I fully realise that a lot of very sensible people out there get glazed eyes when they read phrases like ‘windscreen wipers in the sky’ and any attention is immediately lost…..maybe i should find a different phrase.

What goes around comes around…blah blah blah

Unfortunately these are the very sensible sound minds that need to see things for what they are.

If you cannot smell the roses people…try smelling the coffee…or the smelling salts….

PS. this blog seems to have started a bit of a fracas, which, after much consideration can only be a good thing, particularly if it helps highlight a problem that is clearly one amongst many.

It was cut and pasted onto a Sanparks forum by someone else, from there i received many, mails, messages and comments…including a request from the media for my pictures of what i saw there. Once again, after much consideration and discussion with an acqauintance of high standing within SA society, i acceded.

So with all that going on i changed my mind about putting the pictures here together with my ‘blog’ in an effort to ensure that my story is seen for what it is, an honest account of something i saw, experienced, photographed and wrote about.

I have absolutely no axe to grind at all, but based on the reactions of the people who read the story and commented it became quite clear that this was the right thing to do.

With that in mind when the media in question asked me if i wanted anonymity, i said no, if my story helps get someone in power to start seriously addressing what everyone considers to be serious problems in the KNP, then let me stand up proudly and unashamedly in an effort to help that happen.

I have, since my blog was pasted onto the SAN Parks forum, been accused by a Virtual Ranger, of concocting the whole story in an effort to draw attention to myself and this site and, by the same Virtual Ranger of actually trying to corrupt the staff at KNP by offering to buy bush meat from them to support my story!

In fairness to the people who run the forum, after I had replied in a fairly feisty fashion the Rangers post was removed, as was my response, and indeed I received a personal message from the forum ‘administrator’ explaining that my reply had been removed as it was in reply to a particularly nasty post and that the Ranger in question would be getting some severe words from them as he had broken several of their rules.

If my little blog site gets more traffic and mileage because of this affair…then let me also state upfront that i will be delighted about that too, providing visitors have enjoyed or been able to take something from whatever it is they may have seen or read here.

I have to admit that it was nice to get into a proper bed…not only was out like a light but I slept till almost 5.30!!..I had woken at 4 as usual but just turned over and enjoyed the luxury. A slow coffee as ever then out by 6.15 I aimlessly went east down the tar road without any real plan…I think I was probably still half asleep for a while to be honest.

By the time I reached the Malelane road I had decided against doing much mileage and headed north towards traders post, still not absolutely sure of my route. I was tempted to spend the day up on the biyamati, maybe park up near the weir somewhere, maybe pull into traders for some breakfast…it all seemed far though and requiring lots of effort…and I was the weekend after all.

By the time I reached the top of the hill at the foot of Tilhalabye I had made my mind up and planned to just take the dirt track west that runs along the northern side of the Matjulu which I total gave me a travel loop of just 25 klicks and kept me close to camp at all times, it was time to chill a bit.

As I approached the top of the hill I could see a whole bunch of cars and game viewers…maybe 7 or 8 vehicles in total parked all over the place…it had to be something and I pulled in to ask.

Leopard stalking impala…fantastic. I just had to block out the fact that I was one of many as best I could because this was something really worth watching and enjoyed the scene for the next couple of hours, managing to get a few ok pictures of the leopard stalking through the grass just 10 metres or so away from where I was sat. I did not have the best position, one of the game viewers did so once I got my pics I pulled out of the melee a bit and backed up a few metres to a break in the bushes to my left where the cat was…hoping that he may come that way….highly likely in my opinion based on the wind, but obviously dependant on the impala and what they did. They had obviously got an idea the cat was nearby as there had been a few warning snorts at the back of some dense bush between us throughout my time spent there. I could tell where the cat was because of the cameras in front of me and occasional glimpses of the impala through the bushes to my left. The cat had clearly lain up for a while.

Maybe an hour later the cat did move again and sure enough he came my way and I suddenly found myself in pole position as far as viewing vehicles were concerned….amazing how used to vehicles these cats have become…I got a good view of the leopards face as he crept through the bush…totally focused on the bushes to the rear. I reversed slowly for a short way as the cat moved and saw him settle again the thicket below a dead wood tree where he disappeared from sight altogether.

The cars all stared to disappear too and within 10 minutes or so I was alone at the scene. That obviously suited me fine and even though I could not see the cat I knew its position and I could see the herd, I just sat for another hour or so…seeing nothing but thoroughly enjoying the surroundings and sounds of the bush.

It started getting hot soon after 9am and I moved off well pleased with the sighting with no effort required whatsoever. Turning left and west onto the dirt track I cruised slowly along, not really worried about seeing any animals but just enjoying the scenery, the granite koppies, the ups and downs, the foliage, the birds and occasional kudu, zebra and buck along the way…a small tortoise hobbling along the track towards me. At the end of the track I headed north for a kilometre where I parked up by the Matjulu waterhole for a while.

