Thursday 11th November 2010
On an early morning drive we spotted a black backed Jackal and followed it for a short distance until it ran up a track with a no entry sign at the end of it. Having seen no-one around since we got in the car, we drove about 20m up the track to get another glimpse of the jackal. As we were backing back onto the road, we were stopped by a park employee driving a mini-bus, and then by a Ute (or ‘backie’) filled with armed rangers - where did they come from at 5.00am? Luckily, they laughed when we convinced them we were just turning!
We also saw some banded mongoose, then at a lookout over a bend in a river, beneath the mountains making up the Mozambique border, we saw our first Giant Kingfisher and African Openbill Stork – both impressive birds. We also almost ran over a giant African Land Snail.
After packing up at Satara, we drove to Lower Sabie, via Skukuza to use their internet (only two camps in the park have internet – not many in an area the size of Wales!).
We hadn’t planned to spend any time at Skukuza because it is the biggest and busiest camp but we had two nice surprises. The first was a colony of epauletted bats, with young, hanging from the inside of a roof in front of the restaurant.
The next was a hippo lying completely stationary on a sand bank by the river that passes along one boundary of the camp, with a 2 month old baby walking around it. All of us on the viewing platform were getting very concerned as the hippo was lying out in full sun in the middle of the day – something they don’t do because they can get so easily sunburnt. Finally, just as we had all given up hope for her and her baby, she just got up and stomped straight into the river, baby in tow. We almost felt like clapping!
At Lower Sabie we had a buffet dinner in their restaurant, overlooking another river, as the sun went down. After dark, fireflies emerged on the river banks and a Hyena was seen prowling along the camp fence.
Friday 12th November 2010
We were all so tired again from the early mornings and the late evenings so we spent the morning by the swimming pool. At 5.30, we went out on the organised Sunset Drive. Because the weather had been so hot, the bugs were out in force - huge flying beetles hit us in the face and became tangled in our hair. Every time we stopped to look at anything, bugs surrounded us - none of us were bug aversive before, but we are now! We saw a number of snakes hunting in the cooler evening;- a green boomslanger (venomous but timid) a spitting cobra (venomous) 2 large pythons and an egg eater. We also saw a Giant Eagle Owl by the side of the road. Unfortunately, the bugs stayed with us; they were in our hair, down our clothes......when we undressed, they fell out on the rondavel floor - it was horrid!
Saturday, 13th November 2010
Up and out even earlier this morning as the gate opened at 4.30am. We drove straight down the Skukuza Road and were astonished to see 3 Ground Hornbills flying towards us along the road. They just cleared the car roof and landed in a tree about 30 metres behind us. These are definately our favourite birds! We also saw the Green Parrot Pigeons. Carole had yet another nose bleed in the restaurant and 3 off duty nurses rushed to help her - all offered different advice - sit forward, head back, ice on the neck, don't breathe through nose, do breathe through nose - quite an experience!
On an early morning drive we spotted a black backed Jackal and followed it for a short distance until it ran up a track with a no entry sign at the end of it. Having seen no-one around since we got in the car, we drove about 20m up the track to get another glimpse of the jackal. As we were backing back onto the road, we were stopped by a park employee driving a mini-bus, and then by a Ute (or ‘backie’) filled with armed rangers - where did they come from at 5.00am? Luckily, they laughed when we convinced them we were just turning!
We also saw some banded mongoose, then at a lookout over a bend in a river, beneath the mountains making up the Mozambique border, we saw our first Giant Kingfisher and African Openbill Stork – both impressive birds. We also almost ran over a giant African Land Snail.
After packing up at Satara, we drove to Lower Sabie, via Skukuza to use their internet (only two camps in the park have internet – not many in an area the size of Wales!).
We hadn’t planned to spend any time at Skukuza because it is the biggest and busiest camp but we had two nice surprises. The first was a colony of epauletted bats, with young, hanging from the inside of a roof in front of the restaurant.
Epauletted bats with young, named because of the white tufts by their ears
The next was a hippo lying completely stationary on a sand bank by the river that passes along one boundary of the camp, with a 2 month old baby walking around it. All of us on the viewing platform were getting very concerned as the hippo was lying out in full sun in the middle of the day – something they don’t do because they can get so easily sunburnt. Finally, just as we had all given up hope for her and her baby, she just got up and stomped straight into the river, baby in tow. We almost felt like clapping!
The hippo and its baby we were getting so worried about...
..until she just gets up and wanders straight into the water
At Lower Sabie we had a buffet dinner in their restaurant, overlooking another river, as the sun went down. After dark, fireflies emerged on the river banks and a Hyena was seen prowling along the camp fence.
Friday 12th November 2010
We were all so tired again from the early mornings and the late evenings so we spent the morning by the swimming pool. At 5.30, we went out on the organised Sunset Drive. Because the weather had been so hot, the bugs were out in force - huge flying beetles hit us in the face and became tangled in our hair. Every time we stopped to look at anything, bugs surrounded us - none of us were bug aversive before, but we are now! We saw a number of snakes hunting in the cooler evening;- a green boomslanger (venomous but timid) a spitting cobra (venomous) 2 large pythons and an egg eater. We also saw a Giant Eagle Owl by the side of the road. Unfortunately, the bugs stayed with us; they were in our hair, down our clothes......when we undressed, they fell out on the rondavel floor - it was horrid!
Saturday, 13th November 2010
Up and out even earlier this morning as the gate opened at 4.30am. We drove straight down the Skukuza Road and were astonished to see 3 Ground Hornbills flying towards us along the road. They just cleared the car roof and landed in a tree about 30 metres behind us. These are definately our favourite birds! We also saw the Green Parrot Pigeons. Carole had yet another nose bleed in the restaurant and 3 off duty nurses rushed to help her - all offered different advice - sit forward, head back, ice on the neck, don't breathe through nose, do breathe through nose - quite an experience!
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