (abandoned that cause you don't want to miss the next animal), you ask your questions and try to absorb the answers. Most important of course you try, try so hard to just "be in the moment" of your very own living documentary. Eat your heart our David Attenborough.

@Louis building our SCAT-a-logue - but with TASTE testing

Kruger is massive - stretches some 100 kms wide and 360 kms long and hosts over 2 million visitors a year. Plenty of space for the animals to get lost in and shy away from your view. Understandably, a safari is a lottery - you might not see anything. Not the case for us though, we literally were winners and hit the jackpot straight up.

 

And for many of the animals you don't just get to see them once - there are multiple sightings. It could be a strained glimpse in the distance or right on the verge of the road or you might need to stop as the animal crosses the road. Yes, did literally do the "why did the zebra cross the road?" joke and we were caught in the middle of one group of male elephants making up their minds about crossing and later had timed our run just perfectly for a herd of females to escort their teenagers and babies across the road.

Early morning Bushman's breakfast

The shared stories of poaching today were unsettling and it is a constant battle to keep the animals that bear the tusks and horns safe. We were passed by frequent patrols - vehicles loaded with enforcement officers dashing through the park intent on staving off the next slaughter. The prices paid are the motivation for the perpetration of these horrendous crimes. Apparently there are huge government caches of ivory and horn stored by the government in underground bunkers.

This is contrasted with stories of culling. Because the park is fenced there has been a need for human intervention - either to keep the numbers of particular animals in check or to control disease. 

On a lighter side, we did talk a lot of $h!t today. At one of the stops we were "fortunate" to come across a fresh pile of elephant dung! Woohoo, hit the jackpot. @Louis grabbed a hunk and then gave it a sniff and a LICK and informed us it was "male." He graciously offered us all a sample (uh, I don't think so) and then extolled its virtues - so many uses - source of water, mosquito repellent, stops nose bleeds and is rich in seeds for other animals to eat as elephants only digest 40% of their food intake. There were many others but I can't remember the commentary - think I shut down a little after a bit broke off and fell in @Mac's lap.

We followed this up with a look at the snow white, calcium rich hyena scat - sort of relieved this one, as it is the waste of a carnivore, was "inedible"  - nobody had firsts - so not sure we were lining up for seconds.

Needless to say, there are strict rules around getting out of the vehicle - we stopped at two camps along the way. Satara for morning tea and access to a shop ... (phew we were able to get the right power adaptor here) and then Oliphants for lunch (@Louis unfurled the table clothes, set up the table and prepared the lunch while we took in the sweeping views from the lookout. Additionally, there were two bridges where you could get out and stretch your legs and the waterways are always well populated with animals and birds.

So stately

We left at 8 am and pulled up at our overnight camp around 4 pm. Need to rethink the definition of "camp" in this part of the trip. It's always exciting as you pull into camp and get the first view of the accommodation and the extra special anticipation as you put the key in the door to get your first look inside. There were hundreds of huts in this camp and you are safely fenced in. There's a very beautiful huge marble floored and high-ceilinged restaurant, bar and lounge with comfortable lounge seating areas and plenty of dining tables and chairs.

Today's front seat co-pilots

The routine is ... we unpack, settle in and relax - @Louis on the other hand, is hard at it, preparing our very own yarning circle (complete with a roaring fire) and putting together tonight's curried chicken and vegetable feast.

The camp fire get together over dinner with drinks and shared stories, topped of with more questions and a few laughs under the stars and a clear night sky, ends our perfect day on our virgin safari run.

Animal spotting - they are everywhere

 And, as weary campers, we are scuttling towards the comfort of our huts and beds at 9 o'clock. Didn't even bother checking for pesky spiders or gheckos that might haven fallen from our thatched roof. Now that's tired. 

We relax and take in the view and magic lunch prep happens

I think I will rest a little easier tonight because @Louis shared the mantra "Only food runs in Africa" - that's a real relief - my running days are over.

PS Hope @Roz found the right hut - they all look the same. There was a little struggle trying to use her door key on someone else's hut.

PPS Australia won the first test in the Ashes series - keep it up boys!

Accommodation: Tonight we were in large circular free standing cement huts with a high conical thatched roof - wonderful expansive interior bedroom and sitting space with ensuite - power, hot water, fans and air-conditioning, a balcony and outdoor kitchen.

Not bad for "camping."