I was going to spend some time there writing but the breeze was blowing the dust up into the cab a bit and I decided I would rather do that in the comfort of my chalet later.

There was quite a bit going on there in fact to keep me occupied. Two rhinos were slumped up on the edge of the water hole, mother and daughter…half in and half out of the water. After a while the young daughter started moving around talking to mum…it was quite clear that she was bored and wanted to move on or do something!!…mum was having none of it, and the squeaking calls of the youngster became funnier and funnier. After a while she tried to play with a marabou stork that was resident for the morning but the stork was not too interested…however a bit of bill clapping and it was the rhino that went running off back to mum!!hilarious.

The bird had a particularly bright red ‘sac’ on the back of its neck…I am not sure but I think it is something to do with mating time…I must try to check somewhere…my books don’t mention it.

A small group of about 7/8 male impalas were hovering around nearby and I was wondering why they seemed so nervy but eventually decided it was just the main ram asserting himself within the group. A couple of warthogs came down for a quick drink and all the while a snake eagle sat above in a dead wood tree surveying everything intently looking for breakfast.

I left just after 11 am and crawled slowly along the 4 klicks of track back to camp. A little bit over a kilometre from camp I came across a hare along the side of the track who had found some greenery where he was having a good nibble. Amazingly he did not seem too fazed by me at all and I was able to park up virtually next to him where I sat for 15 minutes or so with him getting some lovely pics. I could not help wondering what he was doing out at this time of day and why he seemed so relaxed. Is that what I could see?…then as I watched him I started wondering it was something completely different…maybe he had lost his mate earlier to some predator and was in some kind of shock.. I moved off saying to him out loud that he really should be finding some cover for the day. This absolutely the truth.

Less than fifty metres further on as the track was about to take a sharp bend I looked in my wing mirror …just in time to see a dark shape come swooping down from the sky and smash the poor hare into the ground…I could hardly believe my eyes. I was only going at 10kph so it was easy to stop…quickly doing a three point turn and heading back to the spot. About twenty metres away I pilled up and was able to get a couple of great shots of what I think is a Wahlbergs Eagle pinning the hare into the ground with its talons firmly dug into the side of the little I had just moments before been watching and photographing from a few feet away.

Silly me…after taking a few shots I put the camera down and crept a bit closer…too close and the bird gripped the hare in its claws and took off, unfortunately for the bird the hare was either too heavy or it had not gripped it so well and six inches off the ground the hare fell back to ground…the eagle obviously panicked a little and perched in a short bush tree just a couple of metres away where I got some stunning pictures of it.

I felt bad though about disturbing him like one of the idiots I get so upset with sometimes!!…I reversed up for about twenty metres and sat for an hour, then another ten metres for another hour.

The bird had moved around a little bit from tree to tree all about fifty metres or more away. On a couple of occasions two other smaller buzzards of some sort came flying by and the eagle immediately took off from wherever he was perched and chased them off with lots of dive bombing from the smaller birds and lots of angry shouts and yelps from the eagle…wonderful stuff to watch as they all soared above in a breathtakingly blue sky.

At times the eagle soared off further seemingly covering a distance of at least a kilometre in a few seconds. It was testimony to his eyesight as I always felt that he had a sharp eye on the hare and a sharper eye on me!

By 2pm I realised that he was not going to come back while I was still around and I decided to leave him to it. I pulled up at the now stiff hare and flicked him with my cane into some longer grass just off the track and under a sparse bush that was just there.

Back to camp for a couple of hours with all god intentions of fixing myself a nice salad….suddenly the cafeteria seemed sooo convenient though!! (besides that, it must be said that the Berg n Dal Cafeteria is by far the best in the south of the park, and together with Punda, the best)

So, I pigged out and sat writing for a while in comfort before heading out again for my last evening drive. I took exactly the same route as I had in the morning which was nice, sitting at the ‘leopard’ spot for a while with a cold beer…where I found other like minded people arriving with the same idea!!

I stopped at the spot where the eagle had taken the hare and was surprised to find that the bird (I assume) had eaten it there as opposed to carrying it off. It was clearly eaten by the bird, I could tell by the way the fur had been pulled out and indeed by how much was left, then when I looked up the eagle was wheeling around above me. Had he recognised me and the landy returning I wondered. I bid my farewells and left him in peace to finish his meal.

Returning to camp on the stroke of 6.30, I sat blogging for a while before crashing soon after 9pm.

My last morning I also woke up late, close to 6am and thoroughly enjoyed my last coffee there sitting under the Natal Mahogany trees that were shading my chalet, happily listening to the bush and indeed some lions talking to each other not too far away.

