Our final four days in South Africa were spent at two private game lodges on the edge of the Kruger. The first, at Chitwa Chitwa involved a three hour drive from Hazy View, half of which was on unmade roads. We arrived shortly before lunch to wonderful rooms overlooking the waterhole.
Our first game drive left after tea and cake at 3.30pm. One of our first spots was a leopard, who we were able to follow for a while. I was really pleased about this as last time I was in the Kruger I had seen neither leopard nor cheetah. This was followed by a herd of elephants, complete with a baby. The little one was very cute, and still testing out how to use his trunk (fairly unsuccessfully). We also found a sleeping lion.
Dinner was in a boma. An outside area enclosed by a circle of mature trees. In the centre was a huge fire and we sat in a semi-circle of tables around the fire. The food was good and the setting perfect.
All too early (6.00am) we were woken for our morning game drive. Dressing quickly we headed off to the lapa for tea and rusks before getting onto the vehicles for our second drive. This morning we were tracking a white rhino. Our tracker ranger sat on a seat on the bonnnet of the vehicle whilst our range drove. After some time we finally came across the rhino, close to the road. It was an ideal photo opportunity, although sitting at the back of the land rover, with our seats hanging over the back, we did feel very vulnerable. (Rhino horns look very large when close up!). Later we again saw sleeping lions, elephant, impala and some Cape buffalo.
Then it was back to the lodge for breakfast. The central part of the day is left free for resting, game viewing from the decks etc. However, John and I opted to go for a game walk. We were taken out by one of the tracker ranger who told us about the various plants, how to recognise footprints and about the dung that we found. It was a fairly long walk and by the time we got back we were extremely hot and the swimming pool seemed like a good idea. It's unheated, but, once in, it was wonderful. It did amaze the bar manager - apparently it's not really used in winter!
The afternoon game drive found yet more sleeping lions and another leopard, wandering along the road. Also, zebra, kudu and yet more impala. (Impala are on every predators menu). The following morning's drive didn't throw up anything new. However, we did have our coffee overlooking a hippo pool.
After breakfast we headed off to our final destination - Shambalala (where the lion sleeps). We left our car at the Thornybush Game Lodge (Shambalala is on the Thornybank reserve) and were taken to on to our destination by Sebastian (our ranger) and Raymond (our tracker ranger). On the way we found out that we would be the only guests and Sebastian asked us which animals we wanted to see. Mum had yet to see giraffes close up and none of us had seen cheetah. We had also mentioned that we had seen more than enough sleeping lions. On arrival at the lodge we were upgraded to the presidential suite and given time to sort ourselves out before high tea at 3.00pm. Then it was out on the game drive with the aim of seeing cheetahs. Sebastian did not disappoint us and we were rewarded with 3 males lying in the grass. Then we saw three lionesses, and they were sitting up. Our first non-sleeping lions. They didn't disappoint us because they then moved off to hunt. However, as one was stalking she was spotted by impala and wildebeest, who then sounded a warning to others.
Our wake-up call came at 5.30am and by 6.00am we were off on another game drive. Suddenly Raymond pointed and we set off through the bush, dodging trees and shrubs as we went. We didn't know what he had seen, but eventually we found a group of white rhino, who we followed for a while. Sebastian then headed off to one of the dams where we found a whole herd of Cape buffalo. Many were in the water, but there seemed to be as many still on the land. As we drove towards them we were soon surrounded, an amazing experience.
The evening game drive saw us heading far to the south of the reserve as a herd of elephant had been spotted. They had split up, but we did see a few of them. On our way back we came across a group of lions sitting up in the grass by a road junction. Suddenly, there was a padding at the side of us and a male lion walked just past our vehicle. In all there were six lions - all awake and watching us.
Our final game drive started off routine, but turned into the best. Sebastian headed off to check where the cheetahs were as there was a possibility that they had gone under the fence to another reserve. The footprints were confusing, but Raymond thought that they had moved back into the thicker bush of our reserve. We headed off in that direction and, after some time, heard the mewing of one male cheetah. We set off in pursuit of it, stopping every so often and switching the engine off to listen again. It had gone deep into the bush and the only way to see it was to follow it. I now have a lot more respect for Land Rover Defenders - they really can go anywhere. After 30 minutes or so we finally found the cheetah, sitting on a hillock mewing for his friends. It is likely that the three were attacked by lions the night before and had been split up, now this one was trying to find his companions. We were treated to the thrill of the chase followed by the perfect photo opportunity.
All too soon it was time to leave, our time in South Africa over. We were sad to leave, John and I both love the country. John has good reason to - his parents met and married there and his brother was born there. We both want to return, but when...........
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