Monthly Archives: June 2022

Gecko 81 at Addo – Day 7 and 8

Sunday 12 June 2022 – A word about the park

Addo Elephant Park was established in 1931 but did not include all the sections that we are now privileged to be able to visit. It is now the third-largest national park in South Africa after Kruger and Kgalagadi. Originally Addo was established to protect the last 11 remaining elephants in the area. It is now home to over 600 elephants. Most female African elephants have tusks but many of the Addo females do not. This is because of inbreeding but since the introduction of new herds, some of the female babies are now sprouting tusks. Addo Elephant National Park includes a marine reserve and so one in fact can see The Big 7 if one visits all of it. The Big 7 are Lion, Leopard, Buffalo, Rhino, Elephant, Great White Shark and Southern Right Whale.

Addo is really a lovely park. When we arrived, the road from Colchester Gate was in need of grading and we were delighted to see that the next day the grader was hard at work – not easy as there hasn’t been much rain for ages. The caravan park is well-maintained and the ablutions are kept beautifully clean and neat.

We had dinner at the Cattle Baron on Friday night and the service was friendly and efficient. The chateaubriand which Earl and I had was to die for! Jim enjoyed his Pepper Steak and Maureen had no complaints about her hake and calamari platter. All dishes are served with complementary butternut and creamed spinach for the table and a choice of baby potatoes, rice, chips or salad.

Friday 10 June 2022 – Two Lovely Drives

We only left camp at 9:30 this morning and did the roads in the northern part of the park stopping at Carol’s Rest for our breakfast break. We returned to camp around midday and then went toward the southern part of the park in the afternoon.

Red-knobbed coot and chick seen from the lookout over Domkrag Dam

This Bar-throated Apalis was active in the spekboom too.

It was great to spot a steenbok too. We haven’t seen many of them in the park.

Way in the distance we spotted a Denham’s Bustard

All our usual friends were busy all over the park

A Capped Wheatear entertained us at Carol’s Rest

And a couple of Namaqua Doves tried to hide from us.

Earl captured this Red-Capped Lark beautifully

We hadn’t seen many birds of prey so it was great to spot this Jackal Buzzard

Two handsome buffalo – If you look carefully you can see an ox-pecker on the back of the one on the left.

A Common Fiscal and Cape Glossy Starling having a chat

Saturday 11 June 2022 – Farewell to Addo

We were packed up and ready to leave by 8:15 and exited through the Colchester Gate at around 9:30. This whole week we had not seen large herds of buffalo nor had we spotted a jackal. Today made up for it.

Thanks, Jackie Jackal for bidding us farewell

It was once again a stunning day. We stopped at The Windfarm for breakfast and arrived in Plettenberg Bay at 13:15. We are now spending the weekend with the kids and will make our way back to Struisbaai on Monday.

Thank you for following along and thanks to all the Gecko Group members who commented on Whatsapp. I love sharing our adventures with you all.

Gecko 81 at Addo – Day 6

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Thursday, 09 June 2022

Late yesterday afternoon after I had posted my blog the Earl and I went for a walk to the camp waterhole and were pleased to find elephants there.

Our lovely men braaing out dinner last night

Today was a slow day. We only got up after 8 am and decided to spend the morning in camp. We went to the camp restaurant, The Cattle Baron, for breakfast. We both had the sunrise – scrambled eggs, bacon, rosti and tomato reasonably priced at R 55 if I remember correctly. Earl had a cappuccino and I had an Americano. The staff were friendly and efficient.

We went out for a drive at midday and were back around 3:30 pm. The animals were once again scattered about the landscape which hugely enhanced the view. The weather was sunny but a little cooler than yesterday and toward the end of the afternoon dark clouds began to gather. Because of the cloud cover, the evening was a little warmer than it would have been on a clear night.

Elephants were everywhere. Zebra played happily at almost all the waterholes we visited. Male kudu with wonderfully beautiful horns showed off and the females with their gorgeous eyes entertained us too. Let’s not forget the handsome hartebeest and just one buffalo and an eland with a missing horn. As usual, we also stopped for the birds!

The first bird of the day was just outside our caravan. The tap tap tap alerted me to its presence. It is a female Cardinal Woodpecker if I am not mistaken.

Soon after exiting the gate, we stopped for the ellies. They were very close

We were about to pass by when this one took the right of way!