I was out by 7 and on my way. I did not expect to see much and had no intention of hanging around for any period of time, it was home time and rather than try to delay the moment I wanted to get on the road while all was quiet and rather have a few quality hours upon arrival.

So just a few klicks before I hit the Malelane road I was absolutely delighted to see a bull ellie at a marula tree. As I approached he went up close to the tree, raised his trunk pressing high up the tree trunk before giving the tree a good shake!….such incredible power, mesmerising every time I see it!!

The marulas rained down around him and I was sorry I had not reached for my cam corder especially, not even my camera. I stopped to watch him but he did not like it and turned towards me with a shake of his head…”Go Home” he said, flapping his ears in front of me. I thought back to the poor Elephant that had been shot at Lower Sabie and felt sad. Heeding his message I moved off saying “ciao ciao…next time old buddy”

Then, and most visitors to the park will not believe this, but I do have the pictures to prove it, I go another couple of klicks down the road and see a couple of cars parked up..what do I find?…another leopard!!…fast asleep in the lower boughs of a tree, legs either side with the tail hooked over another branch. A fantastic leopard picture, just as many people picture them and dream about seeing them. I could see the sugar cane fields in the far background and was just so chuffed to get such a great farewell sighting for the trip.

It was done, I did not even stop on the bridge over the Croc river as usual, my boots were full and I was leaving a very happy trekker.

It is going to take a week or two to go through and edit all my photos but rest assured they will be on here very soon and I shall send out the usual mail when done.

Hamba Kahle

The rest of the day was pretty chilled, much time spent in camp doing some writing, enjoying the birds. I took a late afternoon drive northwards along the tar road by the Sabie River, seems strange to think that I have been in lower Sabie for a week already and it is the first time I have driven this road…it used to be one of my absolute favourites.

I won’t say too much simply because I have not got too much good to say about it anymore I am afraid, speed track, pollution are far too strong as words for me to use.

My glass is half full though and I enjoyed, especially for some of the memories the drive evoked as I crawled along on the way back at 5kph…. Automatic gearboxes are just the very best!!….the time I spent alone with a wild dog as she ran alongside of me for around 2 kilometres late one afternoon….the early morning spent with a leopard at lubyelubye….the lion kill way back when…..

I went as far as the causeway and parked up for a while where I was able to spend some time with a fairly active pied kingfisher and get a couple of nice pics.

Then on up to the end of the track and back down the tar where I was held up for 20 minutes by 7 Rhinos on the road. One of them came along the verge like a lawn mower!!…I backed up a couple of times not wanting to be stuck between him and the other 6, one of whom was still very young and very much under the protection of mama and papa who was making it very clear with his body language that he would tolerate no nonsense from me!!

A breeding herd of ellies were crossing over a bit further down and then onto sunset dam where I sat for a short while watching the hippos play. It was my last full day at Sabie and I began to feel that my trip was coming to an end even though I still had a few nights left.

Another great sleep and I was up before 4am to enjoy my last ‘camping’ coffee under the moon which was clearly on the wane by then.

I did not want to decamp a dew covered tent etc but I was very happy there had been no rain, and finalised a decision made the night before to take an early drive for a couple of hours and then pack up when there was a bit of sun to dry everything off nicely but also before it got too hot.

I still did not get the sunrise shots I have been looking for unfortunately. It was a nice dawn but there was a thin cloudbank on the horizon…and anyway I did not find an ellie or giraffe in the right position.

I did come across a couple of very male rhinos though at the turning for Mlondozi dam, very impressive creatures and I was sorry to disturb them as I approached. I went past and carried on aways thinking they may settle again but when I returned a short while later on my way back they were still there but obviously not happy with other cars that had arrived in the meantime….not that the cars were doing anything wrong…they were just there.

Ellies, jackals, hyaenas, another hippo out of the water near the bridge…it was a lovely ‘ciao ciao’ drive back to camp as everything started appearing.

Back at Sabie I de-camped and was all packed within an hour and twenty minutes….amazing how there is always a slight difference in the way everything fits in every time I pack the cab!!

I was on my way south again just before 10.00am. A last look at the ellie carcass…which was still being picked at by the birds, crocs, hyaenas, no doubt jackals and probably several other creatures…not to mention the insects and all the other little uglies that will get to work on the inside of the bones. Eight days!! And still providing food, probably for days to come too.

I have taken a picture every day, barring the day I discovered the truth and was too upset to visit, and will upload one from each day to give an idea of the ‘process of consummation’ of the king of beasts after death in the bush. This was probably over 6 tonnes of animal, take away the bones and that must surely be more than 4 tonnes of meat, offal and skin.

Moving down the Crocodile Bridge road, west at Gomondwane and over the Vurhami, south west down to the Bume River where I crossed under the watchful eye of another breeding herd with one big matron giving me a few irritable trumpets!! A few klicks more before turning west again onto the Crocodile River track, another track I have travelled many times.

