Last morning in the bush...for now

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We awoke this morning in beautiful Akeru lodge at around 6AM and proceeded to the open air 4x4. The sun was still down and the air was still very cold. As soon as we left the lodge, Sam (our tracker) spotted rhino tracks. A rhino had just passed our lodge during the night. We spend a few minutes tracking the rhino - including some time when we dropped Sam off on his own on foot - but the tracks led to an area we could not enter. However, the first character we ran across was none other than Max. Max was still in musth, but seemed much happier to ignore us and munch on his tree (see picture). Danika even grew to like Max, quite a feat considering her considerable distrust of him from the day before.

The morning was pretty quiet - we ran into another giant herd of buffalo - until we got a call from another ranger. Our ranger refused to tell us what we were off to see, but we were tearing through the bush in a hurry. What we found was a leopard that had just caught its breakfast in the form of a grey duiker. We were with 20 feet of the leopard as it played with the duiker, learning to kill. A small boy in front of us was very disturbed by the duiker's screams, and we don't think he looked up the rest of the morning. The sight was amazing to watch. Nature at work (see picture).

When we returned to camp, we found a group of warthogs at the small watering hole on the lodge (see picture). They didn't seem to mind us as long as we didn't get to close (which one of the Clevelanders did). Breakfast, like every other meal at Akeru, was delicious, then we packed up and started the long drive back to Jo'burg, where we were to spend the night before heading to Zambia.

When we checked in at our Jo'Burg hotel that night, we were treated to a very nice surprise. For some very unknown reason, the hotel upgraded us to the Capitoline Suite. This place was massive. It took up its own private wing and included:

2 bedrooms
3.5 baths
Office
Living room
2 flat screen TVs

Many thanks to the hotel for the treat.

That night we said goodbye to Mart. We really couldn't have been any luckier with our guide for Kruger. She was kind and interesting, and clearly loved her country. Thank you so much Mart!

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Photos

Max in Musth Part II
You can tell an elephant is in musth by the "tearing" between the eye and ear, but doesn't that also mean you are a little too close for comfort?

What's for breakfast?
The leopard toying with its prey

A face only a mother could love!
Brad's twin...

Comments

[Nana]

Beware
Danika, Beware of elephants munching trees.