It’s 08:15 and still a chilly 16 degrees C this morning. The skies are cloudy but it won’t be for long. Bring a fleece and throw it off later when the sun starts warming up. All aboard for a virtual game drive. We’re following our friends to see what we can find out there in the African bush!

Where are the animals hiding? Why aren’t the birds singing? It’s half past nine and we’ve seen nothing but trees, rocks and bush!

Oh no – what’s that trumpeting sound? Alec is calling on the Walkie Talkie, “Did you hear that? My heart nearly stopped. Look up ahead.”

The Earl takes the mike, “He’s very relaxed. Just drive on past.

Listen to Alec’s reply, “Cathy says to wait till he goes further into the bush!”

Don’t worry, we won’t put your lives in danger. It’s okay to go now, he’s moved deeper into the bush! Always remember give elephants a wide berth – don’t upset them, they’re bigger than you!

There is no point continuing on this road. We took it to Phalaborwa gate on Friday and it was dead. Let’s get back onto the tar road and then turn right after the bridge and do some river loops.

Listen do you hear that? It’s a fish eagle and there she is. You’ll need to look through your binoculars

Wow, the tar road is finding us more animals. Alec has stopped up ahead. He’s seen a buffalo.

Look at the starling keeping close to the buffalo’s feet Why do you think she’s doing that?

It’s always worth stopping on a bridge. Cathy’s found something already,

Watch those swallows flying – oh look one has landed on the railing.

These swallows are resident in the Limpopo province all year round. They are always near water.

Oh look right down there on the bank of the river? Do you see those beautiful buck? They’re usually seen in rocky areas and they are very agile rock climbers. Their Afrikaans name, Klipspringer, means rock jumper. They’re away from their rocks because they’re thirsty and heading down for a drink.

The hamerkop will stand at the water’s edge and snatch prey from the water or the land. He will also probe in the mud for aquatic creatures but then he will wash his prey before eating it.

Okay, it’s time to move on. Alec goes first. Uh oh, what’s he seen now. “Road block ahead!”

We’re letting all the elephants cross over but they’re heading down the road we want to take. And they’ve got babies. It’s wise to give them a wide berth as they’re very protective of their young. Let’s just go very carefully down that road and hope they’re not blocking it.

We’ll just sneak slowly past and cross through the water. Hold tight as we negotiate the rough road across the river. Yes, Earl, I know you think it’s fun, but it won’t be funny having an elephant push you from behind!

Look over there. Terrapins sunning themselves on the flat rocks.

Here you can see why it’s called Letaba – the river of sand

Look over there on the river bank – some kudu. But the male is hiding and won’t pose for a photograph.

I hope you have enjoyed the morning drive.

It’s now after three-o’clock. Bring a packed snack for this afternoon’s birding drive. We’re taking the main road and then half the Mingerhout drive and back. We will stop for birds and creatures so have you binoculars ready. Alec and Cathy are driving to the bird hide. We won’t be in tandem this afternoon.

Wow there is a whole bird party here.

Wasn’t that fun seeing so many birds. It’s a pity we couldn’t get good photos of them all. Now let’s look down on the river to see what we can find. I think I see a grey heron.

Earl, are we going back now? Wait – those stones are moving. They’re not stones – they’re birds! They camouflage very well.

Let’s head back and see what Cathy and Alec have seen at the bird hide. Take a look at Cathy’s photos of the hippo’s entertainment.

Thanks for riding along with us once again. See you all tomorrow.

Friday 13 August 2021

Last night the wind got up and our little caravans got quite a shaking. It was still blowing and the skies were dark with cloud when we woke up this morning. Our plan had been to go to Phalaborwa on Monday but because of the inclement weather, the Earl and I decided to go today instead. Cathy and Alec stayed, did a morning drive but reported that nothing much was seen.

It is just over an hour’s drive to the Phalaborwa Gate and you reach the town straight away. We saw very little on our way there. It seemed as if the animals were hunkering down to shelter from the wind.

But why were we visiting a town in the middle of Limpopo? Well, 42 days previously we’d had our first Pfizer inoculation and we were now due for a second jab. How fortunate that Letaba was close to a town that had a Clicks Pharmacy. I phoned ahead to check that they had vaccines and they assured me that I did not need to make an appointment. Luck, once again, was on our side. We arrived at 9:40 and found two people ahead of us. Within forty-five minutes we had waited our turn, filled in the necessary forms and been jabbed. When we emerged from the nurse’s office there was a queue of more than 10 people!