One of the gorgeous boys who appeared quite frequently

The herd in the background has just left. The zebra to the right make way for him

The Earl captured some stunning photographs of the Ant-eating Chat.

And a Wattled Starling made an appearance too.

Carol’s Rest was hosting a variety of animals – I just managed to snap the eland before he left in a hurry

I wonder what happened to his other horn

This young red hartebeest was content to nap in the car park

Ellie wanted a drink too. But the proprietor has an exclusion policy – No giants allowed and if he tries to break through he will get a shock!

So he storms off in a huff. The zebras don’t mind!

The wildflowers in the park are beautiful

We were delighted to find chest-nut vented warblers but they would not sit still for a decent portrait.

Gecko 81 at Addo – Day 5

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Wednesday, 08 June 2022

This morning the temperature was relatively warm and getting out of bed was not too bone-chilling. We were ready to set off by 8:30 and made our way toward the southern part of the park. We did not find the lions! At first, there was very little to see and elephants were conspicuous by their absence. Later in the day, this changed and we saw some at a number of the water holes and in the bush. Hapoor Waterhole, however, did not host any elephants at all. For some reason, the elephants are more spread out and in smaller groups than usual. Zebras, however, seem to be gathering in very large herds.

This beautiful canary was the first bird to greet us this morning

Always beautiful to see and hear. There were lots of bokmakieries about today

Buffalo and Red-hartebeest ignore each other

What a place for a crow to perch! The buffs don’t look impressed. Ngulube Waterhole

Burchell’s Coucal spotted on the other side of the road

Marion Baree hosted a good number of elephants

We stopped at Jack’s Picnic site for our breakfast break. This site is kept beautifully neat and tidy and the restrooms are clean. There are lovely little secluded sites with picnic tables and braai places. There are no bins and you need to take your rubbish away with you. This prevents monkeys from entering the site to raid the trash cans. It works. We did not see a single vervet while we were there. At the caravan park, we have to keep a close lookout for monkeys and make sure that no food is left outside and the grocery cupboard door is kept closed even while we are sitting outside. Our cousins are very opportunistic and will grab whatever they can if given half the chance.

This boubou tried his luck – but rules are rules!

Mr. Shelduck was visiting Hapoor but no sign of his wife.

Mrs. Moorhen was there with several chicks but she seemed to have a favourite

She kept feeding just this one – to be fair he was the only one who came close to where she was foraging. The others were late to the dinner table!

Come on down little brother – Mom’s got food!

They were preparing to leave when we arrived

Woodlands seems to be the place they prefer and so do the kudu

As we neared the gate this giant approached us.

And passed a little too close for comfort!

We returned to camp at 1 pm. The weather was stunning with the temperature quickly rising to 28 degrees C.

Gecko 81 at Addo – Day 4

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Tuesday, 07 June 2022

It was absolutely freezing when I got up at 7:30 this morning. Yesterday we bought a small fan heater from Spar in Colchester and I put it on immediately. What a difference this makes to getting up in the cold caravan!

After a shower and a warming cup of coffee, we set off at 8:30. The skies were blue and cloudless and there was no wind so it warmed up quite quickly. Our first stop was Domkrag Dam and then we did the Gorah Loop to Carol’s Rest Waterhole and then back to camp.

It is amazing to see all the animals scattered across the veld. Elephants, kudu, zebra, and red-hartebeest can be seen all together decorating the landscape.

A huge number of zebra all over the park

We were thrilled today to see two different sightings of suricates. What cute little creatures they are – always alert and on the lookout for danger. They all look in different directions and then if there is danger they pop right back into their holes or if they need to go someplace else they race off all at the same time. We also saw a few yellow mongooses who are more fluffy and less hyperactive than the suricates.

Yellow Mongoose checking out the environment

On the other side of the road, this meerkat family looked around nervously

Around the corner, it was difficult to see that there were lots more of these cute creatures

And in an instant, this is all you see as he scurries into his hiding place

Back at camp, the Earl cooked us a delicious breakfast and the birds came to visit. The red-winged starlings were the cheekiest chasing all competitors away. Even the pied starlings gave way to them. It was lovely to have the Karoo thrush, Karoo Scrub-robin, southern boubou and black-headed oriole pop in to say hi too.