Beautiful river views and several really nice river crossings, the Biyamati in particular.

Lots of historical romanticism. The old original ford at Tengamanzi that was used by early travellers…mainly the transport riders… from 1874 till 1892, it then fell into disuse after the opening of the Delagoa railway line…probably not by some of the characters who moved on up to crooks corner though!!…but not good for Alfie Roberts who ran a trading store at the site. One cannot help but wonder what sort of scenes unfolded there 120 years ago and more! There is a ‘jock of the Bushveld’ stone marker there as well which enhances the imagination somewhat.

A few klicks further on and one comes to the site where, in 1900, the Boer army following General Ben Viljoen as they escaped the pursuing British army led by General Pole-Carew spiked all their military hardware to prevent it falling into the hands of the British. Once again the imagination goes into overdrive as one tries to conjure up images of the scenes that occurred back then. Even the ‘fabled’ stories of Kruger’s Gold comes to mind and it is impossible not to wonder whether it was buried or hidden within close proximity.

Onto and over the Mlambane where they have built a new causeway since I last crossed…and here I started getting a bit fed up. There is a very sharp bend in the track before it falls down to the causeway and they have actually erected a ‘motorway’ sign indicating the bend with those horrible big red arrows…like they have at roadworks on the highway…..I could hardly believe it…why??…this is supposed to be the bush for goodness sake…is this giving in to the people who continue to speed? It killed me to be honest and I am afraid it is a track I will avoid in future unless absolutely necessary. Thereafter I just noticed bad things…has there been flood damage there recently?…or have they widened the track and cleared the bush on either side?…I don’t know…somehow the beauty and spirit of the track has been lost. Maybe it just too busy these days. By now it was around 1pm and I suddenly started seeing hordes of weekenders coming the other way…probably on their way to Lower Sabi…,many of them probably no different from me in their love of the bush…but many of them, I have absolutely no doubt just there to be able to say that they make use of their shiny new 4×4,s. Cynical?…maybe…but their entire aura just oozes negativity with some of them clearly fed up already…no lions perhaps?…just heat and dust and a bumpy track. Good I say. Unfortunately though, they will in all probably tar the road in the next ten years…it would not surprise me unfortunately.

Over the Malelane road and into the hills and dales leading up to Berg N Dal camp (hills and dales in Afrikaans) where I checked into my chalet for a couple of nights. Nice, but I now really felt that in essence my little trek safari was over.

Joburg started calling so to speak…thats not so bad…it had been a great trip and I started to think of all the things I have got to get into when I got home and I started to feel better…I even thought of my bed for the first time and realised how much I loved it!!

I went onto the net as well where I solved a little riddle that gave me an answer I am very interested in…So as I say…it’s not so bad and life is good. I am thinking that at the end of this year I might do a 3 month trip though, November through to march…we shall see.

Then I realised that the fat lady has not in fact sung yet, I still a full day and another wake up…I would make a point of enjoying.

I did. Read on.

Personally, having thought it through, I doubt if the beast was shot outright for its meat. Whether or not it needed to be shot is entirely another matter.

I will say this though; Elephants eat marula fruit. They have been coming into the camps to eat the fruit since the camps were introduced, it is not a new phenomenon…not at all. I suspect that the vast majority of visitors who have witnessed this will say that it made their visit here very very special.

If it such a problem, or perceived threat, then for goodness sake cut the bloody marula trees that are inside the camps down.

By my reckoning, I do not know the stats and am just speculating, but I figure that Sanparks are making hundreds of millions of Rands out of the wild card/ conservation fees alone. I reckon that the more popular camps like Satara are probably making a profit of between R30 to 50 million per annum. Gawd knows how much Skukuza makes!!!

Do they think that people are spending this money to see elephants or marula trees?

How is that for some food for thought?

Therein lays a small but absolutely perfect example of how we have arrived at where we are in this world of ours that has been contrived by the madness of man and completely blinded by the insatiable greed of the corporations amidst the total insanity of consumerism. We have utterly ravaged and decimated our planet…our home. Talk about shitting on your own doorstep!!

All one hears about from these corporations and the like is growth growth growth!!!

Bah…what growth. The whole thing is nothing more than one huge self consuming monster, so big that no one can see it…we all live under it’s shadow.

Mark these words; Mother Nature is the boss and Father Time is the manager, just now the big windscreen wiper in the sky is going to do its job and come crashing down. We have and are screwing up royally!!

I slept like a baby…cannot remember coming out of it at all until almost 4am, I guess I must have needed it!

Bounced out of bed and had the coffee brewing by 4am already!!…thoroughly enjoyed that first one in the moonlight again. The moon is waning now. Although still quite bright she is probably almost ‘half a moon’ again, amazing how quickly it changes..(or is that me getting lost in time again?)