What's on the menu: @Louis had it all covered. Breakfast on the deck - cereal, fruit, yoghurt, toast and hot and cold drinks. Lunch picnic under the s⁸hade of a tree salad and meat sandwiches and fresh fruit (complete with portable hand washing basin and towel ... ahhh, elephant dung removed, phew). Dinner chicken and vegetable curry (simmered in a cast iron pot) with rice - it was bloody good. The thing about "@Louis's Kitchen" is the attention to detail - the location and physical setting table setting, chair arrangement, lighting, condiments, fire and ice .. it all adds up!

Weather: no access to specific data but cold morning (beanie and layers) and then warm to hot through the day.

Steps: not enough! Sitting in the car for majority of the day 3 865

Transport: #Magogo - 120 kms departed 8 am arrived 4 pm

Creative solutions needed - we are packed to the rafters including on the roof - and @Marg and @Tom join us in two days. #think thin

Wildlife Spotting:

This is listing of what we saw today (AMAZING) with some brief notes recorded (and unedited) from @Louis's commentary. There is no way I can accurately capture all the detail but here is an attempt - and every minute taking notes is a minute you have to look away from the possibility of the next sighting!

Impala - everywhere jumps 6 metres high 13 metre long - metatarsal glands leave scent for others to follow -180 days gestation - give birth all at once after first rain - referred to as Macdonalds of bush with 3 stripes on their butt making the M symbol - NABI ... not another bloody impala

Giraffe: Tower of giraffe; journey of giraffe, saw one male testing the female's scent - she just kept on eating- same number of vertebrae and teeth as humans; 1 1/2 hours sleep - so so many sightings

Monkey: so naughty in camp - stealing food - quickly as a flash, off the roof, onto the table, food stolen. Lady next door had whole box grabbed

Red Crested khoran: interesting display by male to attract female

Southern ground horn bill: most of the time on ground - nest in trees - carnivores - practise Kane-ism - siblings kill others in nest - gap in bill for cracking nuts

Lion: mating pair - 4 days - perhaps 2000 times - low sperm count. It looked like a termite mound under the tree ... and then it moved 

Lilac breasted Roller: (national bird of Botswana 🇧🇼 - why the flag is blue) - magnificent colours - saw them in flight... lots

Zebra: if you shaved skin off its skin is uniform dark grey - the zebra has a harem

Male wears the g string :) - thin black stripe is male - dazzle of zebra - thick black stripe under tail is female - largest eye of all land animals

Elephant: 3 feet on ground as they walk - 3 males together - current research indicates elephants adapting to poaching - now evolving with smaller tusks and even tuskless - a herd or a parade of elephants

Kudu: eat leaf - follow me markings - disruptive colouring - makes them look like a group rather single animal - defence from lions , very raunchy explanation of how it got its name ... "could do you "

Hamerkorp:

Crested franklin: saw a family - referred to as sperfell in book - interestingly many of the names of animals have changed over time

Birches coucal: calls the rain

Mongoose:

Girdled lizard - in termite mound - inflates itself so can't be pulled out

Bateleur eagle - tightrope walker - very sharp beak to open carcass - other animals rely on them 

Baboon: troop/congress - baby was riding its mum sitting on the tail facing backwards - prolific sightings around river

Heron

White backed vulture

Fork tailed drongo: trickster of the bush - mimics a number  of alarm calls - repeats them till animals startled and then he eats insects 

Pied kingfisher - only kingfisher species that can hover in one spot

Bush buck (not to be confused with impala - of course we did, every time)

Nile crocodile: so so big!

Water buck: gland releases pungent oil that makes fur water proof

Ostrich: pushes you down and kicks with nails on feet - male is black and white dark to camouflage sitting on nest at night - female grey to sit on nest in day

Hippos: use clicks to communicate - don't stay out of water long because they don't have sweat glands - a raft of hippo - 8 months for gestation - one dominant male and his females - have red underbelly coloured from secretions of blood sweat - a moisturiser!

Tawny Eagles - saw them feeding - squabbling

Steinbok: mate for life - always urinate in one place - favourite leopard prey

Corrie bustard: 25 kgs world's heaviest flying bird - so big have other birds riding on its back eating insects - eats tree gum (saw him pecking)

Wart hog: sounder of Wart hogs - on their knees to eat so their mouth can scoop up food

Ugly 5: Wart hog hippo baboon wildebeest Hyena 

Big 6 of birds southern ground horn bill; Corrie bustard ; saddle billed stork (Grrman flag colours)