By midday, the temperature had risen to 28 degrees C and our jerseys and jackets were discarded until much later in the evening. We went out at 3 pm and enjoyed some more lovely sightings.

At the same time, two kudu males were at each other

As we drove on we got held up by a traffic jam

Honestly, it’s so much easier on the road – let’s get back there!

This is a zebra crossing – cars must wait!

There were no elephants at Hapoor but the egrets were enjoying themselves

And this three-banded plover enjoyed not having to worry about getting underfoot of a pachyderm

The warthogs found the lovely green grass on the edge of the dam quite tasty

Such freedom when you don’t have to worry about giants stepping on you.

Sitting outdoors this evening was very pleasant. It was a perfect, still evening and although we wore jackets it was the best evening we have had so far. I cooked a chicken and vegetable casserole in the Remosca Pot and Jim and Maureen joined us.

Gecko 81 at Addo – Day 2 and 3

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Sunday, 5 June 2022

It rained last night and we woke to overcast and chilly weather. Fortunately, we had put our chairs in a sheltered place.

I packed a breakfast bag and filled a flask and we were out of camp by 8:30 am. There were a few spots of rain which soon cleared up and by afternoon the skies were clear again. Temperatures were low but not unusual for this time of year.

We spent most of the morning exploring, stopping a Zuurkop Lookout Point to have breakfast. We did not go to the southern part of the park until our afternoon drive when we went in search of lions and did not find them!

Our first spot of the day – Pale Chanting Goshawk. There were two. The light was not quite right but still lovely to see these awesome birds.

You may alight from your vehicle at a place that overlooks Domkrag Dam and it is usually a worthwhile stop. We spotted elephants and kudu in the distance and the dam had a few birds to entertain us.

Grey Heron patiently waiting for some action

Juvenile Striated Heron catching the morning rays

A pair of Egyptian Geese – (Earl’s Photo)

Today as we drove around we saw a good number of malachite sunbirds.

They flitted about rapidly but this one reluctantly sat still for a few seconds.

The handsome Common Fiscal was more obliging

Very common but very pretty. I couldn’t resist snapping this female Cape Sparrow

A speckled mousebird soaking up the morning sun

We were hoping to be entertained by meerkats (Suricates) but instead, a pair of yellow mongooses put on a good show for us.

This handsome guy was striding across the veld too.

At Carol’s Rest Waterhole there was very little action. While we watched some ant-eating chats take a bath we heard a tapping on our rear window. It was a cheeky wagtail imagining that he saw a potential rival. He was attacking his reflected image! We had such a giggle and even when we drove away he followed us for ages. I got some shots in the side mirror!

Hapoor is usually a good gathering place for pachyderms but today it was fowl of the water variety.

A rather good-looking yellow-billed duck

And a hamerkop dropped in for a chat too

Kudu ruled in the park today and we saw quite a number of lovely males with stunning horns

Rooidam produced some waterfowl too.

In the evening we went over to Jim and Maureen’s campsite. Jim had a fire going which created a lovely ‘gees’ (atmosphere) and kept us relatively warm. Maureen cooked a delicious chicken and vegetable stir fry with just enough ginger and chilly to give it a bite.

The sunset once again was just too stunning.

Monday, 06 June 2022

Omiword it was freezing when we got up at 7:30 am. The temperature was about 4 degrees C. After a hot shower and a warming cup of coffee we set off toward Colchester Gate and tried to find the lions on the Ngulube Loop where they had been reported but we had no luck. We did, however, see an Aardwolf! It was a lovely sighting but he dashed back into the bush and refused to pose for his portrait. But this is a free clipart drawing of one!

Of course, we stopped to photograph other creatures along the way and were pleased to see some of the waterholes had attracted a bit of wildlife.

Marion Baree Waterhole is one of my favourites

Warthogs really rule in Addo. This handsome lad was good enough to pose

The best bird in Addo has to be the Bokmakierie

A special bird to see – Red-necked Spurfowl

We exited at Colchester Gate and went to Taste of Africa for breakfast and to make a few purchases at the Spar next door. It was still very cold at 10 am.

We then went back through the park and explored a few roads and waterholes enjoying some lovely sightings.