I went up to the camp gates for my second coffee at about 5.15 and found myself to be the first one there. The gate guard came over and chatted, not too easy at that time of day, but it was ok.

So at 5.30 sharp I was off and away heading for the Mlondozi road again….looking for that sunrise shot!!

Just a couple of klicks after crossing over the Sabie River I came across two big males walking down the road towards me. It was only 5.40 am or so and the sun was not due up for another 12 minutes so rather than try and get the camera organised in time (there was not really any time at all) I whipped out the camcorder and managed to get a minute or less of them as they walked straight past me and off into the long grass.

They were both pretty big, both a similar dark orange-ish colour, but one had a full mane that was black and orange whilst the other was more of a Mohican orange mane with black tinges. They both looked very rough and tough. Difficult to tell how old they were because of the short length of time they were in view and the lack of good light, but I would say they were probably at least 7 years old and hazard a guess that they were brothers.

I wondered whether they were the pride leaders for all the lions I had seen recently, the only thing that was a bit confusing with that thought was the colour, the first lot were mostly very light in colour, pale gold as someone else mentioned. The Mohican bit was definitely true to form though, and with the bigger females being light in colour….could be??
Then, after moving on just another couple of klicks up the road….four at the most I came across the same four ‘pale gold’ lions I had seen a few days previously. Now I was pretty sure that they must all be part of the same pride and the big guys I had seen earlier were the big daddies!
It was another excellent sighting with all four of them laying down in the road together watching the sun rise…no doubt looking out for a bite to eat as well!!…

That was my morning sorted…I was not going anywhere.

A few other cars came and went, a couple of them within a couple of minutes of first seeing them. A few quick snappies out of half closed windows with the engine still running and off they would go again!! I have never understood it….it suits me perfectly well I should add…but what on earth do this people come here for?…..so they can sit round a dinner table with friends and say they have done ‘Africa” or brag about how many animals they have seen?. I just don’t get it, and I am sorry to say it but they definitely don’t get it!! They drive around with the windows up and the aircon on…some of them even listen to music….Rather go to the zoo people…save your bucks.

Then at about 7.30 or so a few more cars came, a couple of them were overseas tourists in hire cars….and…well…the fact is I started to lose my cool a little, with one prick in particular….he was French I am sure as I heard him speak to his partner.

He drives up next to me at speed…gives me a look like some kind of demented chimpanzee with his tongue hanging out and his eyes wide and then starts hanging out of the window taking snappies. I could not help it and just gave him the flat 1000 yard stare grimace. He did not like that, so now, he just pulls ahead the couple of metres to where the cats were laying…stops just a couple of feet away from the paws of the one cat, blocks off mine and another landcruisers view and starts snapping away again without a thought for anyone or anything….least of all the cats.

I could see that his lady was berating him but judging by his body language he replied ‘feck em’ Well that was it, I threw a stone onto his roof and showed him my catty when he turned round. He wanted to be brave in front of his lady and manoeuvred the car again a bit quickly but this time two of the lions jumped up and gave his lady’s side a little snarl….that put the shits into him and he went ahead a bit and away from the cats. Still being brave for show he said something to her and then looked at me. I made it very clear that I would happily meet him up the road aways….suddenly he evaporated and out came the…what? look. I heard someone in the cruiser to my side say something like “what a fecking idiot”….and then he went off with his lady in his ear!!….eish I was cross

Then another car came in the opposite direction….he must of either come from Satara or had done one of the dirt road loops, either way he must of been speeding around, gawd knows what these people expect to see. He acts in virtually the same way….the one lioness which was sitting away from the others was less than a metre from where this clown drives into and she was forced to jump up….jeez!…you must see the holes in my tongue.

Unfortunately that was the final straw for the cats and they all got up and started to move away, but incredibly they stayed on the road and headed north in virtual single file.

Animals will often use the roads and tracks made by us, it is easier for them to move, they can see further…predator and prey…and the tar roads tend to hold the heat so can be a nice warm place to rest up. Many animals of all varieties can be found lying on the roads first thing in the mornings…especially in winter. A lot of small mammals, such as mongoose for example, have adapted and can often be found living next to roadsides…apart from anything else they help to clean up any road kill.

So now they are all walking north with an entourage of excited people…bless em (voetsek…lol)…including the one guy who had nearly run the one cat over coming from the other direction. This guy was still at it…pulling ahead of the cats and parking sideways blocking their path so they could get a shot of the cats head-on. If it had not been for the cats being there I would of definitely given him a blast of monkey ammo with the cattie!!

Having lost it a little already I kept my cool this time and hung back, letting them all get a good 100 metres up the road before I started to follow, together with another guy who I am pretty sure was feeling the same as I was about the situation.

