Saturday 21 August 2021

I woke up at quarter to five this morning.  It was dark and still and as I was unable to blog due to internet problems last night I quietly booted up my laptop desperately hoping that I would not wake the Earl  He slept on.  I was done by six and as I started getting up I heard the pitter patter of raindrops on the caravan roof.   Uh oh how would this affect our day?   It did not last long and I was able to get to the bathroom without getting wet.  

Everybody was ready to leave for our game drive  at quarter past seven. It was very overcast and drizzly and the temperature was 17 degrees C.  We went in tandem with Cathy and Alec and drove to Tshokwane for breakfast then did Orpen Dam before travelling back on the H10, S 32,S35, S37 visited Sweni Hide and N’wanetzi Picnic site and then home via the H6 and H1-3

H1-3 7:15 to 9:15

With the weather being overcast and chilly with a spit and a spot of rain it was not surprising that most of the creatures kept a low profile.  Those who did dain to appear were not easy to photograph in the poor light.  However, with three of us taking photographs we managed to persuade some of them to pose.

The first birds to make an appearance were white-crested helmetshrikes. These birds tend to fly in an cohesive group from tree to tree.   You see them quite clearly but then they disappear into the foliage.   One of them politely posed for me in a dead tree.

Elephants are more willing than birds to have their portraits taken.  Several showed up this morning and they were all very polite and did not mess with us once.   Perhaps the misty cool, misty weather put th

Friday 20 August 2021

The weather today was cool and overcast starting at 13 degrees C and going up to 24 degrees C. The Earl and I left at seven o’clock. Cathy and Alec left a little later and did a different route.

We haven’t seen many warthogs this trip but today on the H6 they appaeared to greet us.

Next we came across a gorgeous giraffe walking in the veld and noticed a fork-tailed drongo close at his heels. When he stopped to look at us the drogo waited patiently in a tree. The clever bird knew that Gandolf Giraffe would disturb more grasshoppers for him to catch soon.

There was not much besides some hippo and a fish eagle at Nesamani Dam

On the S 40 we found more creatures

There were also quite a few male kudu travelling together

The S100 was unusually quiet but we found lots of waterbuck and some birds most of whom refused to pose.

After our morning drive we returned to camp and compared notes with Alec and Cathy over a lovely breakfast cooked by the Earl. They had been on the S 40 too but went a little further than we did and found Wild Dog!

Other morning highlights

In the afternoon we also left at different times and did slightly different routes but met up on the S100.

Our final sighting on the S100 was a lion. He caused a huge traffic jam but refused to greet the tourists. We weaved our way through as soon as we could. Cathy got the best photograph.

As I dropped off to sleep last night I heard the gruntings and snortings of hippo grazing in the grasslands next to the fence of campsite six where our Gecko caravans were parked. It was a lovely lullaby to doze off too. But a few hours later the incredibly loud shrieking laughter of a spotted hyaena jerked me from my slumbers. And they say the city is noisy! Well, these sounds are preferable to the shrill of police sirens, the angry hooting of cars, and the bee baa bee baa of ambulances racing to some horrible accident scene. I checked the time to find there were still a few hours to sunrise and I soon dropped off again. It was just before six when the sound of the neighbour’s car alarm awoke me. Oh dear, even in the bush civilization creeps in.

The Earl awoke too and was eager to get packed up and on the road to our next destination. “Hurry, hurry,” he said. “We must get to Satara. The “Early” bird gets the best spot!” By Ten to Seven we were packed up and ready to go. “Go work your magic,” said Alec. “Get us a good caravan site! You can do it!” Oh, the pressure, Alec, the pressure!

“We’re not stopping for anything!” said the Earl as we drove down the H1-5, and for several kilometers, there was not a thing to be spotted among the Mopani trees.
We were slightly delayed when we saw some cars up ahead looking into the mess of Mopani. We came alongside one of the cars and asked, “What have you seen?”

“Wild Dog,” came the reply and pointed but we couldn’t see anything. Other cars were reversing to where they probably were but of course, that was not an option with the caravan in tow so we carried on.

It was an hour before we hit our first roadblock. “You’re going to have to stop,” I teased. “Guineafowl crossing the road” What funny creatures they are. Although they’re perfectly capable of flying they prefer to walk and we have seen huge flocks of them strutting about the park.

When the H1-5 changed to the H1-4 the mopane trees started to thin out and the vegetation changed to grass and scattered trees. No more mopane trees limiting our view to 25 cm into the bush!

Baboons entertained us on the Olifants bridge. We weaved our way through them and the traffic and did not stop to look for waterbirds or any other creatures that might be about. We just snapped the baboons and continued our race to Satara. After all, the pressure was on. Get to Satara – find a camp spot. I’d checked the website the night before to see how booked up it was – no vacancies in the campsite at all!