We popped into the Spur for breakfast and then drove back through the park. If ever you’re in Phalaborwa and need a meal this Spur is lovely – good service, well prepared food and clean rest rooms.

On our drive back we saw a few more animals than coming up but it was still very quiet.

It was windy and cold for the rest of the day. The Earl had a nap while I did the laundry and then we went for a brief drive at 4 o’clock not having much luck. Cathy and Alec had gone out at 3 and reported having seen very little too.

We returned to camp at about quarter to six and went straight to the restaurant to see if we could get a table. No way did we feel like cooking outdoors. Sitting outside this evening would not be pleasant. The restaurant was pretty full. All the softie campers were escaping cooking in the cold. I managed to get a table for four indoors. I rang Cathy and Alec to tell them to come when they were ready – we would hold the table. Because of being short staffed and more than usually busy the service was a bit slow but the meal was lovely. Alec, Cathy and I had rump steak and the Earl had ribs, all served with really good chips. We also ordered a Greek salad for the table.

Apologies for not posting last night – NO INTERNET!

Mopani Rest Camp does not have camping but nearby Tzendze is their rustic satellite camp for tents and caravans. Checking in has to be done at Mopani’s reception. There are no baboon or monkey problems here.  There is no shop, no fuel station and no electricity.  The ablutions and kitchens are lit by solar power.   There are fridges and freezers available for the free use of campers .  We were allocated Camp Site 32 on the perimeter and it was perfect for two caravans.  Today was our last day at this awesome camp.

The facilities are beautifully maintained by Rodgerh and Elena.  They are both extremely friendly and helpful.   Rodgerh has a facebook page called Rodgher Tzendze where he regularly posts photographs of the birds he is so passionate about.  Each evening one or both of them come around to greet the guests and to ensure that everyone is happy.

Below I am posting some photos of the facilities.

This morning we woke up a little later than usual and only left camp at 8:30.  The Earl needed to finalise things for the replacing of our cracked windscreen so decided to go straight to Mopani, make the necessary phone calls, blog and then have breakfast before going for our game drive so we did not go in tandem with Cathy and Alec today.   The windscreen will be replaced when we are at Berg En Dal and close to Malelane.

It was ‘cold’ today, the maximum temperature only reaching 23 degrees C.   We left Mopani at 10:30 did a long drive on the H14 ending up at Letaba Camp and then drove back on the H1-6.   We arrived back at camp at quarter to four.

We got three lovely birds at Mopani Rest Camp.

Once on our drive we started to see the regulars.

Looking down on the river bed we saw zebra and elephants fraternising with each other.

We stopped at Letaba to check out the campsite and to have a coffee at the restaurant. The campsite was pretty full! We hope we find a good site tomorrow.

On the H1-6 just outside Letaba we photographed a lovey male kudu resting in the shade of the trees. His friend was nearby too.

Once back at camp took down the canopy and packed up as much as possible. Cathy and Alec provided some delicious pork rashers and steak for the Earl to braai and we had this with potato done in tinfoil on the fire as well as some lovely gems and a salad. We were all feeling a little sad that it would be goodbye to Tzenze the following morning. Lataba here we come!

When we went to bed last night it was warm and still outdoors.   But as we were dropping off to sleep the wind got up and it blew hard all night.  This morning it had dropped slightly but the skies were overcast and it was chilly.  Well, by tropical standards anyway.  The temperature did not rise above 22 degrees C all day.   However, the wind died down considerably by evening and it did not rain.

Our friends Jim and Maureen from Jeffrey’s Bay arrived at Kruger today.  They had made a last-minute booking and could only get camping at Shingwedzi and Berg en Dal.

This morning the Earl and I drove to Shingwedzi to catch up with them but Cathy and Alec decided to stay at Tzendze to do a few camp chores.  

Shingwedzi is a 60 km drive along the H1-6 and on our way there we did not have many sightings.  We arrived at half-past nine and found our friends in the process of setting up camp.    We spent the morning with them and it was great catching up.  I managed to get the laundry done and posted the blog while waiting for the dryer to complete its cycle.   We will be at Berg en Dal at the same time as J&M so will catch up with them there too.