Slowly but surely, over the next 15 minutes or so the cars started to peel away…having got their snappies they were off with no awareness of what they had been seeing and experiencing. All they seem to know is that they had seen lions and had a few piccies to prove it!!

Finally, there was just one bakkie left who kept a fair distance and the lions rested up again in the road. In paradox, I am very grateful that the lions of the Kruger in general are pretty well used to the antics that the human hooligans get up to….gawd knows what they must say about us in private!!!

So I was back to where I was a half hour before. This time though there was little time to sit with them. Once I had parked up again I realised that the reason they had stopped there is because they had spotted some zebra out over the grasses to the west…down towards the river. The small herd was far off, maybe 200 metres so the lions laid up on the tar with the longer grass on the verge keeping them totally out of sight from the zebras, but never taking their eyes off of them.

Suddenly, about 70-80 metres further up the road a couple of warthogs stepped out of the grass line and started wandering around in the road but close to the side.

It took a few minute but eventually the younger female must have seen them out of the corner of her eye as she turned and clearly changed her focus entirely. There was no sound from her that I could hear, no movement, but within ten-15 seconds the other three turned their heads simultaneously and immediately tensed up when they saw the hogs.

The stalk was on! As one they rose and moved in closer to the grass line, their eyes keenly focused on the unaware hogs ahead, their bodies suddenly taut and tense as they slowly started to move forward.
The older female took the lead and the others fell into place behind her. As the hogs stopped, or turned a bit in their innocent wanderings up ahead, so did the lions, crouching slightly as they did, sometimes standing frozen for a couple of minutes at a time.

The hogs would move off again and the lions would follow on. At times the hogs would vanish into the edge of the grass or move a bit more steadily northwards, effortlessly the lions would hurry their speed from a slow motion ‘tip toe’ motion to a 6kph ‘panther trot’….that is the only way I can think to describe it. It is a fantastic and mesmerising scenario to be watching and following just a few metres behind.

This went on for quite a few hundred metres, at times the gap closing to 50 metres or so…the stretching out a bit. The one male lion went into the grass as if to head them off…within a few paces further on the older female seemed to call him back….in my mind I am sure she was pointing out the direction of the wind to him…he would of given them away had he gone more than 20 metres deep.

Soon after the other male seemed to start to break into a bit of a ‘slow motion’ gallop and I thought it was on…but not, he slowed again almost immediately and in fact stopped as the hogs seemed to stop and mosy around a bit.

Eventually, after well over a kilometre of this the hogs headed back into the grass and bush from the same side which they had first appeared. They did not show any signs of having seen the lion, the road in the meantime had curved somewhat back towards the river slightly so I figured they had just been using it for convenience, they were not really grazing or foraging around as they do.

At that point the lions quickened their pace again and moved forward quite swiftly to the point where the hogs had disappeared into the long grass. After they had all reached the spot and spent a couple of minutes peering over the top of the grass trying to see where the hogs were they all followed suit in single file.

I sat for a while watching them until their backs had disappeared, then saw them again as two of them stood with their front legs up on an old tree that had fallen over long ago, craning their necks trying to see movement ahead of them. Whether they could still see them or not I cannot be sure but they carried on in the same direction and I lost them completely. I sat for another ten minutes or so, listening intently with my eyes peeled.

The last of the other two cars moved off and to be honest, if I had heard some action I would of probably gone over there for some quick pictures.

It was not be, instead I moved up the road for a couple of klicks, turned west onto the dirt track leading towards the river and then backtracked on the Salitjie track heading south along the river, crawling along after the first two klicks to see if I could see them coming through. Nothing though.

Never mind, it had been a fantastic stalk and chase, and even more brilliant to have virtually been part of it. At no point were the lions more than twenty metres ahead and once or twice I was almost abreast with them as they stopped and slowed and started again. To be honest, I think the three cars involved were good for the lions in the sense that the hogs thought it was ‘just’ cars coming up the road….they must have seen us.

So, in a sense, for about 15 minutes or whatever it was…I was part of the pride on a hunt!!

UH OH…..Red sky in the night is the shepherd’s delight; red sky in the morning is the shepherds warning!!

Stunningly beautiful though it was I have absolutely no doubt that there is some rain on its way….and not too far away either.

Mind you it was more of a pinkish red than a deep red. The last time I saw a really red sky in the morning was about 3 or 4 years ago while I was staying up at Punda. In fact that was by far the reddest sky I have ever seen, morning or evening, it was a deep blood red crimson magenta, if there is such a colour. That evening, or should I say late in the afternoon my camp was hit by a flash flood. Did I ever get to writing about it?…..I don’t think I did somehow.

