Crocs and Hippos

Africa » South Africa
November 19th 2012

Published: June 17th 2017

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jc80

01 Big One

A large crocodile sitting on the bank of the estuary.

Geo: -28.0126, 32.4457

Just before 11am we arrived just outside the town of St Lucia. This is where the estuary boat trips depart. When I came to South Africa five years ago, I really enjoyed the boat trip along the estuary- where we saw many crocodile and hippos.

Paul and I were going on a boat trip this morning. It was a small boat with only 4 other people. The boat departed at 11am for a one hour trip. In the distance and only through the binoculars we could see some pods of hippos. We then saw a large crocodile on the bank of the estuary. The guide took the boat closer to the crocodile. It was a large crocodile, just laying there. He didn't move at all.

We continued along the estuary and came close to a large pod of hippos. I enjoyed watching the various sized hippos bob up and down in the water. On the bank there was a large bird, appropriately named as the Goliath Heron. The other interesting bird sighting was a breeding pair of Fish Eagles. Our guide also pointed out the mangroves growing by the water. Before we knew it we were back at the

02 Kingfisher

A Pied Kingfisher.

jetty and had to get off the boat. I enjoyed the boat trip, but I remember it being more of an amazing experience my first time. We seemed to have seen many more crocodiles and hippos that time.

We then drove through town to the Boat Club and walked along the path to the beach. In this part of the estuary, there was a small island in the middle that was full of crocodiles. We could also see a few hippos bobbing up and down in the water. I wouldn't want to walk around this town after dark! We stopped at the supermarket for a few more supplies to get us through the next week or so and hit the road again towards Cape Vidal.

Additional photos below

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