29 Jan - Our luck turns

Displaying hipo

Morning Drive

(Giyani, Petros, Herold & Andrea)

Elephant (1 Kambaku) / Karans – Western cutline

Elephant (Breeding Herd) / Scholtz – Kudu Pan Rd

Elephant (Breeding Herd) / Scholts – Karans Cutline

Buffalo (small Breeding Herd) / Scholtz – Sholtz River rd

Afternoon Drive

(Giyani, Andrea, Herold)

x1 Rhino

Leopard (Makepisi male) / Peru – Schobanin Road

Elephant (3 Kambaku) / Argyle – Argyle Dam

We woke up to an overcast and windy day – typical now that I am back on blog duty! The wind never bodes well, and the first hour and a half was so quiet that we all starting calling each other in on the radio just to check if they were still working!!!

Herold got lucky when he found a small herd of buffalo out in the east and I at least had some lovely giraffe sightings. Petros found 1 elephant bull on his way back to camp and I had the same situation with a small herd – unfortunately mine were in an area I could not follow off road and therefpre only say some grey behinds disappearing into the mopane belt. Herold got lucky again and found a herd of elephant on his way back home. All in all though it was a very quiet morning and with most of us getting new guests this afternoon – we hope our luck turns!

After having had such a quiet morning, I was a little nervous for the afternoon. However, as it happens out here in the bush, our luck did turn. Late in the morning Johannes found Makepisi male leopard with a kill so Herold went to follow up. I headed to Agryle Dam where we found two male elephant swimming and splashing around in the water, as well as some displaying hippos.

 

Herold and Jimmy relocated Makepisi so after our elephant, we went to take a look. It was an amazing sighting – I haven’t seen this leopard in ages and it is always such a treat. He was feeding on a male impala, which he then tried to take up a tree and dropped! What a beautiful cat.

We then headed further south, spotting a distant rhino on the way – unfortunately we couldn’t get much closer – but he was still out in the open for a good view.
 

With the Shlaralumi river still uncross able, I had a looooong way to get back to the lodge, which we managed just in the nick of time.

See you tomorrow,

Andrea