“What now?” the Earl was in a panic. “Seven cars stopping for zebra?” Only one was crossing the road so the Earl started to pass the line of stationary cars.

“I’m sure they’ve spotted something else,” I said. And a second later – “Stop! Leopard!” I saw a beautiful leopard lying in the grass. The Earl edged forward so I could look back through a gap. The leopard had already stood up and was walking off into the bush. “Too late,” I cried. “He’s gone!” But I saw him – and he was wonderful.

From then on we saw more and more game. The open plains revealed the creatures of the Kruger National Park in large numbers. What a change it was from the north. We saw elephants, buffalo, impala, zebra and wildebeest, and of course, the elegant giraffe. “We’re not stopping for photos,” said The Earl. “Time is running out. We have to get that special site!” But he did indulge me for just a few. Alec and Cathy were a little way behind us and took photos too.

We arrived at Satara at five minutes past nine and found the campground was pretty full. At first, it looked like no perimeter spots were available so we drove around looking for good shade, near the ablution block, close to the camp kitchen and not on top of other campers. Then right in the left-hand corner of the park, we found a vacant perimeter site!

“It’s too small,” I said. “Two caravans can’t fit here!’

“Of course they can,” the Earl replied. “With movers anything is possible.” We got out of the car and examined the site. Yes, it would do. I had shade. It was not far from the ablutions and both caravans could certainly fit comfortably. Our right-hand neighbour welcomed us with, “Isn’t this a lovely spot.” “Yes,” I replied. “Has it just been vacated?”
“No, they left a few hours ago. But look, you’re just in time. Here comes another caravan seeking a spot. Lucky indeed! The other caravan had to settle for a site without shade on the other side of our left-hand neighbour.

We were just starting to set up when Cathy and Alec arrived. “Wow,” said Alec. “You’ve worked your magic again. This is a fabulous site!” Phew – we did it!

Once we’d set up and settled in we went to the restaurant for breakfast. By midday, the temperature was well in the thirties. Cathy and Alec decided to do a short late-afternoon drive on the Orpen Road while the Earl and I left a little earlier and did a longer route that included a visit to Sweni Hide and the S100.

On the H1-3 we crossed a bridge and spotted some ellies enjoying a drink in the river.

We then took the H6 and stopped when I spotted two kori bustards. One of them posed quite nicely.

Then just ahead a car was stopped and when we came up to them they pointed to a baby hyaena resting under a shady bush. There was no sign of Mom or any other of the clan.

Next, we took the S37 and stopped at Sweni Hide. This is one of my favourite hides in the park as it is very pretty and usually produces something interesting to see. Today I was not disappointed.

At four o’clock we made our way to the S100 for the final leg home.

Our last bird of the day was very special.

Earl got a lovely shot of the sunset as we neared home.

Cathy and Alec also had some lovely sightings on their drive. I am particularly jealous of Cathy’s amazing Pearl-spotted Owlet

Cathy and Alec arrived back a few minutes before we did and Cath took a lovely sunset photo

Supper tonight was a delicious spaghetti bolognese cooked by Cathy. After a very hot day the wind got up slightly and it may rain tonight. While we enjoyed our meal in the cool of the evening a stealthy hyaena patrolled past the fence.

18 August 2021

Report on the facilities at Letaba

What a great week we have had at Letaba Rest Camp. We were reasonably happy with the facilities. There are two ablution blocks. The bigger one was closer to our site. It has two showers, two baths , three toilets and four wash basins. The other has two showers, two toilets and two wash basins. The bigger ablution was closer to us but when we found all the showers occupied we used the other one which seemed to be less busy. The smaller one did not have mixer taps in the shower so getting the water to the correct temperature was a little trickier. Both ablutions were kept neat and tidy by staff. However, this year private schools who worked online through Lockdown were given their holidays in August and we found that children were left unsupervised to shower and some did not clean up after themselves. We blame the campers for the mess and not the staff. Some days you would find an untidy bathroom but on others it was pristine.

The camp kitchens like most in the park have hydroboils, sinks, hotplates and a microwave oven. Once again neatness and cleanliness depended on who was there before you. As I’ve mentioned before, come prepared with your own kitchen cleaning equipment.

The laundry, I am pleased to report, had two working washing machines and two working tumble dryers. When using the park laundries be sure to have a supply of R2 and R5 coins as the newer machines work with the new R5 coins and the older with R2 coins. At Punda Maria a wash and dry costs R16,00 At Shingwedzi and Letaba it is R 20. I believe that at most of the camps the cost is R20 for a wash and dry, but at Berg en Dal it would be R40.

