First of all, Happy Easter Sunday! Or, is it April Fool’s Day? We all thought it might be April Fool’s Day, especially if the sudden rains canceled the morning drive. As it turned out, once the sun rose, the rain stopped. As for us, we thought it was an Easter miracle. At least the dust had settled, the ponds were full, and we will not be eating dirt during the drive.
As promised, we had a wake-up knock on our screen door at 5:30am. Although both of us slept through two alarm clocks, we still had time to spare before the 6am meet time. One of the guides arrived daily with a large thermos of boiling water. Inside each of our cabins, we have instant coffee and tea , and are welcomed to make a cup ourselves. As much as we love coffee, we thanked him, but did not even think about having a cup. The only restrooms out in the bush are trees or shrubs.
Our driver and guide was Tinyko, who we remembered from 4 and 5 years ago. He is native Shangaan and Zulu, and also speaks fluent English, since learning the language in the fourth grade. The tracker was a young fellow, James, who is the son of Dale, the owner/manager. We recall James when he was a teenager back in 2013. One of us took the seat high on the back of the Land Rover, while the other one took over as “shotgun” sitting next to the driver. We kept these positions for the entire time. The good thing was that one of us could keep a diary of every sighting, and actually hear everything the guide was telling us. The higher position in the vehicle allowed for the best possible photos, and ended up a seat for one. The vehicle was never over-crowded.
The very first thing we got to see was one long discarded quill left from a porcupine. Never knew they were so thick and lethally sharp. A medium-sized cat crossed in front of us so quickly, a photo could not be taken. It was our only sighting of this small cat.
Being up in front was the best place to monitor the incoming calls from other guides in the area. Our lodge communicates with at least one other adjacent lodge to share viewing spots. That increases the total square miles for animal sightings for both camps. Some other lodges are not so friendly, so crossing over their borders can lead to legal problems. This goes back for years of in house fighting over boundaries. Considering the massive size of the Sabi Sands Game Reserve, the concentration of wildlife is dense.
The highlight of the morning drive was to find a female leopard, who had made a kill the previous evening. Within 10 minutes of leaving the camp, we came upon a treed leopard guarding her kill, which happened to be a grey dika, the smallest of the antelopes. Two rather large hyenas were parked under the tree, waiting for any tidbit of meat that might fall down to them, since they are not capable of climbing. The cat was smart, because if she had not stashed her kill up high, these hyenas would surely steal it from her.
After taking 100 or more photos of her, we watched as the leopard came down the tree. Following her, it was 10 minutes later that we found the little three month old cub (sex unknown) hiding in tall grass, where the mom had left it. Knowing that those hyenas, among other animals, could kill her baby, she wisely keeps the cub out of sight. For some unknown reason, the cub will stay hidden, obeying the mother, unlike human kids, that might stray. The mother leopard led her cub to a waterhole, where they drank carefully watching for those hyenas. Both of them eventually found some cover, and laid down, the cub playing all the time, as babies do. During the warmer parts of the day, they will mostly lay low and sleep. This would be the final time we saw them together. Very lucky, indeed.
Continuing on the ride through the trees and brush, we saw a multitude of birds and animals including the goway birds, lilac-breasted rollers, and the comical yellow billed hornbills. The smaller of the animals were dwarf mongoose, squirrels, and many impalas. With the markings of an “m” on their backsides, they called the “McDonald’s” of the savannah. Sort of like fast food for the lions, leopards, and cheetahs. The larger animals were the kudu, wildebeest, zebra, water buck, elephants, and white rhinos.
Another surprise find was the young male cheetah, who was sitting atop a high termite mound. This was our very first time to see this beautiful cat in this area. Usually, they will not be around the larger cats, but at times, they will migrate from other areas in search of prey. He had no fear of us in the Land Rover at all.
By 8am, Tinyko stopped for us to enjoy coffee or hot chocolate with biscotti biscuits. Sure was good to stretch our legs, but we did not wander far. After 10 or 15 minutes, we continued on the ride back towards the camp. Passing a white rhino, we notice he was limping. An injury to his foot or leg had slowed him down. That could make him vulnerable to attack by the cats, a sad thought, but it is the way life goes on in this part of the world.