I was out at ‘Mogambo Corner’ where I had spent two days with leopards mating when the cloudburst hit so by the time I got back to camp it was pretty much all over and my little camp was in 18 inches of water…it had gone down from a metre according to eyewitnesses!!
Unfortunately I had left my ‘bedroom’ flysheet open so the netting had not stopped the flood at all and my bedding was saturated. It was 5.30pm already, I saw the sheet inside move in the gloom and to be honest it looked like a snake had got in there…then I saw two scorpions half way up the netting so I thought “Buggar that”!!…it can wait till the
Morning.

Fortunately, having seen the red sky I had already thrown up my makro special on a high piece of ground as back up, I made a plan for pillows and stuff and slept in there for the night. But it was pretty stupid of me to have seen it coming and then not shut the waterproof sheet on my bedroom!!

Anyway, I am digressing again.

Seeing such a gorgeous ‘pink’ sky I lingered on the bridge for a while getting some video footage of it. My instinct was to stay there and get some shots of the sun as it hit the horizon, but I ignored them. Driven by the desire to get an elephant silhouetted by the sunrise I pressed on for the savannah lands a few klicks north.

Funny really…as I was driving along for the next ten minutes I just knew I had screwed up…and so it proved to be. No elephants or anything in sight and after maybe a minute of absolutely glorious sunrise with fantastic shades of pink, peach, orange and every pastel colour you can imagine the sun went behind a bank of cloud and it was all over from a photographic point of view!! I should have stayed on the river.

Normally when I screw up like that the day does not get better, it is as if I have put myself out of step and my timing and instinct is all out of kilter for the rest of the day. I knew I was tired so I decided then and there that I was going to have a day without worrying too much about seeing anything, I would get back to camp early for a good shower etc and then cruise back down to Komatipoort for some fresh salads and a few other goodies.

That’s exactly what I did and I had a lovely day.
However, crossing the bridge on the way back to camp I came across a bull ellie that was on the bank right next to the bridge which I sat with for a while and got some very close up shots, and then on the far side I came across a big bull hippo that was just returning to the water after a night out grazing in the bush. He was a monster and I was able to get some lovely shots of him peering through the bushes at me, checking me out before venturing back to the river. I sat very still as I had manoeuvred my landy into a position on the bank where I had unintentionally got between him and the water. I have no doubt that he would of charged me had I given him the jitters!

Komatipoort is a real ‘backwoods’ type of African town…a one street drive through almost…and I say that without any disrespect whatsoever, I love little towns like that for their vibe. There were a lot more like it when I first discovered South Africa in my own little life and I loved the experience then as I do now.

After doing my shopping at the spar I spent an hour taking a walk down one side of the street and then back up the other. Hawkers everywhere, selling everything….and I mean everything… I was offered two things that are a bit illegal even!! Hmm…Should I say that? it’s the truth…quite brazen!

Nice foods the one guy called out to me…carvings from another…african music blaring out from a couple of shops, a hairdresser working under an umbrella…food being cooked on the street and all sorts of strange and interesting looking characters. I thought about getting the camera or even the video but thought better of it as I was alone…you can never be too sure….and anyway..it might have been deemed offensive, especially with a couple of the things I was offered!!

I got back to camp very early, soon after 3.30 pm and although I would do some writing and go back out at about 5pm for an evening drive it never happened. Before I knew it the time had flown to 5.30, the skies were getting very grey and thunder was rumbling around so I stayed put, pulled down all the flaps and brewed up some chicken soup as the first rains started.

As it turned out the rain was not as bad as I had expected, mind you, I was asleep at around 7.30pm and i could see in the morning that it must of carried on through some of the night.

Generally speaking I work very hard for my game sightings, applying a great deal of patience, logic, bush craft knowledge, perseverance, positive thought and of course time spent….. I see a lot of things that many people never seem to see.

Sometimes though you just need luck. Luck and timing. I think I have just had the most amazing piece of good luck and good timing that I can remember ever having here in the bush….it is certainly right up there with the very best!!

After spending the morning sitting with the lions I went back to camp for a freshen up, a quick lunch and load up the cooler box for the afternoon.

There is nothing like a long warm to cold shower after a successful morning spent in the African Bush under a summer sun. Bliss.

Plenty of cold mineral water and some salads and rye bread into the cooler and I was out again soon after 1pm heading back to the lions.

Heading south out of camp, then east and crossing over the Sabie River on the big bridge. I was not even a kilometre past the bridge when I came across a large group of Impalas running, jumping and leaping over the road in front of me from my left hand side to my right. I was doing about 25-30kph and by the time I had stopped I was at the exact spot where they were crossing…I thought they were all over. As I stopped another bunch of about ten of them screamed past me just a metre or two ahead of the front of the landy…turning the engine off automatically as I stopped I could now hear them making a helluva racket snorting and grunting as they do when alarmed.

I looked to my left.

The image of the picture that is now forever in my mind is this.
Another three or four impala were literally leaping out onto the road from the bush (left to right) just 5 metres from where I sat. Wait…..NO…one was a leopard!!!!

