Searching for the elusive leopard

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Second full day on safari

Another early rise today - only slightly more streamlined than the day before - and off we set into the bush once more. At last the cold weather had gone and though we started bundled up in blankets we ended the safari without them and indeed later on when we arrived back we even removed one of the layers of clothing we were wearing!

We got underway having told Victor that we wanted to find a leopard. After a fair bit of driving with only a few impala to keep us company we came across some tracks that showed a leopard dragging something (presumably a carcass). Also in the trees around the area were sat a fair few vultures, maybe waiting for the leopard to finish its meal. Anyway this proved to be the closest we would get to finding a leopard today - never mind! On our travels we passed into previously unexplored (by us) territory which was the second half of the Kwa Mandala Game Reserve owned by someone different. This also had quite a different set of trees, cactus etc. It also seemed to have a distinct lack of wildlife as the only mammals we saw (apart from impala) were 3 giraffes (one of which was chewing on a bone (this is used as a calcium supplement)) and a handful of small grey monkeys. We saw tracks and scat for a porcupine and were shown a live termite mound that was at least 50 years old (Jack - “That’s really old, but not as old as Grandad” - sorry Grandad!!).

Instead, on this safari we had some lessons on some of the flora as opposed to the fauna. There was some wild cotton to look at, mountain aloe with its beneficial properties, a twig that could be used as a toothbrush and a lemony type leaf that could be used in your room as a mosquito repellent or traditionally it was used in water as a medicine for colds and flu.

We also saw a black-chested snake eagle and once we were nearly back at camp we saw high up on a huge rock another type of antelope-thingy called a rock jumper or klepp springer.

Back in time for breakfast, and then lunch, a snake sighting and a couple of lizards too and before we knew it we were off on our last safari in South Africa in the sunshine!!

Warthog Day

Tonight’s safari was filled with warthog; Ellie reckoned that we had seen at least 18 of them, many of them babies. We also saw a couple of giraffes, all the elephants (this time without a close encounter with the matriarch) and the same three rhino again. We also saw a couple of rock jumpers on top of a rock (not jumping) and some zebra with a foal.

At one of the water holes we witnessed terrapins having diving lessons; they were all sat on a dead tree on the side of the water and were taking it in turns to jump off the tree into the water some from over 2 metres high.

The hippos grumbled at us as we passed their usual under a tree, in the water, hiding place and we scared off an ibis and a grey heron before heading home past the eagle owl again (probably the same one, it was in near enough the same place as the previous night).

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Photos

Early morning
morning has broken - clang

Manyatta Rock camp
Can you tell which are rocks and which are the buildings?

Zebra
Black on white? Or white on black?

Terrapin Dive platform
can you see the one sitting at the end of the tree near the water?