By now, we had worked up our appetites for breakfast at the lodge. That began around 10am. Two more vehicles had come back to camp, and we all sat at individual tables…..families together, and couples at tables for two. Since it was Easter Sunday, we all had chocolate Easter eggs and bunnies as decorations on each table. The first meal of the day was an ample one. And because it was a holiday, we were served mimosas with our food. The cold part of breakfast was a tray full of food like strawberry and plain yogurts, sliced fruit, cheese and crackers, two muffins and 2 slices of sweet bread, and a tray of sliced meats and salmon. This was more than sufficient, but there was more to come. One of the kitchen staff came and took our order for the hot food. We both ordered different omelettes with one piece of toast, which arrived within minutes. Totally delicious, we headed back to our room to relax until later.
That only lasted until 10:45am, when we had the chance to take a bush walk with Tinyko, armed with a powerful rifle. Only one of us went, giving the other one a chance to catch up on reports. And perhaps to sneak a tiny nap on the veranda. Bill was back in time to shower with the help of daylight, then go to the dining room for afternoon tea by 3pm. Turned out, this was another meal of lunch. And not sandwiches. We sat down to a meal of pea soup, tuna salad, fresh bread, and cheese with crackers. We had dessert as well. Now we were ready for another game drive, or if we sat still too long, a nap.
This was a good time to clean up. You don’t realize it, but without lights in the room, it is difficult to do anything in the dark. Taking advantage of the daylight is a must here. We could have requested a lamp, but that would have been the sissy thing to do. Using the camp’s LED lantern, along with the one we brought did just fine once that sun disappeared.
At four pm, we walked to the entrance and took our seats once again for the evening safari ride. Two pretty young ladies, Sha and Cynthia, had just arrived at the camp, and became our travel mates for the next couple of days. They had flown from China, but barely showed signs of jetlag. Nice to be young….. We sure enjoyed getting to know them, and shared in their enthusiasm for finding the Big Five and more. They already had an encounter at lunchtime, when a camp monkey slipped over the edge of the dining room roof, and stole a piece of bread off of their plate. They literally jumped a mile when the monkey hit. All of us had a chuckle over that.
Our ride began well as we saw a fish eagle at the pond nearest the camp. A few years back, as a science project for school, a younger James (our tracker) tried introducing small fish to some of the ponds. Some of them survived, and now there is a thriving supply of fish for the ponds. One variety is the tilapia, which are excellent eating. The fish eagle thinks so too.
We did see the mother leopard, but she was sleeping off from gorging on her kill. She barely lifted her head when we drove past her hide in the tall grasses. Another unusual sighting was of ostriches, at least nine of them. Elephants and rhinos were nearby. We know that elephants are in herds, and rhinos in a group are called a crush of rhino. We asked Tinyko what a flock of ostriches were called and he did not know offhand.
We stopped for sundowners, drinks and snacks at the setting of the sun. There were wines, beers, hard drinks, and sodas or water. Some of the fellows wandered off into the brush for a pit stop. The ladies chose to wait it out.
Back at the camp, dinner was served at 8pm. More cocktails were offered with even more snacks. This evening the dinner was served in the dining room at a long table. A hot soup always begins the meal, followed by a salad of some sort. The entrée was a buffet with masala chicken and braised oxtail in a savory gravy. Sides included fresh sauteed veggies, potatoes, and rice. Fresh rolls were in baskets on the table. Wine flowed or bottle water was available. Dessert of cake finished the meal. But wait…..we were not done yet. A server came around the table offering a most delicious liqueur called Amarula. Similar to Bailey’s Irish Cream, it is made from the fruit of the native marula tree. This treat ended every evening meal during our stay.
Escorted back to our rooms, we all looked forward to a good night’s sleep. It was a tad bit cooler, but taking a cold shower helped. In fact, for one of us, it really helped shampooing the hair, and letting it air dry. Yes, I could have plugged in the hair dryer, but access to the plugs was not to be, as every outlet was used for charging batteries for tomorrow. Staying damp actually was better.
During dinner, we had witnessed the almost full moon appear, but by now, it was gone. Clouds had taken away the view of the bright stars, and it was raining lightly once again. Oh well, it would be a good thing, because it kept the dust down for tomorrow’s drive. Listening to the sounds of the night, we drifted off and slept soundly. What a day…….it was almost over-whelming, but there would be two more days to see even more.
Bill & Mary Ann
PS We are still having issues with the photos. Only a few are getting through, and we hope to have it solved soon. It remains a mystery.
Female leopard in a tree
Always on the lookout
One of two hyenas waiting for scraps
The female found her 3 month old cub
Male kudu – nice horns
Lilac-breasted European roller