At Peasland Waterhole there were simply scores of zebra coming and going

There were lots of red hartebeest in the park too

We have seen the tail end of a few buffalo but this one decided to give me a quick glance

Lots of these girls were trying to hide amongst the trees

Southern Bou-bous also made an appearance

And please beware of dung beetles – Don’t drive over them and don’t drive over dung where they might be hiding.

More tomorrow if I get time – otherwise the next day!

Gecko 81 Adventuring to Addo Again

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Saturday, 04 June 2022

The plan was to leave on Friday, spend the night with the kids in Plett and then meet our Jeffreys Bay friends, Jim and Maureen at Addo on Saturday. We were only supposed to leave on Friday morning but everything was ready by Thursday afternoon so we hitched up the Gecko and left planning to find a caravan site at whichever place we made it to by around 4 pm and that turned out to be Dwarswegstraatoord, Groot Brak. What a delightful place. We had a caravan site with its own ablution. I did not take photos but everything was pristine and comfortable.

We went to Transkaroo for dinner and it was awesome. They had a fire going and the menu was great. We both chose pork belly on mash with crackling and vegetables. It was delicious.

There’s nothing like a roaring fire to create a welcoming atmosphere

We left early the next morning, stopped at 34 Degrees South in Knysna for breakfast, and arrived in Plett at 10:30 am. Lauren, Shan and Si were of course at school and only due to get home later in the afternoon. Allan had just completed his work for the week and once settled in he asked if I’d like to join him on a Robberg Walk. Yes indeed. So we left Earl who can’t manage that level of hiking to do some shopping and Allan and I did the 5km trail.

It was a perfect day for this hike which takes you along cliffs and beaches with the most magnificent views. In places, it is very narrow, steep and slippery. The paths are uneven and rocky and you need to be able to cope with steep, uneven steps. Imagine how aghast I was to make way for a young man who was running the route! Allan was very patient with his ancient mother-in-law or perhaps grateful that he had an excuse to rest from time to time! My excuse for stopping frequently was to admire the stunning views. It took us an hour and fifteen minutes to do the trail and afterward, we treated ourselves to excellent coffees from the hut in the car park. If you are reasonably agile and have no mobility challenges this trail is well worth doing. There is also a 10km trail if you have the time and energy.

It was lovely to spend the afternoon with the rest of the family when they arrived home and in the evening we had a braai.

This morning we were up and off by 7:45. We stopped at Windfarm just before Port Elizabeth for our breakfast break. This is quite a new venue with a petrol station, restrooms and a few eating places. We went to Oumeul and had coffee and croissants – mine with ham and avo and Earl’s with bacon and egg.

We always enter Addo at Colchester Gate. There are signs up saying no caravans but we know from experience that off-road caravans are allowed through and have never ever had a problem until today. One of the men on duty told us we had to turn around and go via Patterson. I explained to him that off-roads were and always have been allowed to enter. He said that this was definitely not the case. I asked him to ask the person on duty in the office. She agreed with him and said we had to go through the main park gate.

“Please make sure,” I said. “Show me the rules.”

She took me to the map outside the office and pointed to where it said, “No caravans allowed.”

“But look here,” I explained, “It says, ‘4×4 caravans and trailers only’.” She conceded the point but her colleague was still not happy. He was afraid that they were going to be in trouble for allowing us through. I checked the park map that you receive when entering the gate and even on that it clearly states that off-road caravans are permitted to enter at Colchester Gate. Perhaps it was the first time that these two had been on duty there and were not well-versed in the rules.

We were delighted not to be turned around and enjoyed the drive to camp spotting some lovely animals along the way.

Of course, Warty was there in all his glory

Jim and Maureen were already set up on site C17 and we found one of our favourite sites, C25 vacant, and set up there. We spent the afternoon in camp and had a lovely braai at our site with our friends in the evening. The sunset was just stunning.

Adventuring into Retirement

Making the most of The South African LIfestyle

Monthly Archives: June 2022

Gecko 81 at Addo – Day 7 and 8

Gecko 81 at Addo – Day 6

Thursday, 09 June 2022

Gecko 81 at Addo – Day 5

Wednesday, 08 June 2022

Gecko 81 at Addo – Day 4

Tuesday, 07 June 2022

Gecko 81 at Addo – Day 2 and 3

Sunday, 5 June 2022

Monday, 06 June 2022

Gecko 81 Adventuring to Addo Again

Saturday, 04 June 2022

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