We left at about 12:30 and our drive back was also very quiet.   When we got to Mopani we did some shopping and bumped into Cathy and Alec who had just had lunch at the restaurant.   We spent the rest of the afternoon in camp doing camp chores and just enjoying the peace of Tzendze.  It was our turn to do dinner and once again the smart space pots and pan were used.  I pan-fried some chicken portions and cooked broccoli, onion, sweet peppers, carrots, and baby marrow in a pot and then mixed in some cheese sauce. 

Here are the highlights of our day.

My favourite sighting of the day – Mr and Mrs Bateleur – Mrs is on the left.

Then back at camp I heard the call of an oriole and found him in the tree above my caravan.

Our day began with owls once again.   Before we joined Alec and Cathy on the S50 we quickly drove to Mooiplaas picnic site as the windscreen was not quite clean enough and The Earl wanted to get out and wipe it.   When we stopped I noticed some people pointing and looking into a tree.  I went over and they showed me where two lovely little owls were cuddled up together.

We caught up with Alec and Cathy at one of the waterholes.  They had found kori bustards but they were quite far away.  The Earl got an amusing photo of a windmill and a heron.

We followed on after Cathy and Alec and they alerted us to a small antelope than had been frightened by a wildebeest.

It was fairly quiet for most of our drive but we enjoyed the usual favourites and had fun trying to photograph the ever active chestnut-backed sparrow-larks.

When we were back on the H1-6 Cathy called us on the walkie-talkie. “We have a lioness,” she said. We crept up to where they were parked, found the culprit, snapped her portrait and then made room for others who arrived on the scene.

I consider myself to be a fairly tolerant person but there is one thing that really annoys me and that is bad driving in a game reserve. There are strict speed limits of 50 km/hr on the tar roads and 40 on gravel. Most tourists go even slower than that otherwise much would be missed. Today I was taking a photo of a lovely zebra crossing when a white Polo sped past and right up to the zebra not bothering to wait for them all to cross over. What an idiot!

Soon after this there was another roadblock and I wondered if the Polo would be squashed but obviously he’d made it through.

We had the highest temperatures so far this trip with the maximum going up to 37 degrees C. At 11 we stopped at Mopani for breakfast and then sat in the cool of the foyer to check emails, social media and to blog.

Back at camp we discovered a hippo napping in the bush near the fence – a photo was impossible. He stayed there until just before we left for our afternoon drive when he awoke, yawned and took his leave. I have no idea why he would be out of the water in the heat of the day.

When I went to check on the woodowl in the camp kitchen, he was still there and this time with his eyes open.

We left for our afternoon drive at quarter to four and followed the H14 in the hope of finding a hyaena den we’d seen on a previous visit. It was very quiet and at half past four we turned around without having seen much. Cathy was driving their vehicle and took the lead. We hung back to take photos of a korhaan.

During a discussion about sightings in Kruger, Alec complained that he and Cathy had never had a proper leopard sighting in the park. “Just a distant spot and a tail disappearing,” he said. “I don’t believe people see them as often as they brag.”

I didn’t want to tell him that on one trip to Kruger we saw more leopards than lions. I didn’t want to increase his envy.

“I promise you, Alec and Cathy,” I said. “You will see leopards this year. You absolutely will” And when they almost did last week their response was – We are never going to see one!”

We were quite far behind when the walkie-talkie crackled and Alec called excitedly. “We have a leopard. At long last we have a leopard!”

As quickly as we could we caught up and found them with huge grins on their faces.

“He’s gone, hasn’t he?” I said. Cathy was in the driver’s seat. “Yes,” she replied. “I noticed something coming toward us and said to Alec – It’s a leopard! I stopped and snapped a shot through the windscreen. Then she walked to Alec’s side of the car and he took the camera but in his excitement didn’t get the whole animal in!” She laughed.

I was over the moon that they finally got their leopard but slightly disappointed that Earl and I dipped on it this time!

Before we left camp this morning we had a light cereal breakfast and coffee as we planned to meet some friends of Cathy and Alec at Mopani’s Fish Eagle Terrace for lunch.

The day started well when Alec called me to the camp kitchen – not to help with the washing up but to see something special.

No day is complete without an elephant roadblock but other creatures are not innocent and will also do their best to show the tourists who rules the game reserve.

The tropic of Capricorn runs through the Kruger National Park which is why the weather is so awesome at this time of the year.   We stopped to take a photo.

Buffalo were the cause of the next roadblock and quite a number of them were in the bush too.  Some were being groomed by the ever-busy ox-peckers.

Of course, I can never resist stopping to admire my favourite creature, the graceful model of the veld, the lofty legged, long-necked giraffe.