Letaba is a shady, restful camp. We heard Scops, Pearl Spotted and Barred Owls calling at night. As we had a perimeter site we could see the animals on the other side of the fence and were pleased to have elephants, impala and waterbuck visit. A hyaena patrolled past the fence every evening. We will certainly be sad to leave Letaba tomorrow morning.

Today’s Game Drive

It was rather chilly when we left camp this morning at 8 o’clock but it soon warmed up and the maximum temperature today was over 30 degrees C. We went out for a couple of hours and returned at 11 o’clock and then the Earl cooked us omelettes for brunch. The rest of the day we spent doing chores and relaxing. The Earl cooked a lamb curry for dinner and then we packed up the canopies and got the caravans ready for an early departure tomorrow.

The Earl wanted to follow the H1-6 and S62 today as he thought they would be good for bird watching. We did not have great sightings but I will share what we did see.

Early on in our drive we saw a strange but familiar looking bird in a tree. Some white-crested helmet shrikes flew into the same tree causing the mystery bird to change his position and give us more clues as to who he was.

Some Kudu caused a roadblock as they crossed over to browse on the other side.

On the bridge we got out to look at the view.

We spent some time at the Matambeni Hide. We did not see many birds.

Tomorrow we will make an early departure and hope to find a good caravan site at Satara. Hopefully, we won’t have too many roadblocks as we make our way there. Good night and thanks for reading.

Tuesday 17 August 2021

Good morning. So you’re back for another virtual game drive? Welcome aboard. It’s a beautiful day today. No need for a fleece. No need for a jacket. The maximum promises to be in the late 20s.

The Everest is in the lead and we’re taking the H1-5. My, but it’s quiet. Do you see anything at all? Do hear the birds? Niks Nada Nothing. Let’s pull over here where we can see the river. Oh look down there

Let’s take another omrit to see what we can find. Scan with your binoculars. What a tranquil scene. In the distance a grey heron fishing for his breakfast. And right here look what we’ve got.

The riverside is busy this morning. There are lots of hippos, crocodiles, waterbuck, herons and Egyptian geese.

Where are Cathy and Alec – they haven’t caught up to us. Perhaps they took a different road. We’ll catch up with them later.

Look up there in that tree. Why is the Lilac-breasted roller acting so strangely? Train you binoculars on him.

Oh my – there are two. Get a room birds!

It’s now 10:45 and we’re turning onto the S91 – the Balule Road. There is a bit of activity here too.

At 11:15 we turn onto the S90 Oh – Stop. Let’s have a look at this reptile.

Do you see how the yellow mongooses gives him a wide berth? They run away so quickly I can’t get a photo.

Stop again! A lovely kingfisher. We often see him perched quietly on a branch like this. Sometimes his call alerts us to his presence. Ki pi pi pi = Pity for me. Today he is silent.

We’re coming to a low bridge now and there ahead of us are Cathy and Alec. Yes they came a different way.

Let’s see what these male waterbuck are up to.

Hey – look what’s coming toward us!

Now we’re on the S89. There’s a car stopped on the other side of the road. The driver is pointing out of his window. Look left – omiword – a lion! Can you see him? He is very hidden behind a mesh of branches and grass.

Sorry about that folks. Let’s see if we can find some other creatures to cheer you up. Oh look – the entertainers have arrived.

What have we next. Look here comes a red-crested korhaan. And who is in his way?

Now who is this giving us a hard stare!

Here we are on the bridge crossing over the Olifants River. We are allowed to get out between the yellow lines. Look through your binoculars way over there.

And straight below us. Do you see that reed. There’s a pretty bird sitting perfectly still. It’s not easy to see.

Please don’t lean over the railing. Look who’s waiting to eat you.

Look to the left with your binoculars

Come on now, we’re all hungry. Let’s go to Olifants Rest Camp for a drink and a snack. Alec and Cathy are going straight back to Letaba.

It is two o’clock. Those chicken wraps were lovely. Now we’re on the H8 and there is nothing much happening. Are you all feeling sleepy? My eyes refuse to stay open. Must keep looking for creatures – don’t fall asleep. ZZZZZZZZ

Oh no, sorry folks. I fell asleep and now I hear you calling – leopard! Look there he is but it’s not a leopard – it’s a cheetah. Oh no – he’s gone into the bush. I have missed the photo.

And on that disappointing note we end this game drive.

Alec and Cathy go out in the late afternoon. They want to watch the sunset from the bridge. Someone alerts them to a leopard so they go in search. They find him at the base of tree hidden by a mesh of dry grass.

So all the cats let us down today. But never mind, there is always next time. Join us again soon.

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!