Day eleven

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Well today was our first full day on safari, an early start with a 6.30 call for breakfast at 7am. We left for the game drive at about 8am. First order of the day was the hunt for lions. Obviously they are not that common in the reserve so they took some finding but eventually we tracked them down. It's easy to lose track of all of the animals, birds, and plant life that we have seen, but Shamwari provide a little booklet to check off all the various animals, birds, reptiles, insects and plant life you have seen. It makes a nice keepsake at the end of your stay.

Our guide Jacques is very knowledgeable and would give Ray Mears a run for his money. The highlight of the morning was leaving the vehicle and walking across the veld to see cheeters resting after their hunt. We stopped at about 25 metres away for the photos. Jacques said we could have safely got a lot closer but he is ever conscious of giving the wild animals their space and not disturbing them.

After lunch the afternoon drive was to a different part of the park: the northern end, which is a lot higher and colder, but quite picturesque, to see buffalo. After hippos, buffalo kill more humans than any other animal in Africa but we tracked them down eventually. They provide a separate area for the buffalos in order to keep them from the lions, as they have a high commercial value as the herd is TB free. Then more animals and birds before stopping for sun-downer drinks and the long drive back.

This evening the meal was a braai (barbeque). Impala cooked on the braai was fantastic, a few more glasses of wine and off to our tent ready for our last full day tomorrow.

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