We took the Shongololo loop which was quiet but we stopped at various drinking holes and one or two hides on the way.

There was another roadblock when we turned back onto the H1-6

Warthogs have been conspicuous by their absence but today they made an appearance.

At Fish Eagle Terrace not a single table was available inside the restaurant, on the deck nor in the outer reception area.   There was a coffee table with comfortable chairs where you could sit down and plug in your computer but that too was occupied.  However, after a few minutes, it became available.  We sat there to wait for Cathy and Alec and the friends they were to meet.   We tried to download emails and do banking and blogging but the internet was pathetic.   When Alec and Cathy arrived we gave up.  A waitron brought out another table into the reception area and then when a deck table for six became available he quickly ushered us to it.   While we waited for Christie and Keith to arrive we enjoyed the view and the activity in Pioneer Dam.

After lunch was over we stayed to try our luck with the internet. After a struggle, we finally managed to complete all the online chores we needed to do and headed back to camp to start cooking a curry for dinner.  The Earl was in charge and he used our Smart Space pot on our Gecko gas cooker.  No electricity for the Snappy Chef, I’m afraid. 

While we were waiting for dinner to cook the kids from the camp next to ours ran past very excitedly calling that they’d seen an owl. They showed the Earl the tree and then he called me. “See if you can find it,” he challenged. And even though the little bird camouflages very well, I did. The Earl got the best photo though.

So the day started and ended with the most awesome owl sightings. Tzendze is the best!

It was cool and overcast this morning; pleasant conditions for packing up and moving on.   By 08h15 we were done.  Boy, are we grateful for the caravan movers!   We were able to turn the caravan 360 degrees and then move it gently onto the tow-hitch.  No reversing required.

We left in tandem with Cathy and Alec but just before exiting the gate Alec called on the walkie-talkie to say he thought he’d left a tent pole against a tree on the campsite so returned to check. (He hadn’t but rather safe than sorry).  

The elephants are still not giving us a break.  The first animal we saw today was Oom Olifant having breakfast in the middle of the road.  And he made us wait until it suited him to lumber off into the bush.  Dankie Oom! 

  We continued on and greeted the impala, giraffe, zebra, and wildebeest and then noticed two cars stopped up ahead.  They were staring into the grassy veld on the left but I couldn’t see anything.   We pulled up next to one and they informed us that a leopard was on the move in the opposite direction and they began to reverse.  That was no good for us towing a caravan so we called Alec on the walkie-talkie.  He was just in range and heard us say to look out for the leopard.  But unfortunately, he dipped on that one too!  It’s all a matter of being in the right place at the right time and a leopard on the move is not easy to spot.  

Before entering Tzendze you have to check-in at the main rest camp, Mopani.   We arrived there at around 10:45.  Check-in went smoothly and we then went to the restaurant for breakfast.  Mopani restaurant looks over the dam and you can sit on the deck or inside.  The restaurant was full so we went to one of the decks to admire the view and saw a fish eagle catch a fish and land in a far-off tree to eat it.  No photos as too far off.  We also observed elephants drinking from the water’s edge.

On returning to the restaurant a table for four, indoors had become available.  We ordered our coffees and all had a wonderful breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, caramelized onion, and fried tomato.

Then we went to settle in at Camp Tzendze.  At Tzensze you are allocated a particular site.  Because we are sharing, Cathy asked for a site that would be big enough for two caravans. We got Number 32 on the perimeter and it is perfect.  There is no electricity here so we have to rely on our solar panels for power.   This means we need some sun but also want our vans to be in the shade.  We got the perfect combination!

By the time we’d set up it was 2 pm and already 27 degrees C.  At 3:15 we went out separately for a drive, the Earl and I leaving a little earlier than Cathy and Alec.   We ended up doing almost the same route and seeing the same game.

Our campsite seems to attract its own wildlife and today I witnessed a kill right next to my caravan.

We have a converter in our car for charging camera batteries etc but it does not have a three prong outlet so we went to Mopani’s Park shop to see if they had an adapter – no luck. However, it turned out that Alec had made one and lent us his.  So we will be able to charge our laptops in the car while out on game drives.   The internet is another story.  We have to go to Mopani camp for that so my plan is to keep a diary and when possible copy and paste to WordPress and upload the photographs if we happen to have lunch or breakfast at Mopani during these five days a Tzendze.  It takes time so it won’t always be possible.   I will, however, post the missing days as soon as possible.