The leopard was in mid air, facing me, front legs outstretched andreaching for the second last impala, face contorted in a snarl, claws unsheathed…as they just clipped the hoof of the leaping impala…..

Wow, wow, wow….man o man…there simply could not have been better timing on my part!!!
The leopard could of been a split second quicker though.

Of all the big cats, leopard is the only one I have never actually seen make the kill. I still haven’t!!, but hell man I have now seen them try and it was a fantastic moment in time which I shall never forget no matter what I see them do in the future.

Fortunately I was quick enough to grab the camera and get a couple of shots with the cat still snarling after the escaping impala…I am really looking forward to seeing them on the bigger screen. Even if the exposure is not (I think it will be ok) good, I shall be uploading them onto the blog.

The leopard crawled into the undergrowth of a thicket that was right there and seemed to wait to see if another impala came past. None did though.

The impala that had already crossed in front of me and those that had held back and were behind the thicket the leopard was now laid up in were all giving warning snorts to each other.

It was clear the leopard knew the game was up and within a minute or two had crawled out to the edge of the thicket and lay in the long grass where it stayed for the next 30 minutes or so getting its breath back and calming down.

I stayed with the cat until it eventually got up and walked away back into the bush along a much used game trail, the sun glistening on its back as she went. I got a few more shots, but I don’t think they will be anywhere as near as good as the first couple.

I headed back up towards the lions from this morning…about an hour later than intended. A Game viewing vehicle coming in the opposite direction signalled me so we stopped and chatted when the driver, who also seen the lions earlier in the day, told me they had just got back in time to see the lions disappearing off into the bush heading upwind.

I turned eastwards and followed the Mlondzi dirt track which loops round behind where they were heading….just in case.
But to be quite honest, as I was poodling along I was not really scanning the area so well as I was reliving what I had just seen with the leopard. Even finding myself in the middle of a herd of buffalo later in the day could not distract my mind from the image it held.

Fantastic Day!!

One of my best ever split second moments in the bush.I

Wow!!…I slept in until 5am this morning!!

I had missed my ‘Mornings full moon’ coffee but never mind I felt very refreshed. I expect that when I get home I shall sleep for about 24 hours or more!!

All the same I was still out of the gate by 5.35 sharp, I am keen for that Sunrise shot with an elephant silhouette as well as the sunset shot. With the lions in mind I headed north again towards Mlondozi, I figured I would not go up to ‘my’ waterhole’ but would instead try the dirt tracks to the east and west of Muntshe and maybe call into the Mlondozi dam for a break if things were quiet.

I was just a few klicks north of the river looking out for that elephant, buffalo or giraffe to my right as I could see the first strains of the sun coming when I found the 4 more lions. At first i thought they were the same ones i had spent the day with at the waterhole, but they were not. Darker in colour and the males were smaller. The two males could of possibly been the second two males i saw in the afternoon at the waterhole who moved into position to complete the ambush trap.

The smaller of the two females has a porcupine quill in her neck. Hopefully it looks worse than it is and is largely embedded in the thick fur under her neck, although i have no doubt that it must have pierced her throat a little at least. If it is as deep as it looks like it might be i am afraid that it will probably end up turning sceptic and will kill her.

It is an odd coincidence that here again is two females and two males, i am beginning to think they are part of a large pride that have split up for hunting purposes possibly.

Unfortunately I was not able to position myself so I could get them in between me and the rising sun but I got some nice footage of both as they lay on the road in front of me. I was able to creep up and get to within 4 or 5 paces from the closest one and here I have stayed since.
It is 11am now so I shall go back into camp shortly for a shower and reload the cooler box with lunch etc and then be right back.

These guys are hungry and although they are sleeping now I know that if anything comes by they will be up and onto whatever it is, as they have done three times already this morning.

The first was zebra. Around 7 am while they were still on the road some zebras came past, but they were well over 70 metres away. The older female was alert in an instant and the others followed suit.

It is a fantastic thing to see a dozy lion become so alert, you can see the prey in their eyes so to speak. All four of them sat haunched on their hind legs together, clearly working out the odds and strategy.
They moved around behind another bush with the one female going forward a few paces to another bush. The zebras were too far away though and heading even further away in the opposite direction….not worth the energy…the odds were not good, so they all walked over to a small puddle in the bush and starting slumping again, but this time about ten metres in and under the shade of some small bushes.

They slept and I amused myself listening to the nature around me and watching the birds. A big old rhino went by a 100 metres away…they were never going to trouble him, a couple of ellies and giraffe in the distance.

A few people came and went as well. They can be the most amusing at times.

Then at 9.30 three wart hogs come over from the east. I only saw them at the last minute and I thought at first they would stumble right onto the sleeping lions!!

They inadvertently swung southwards though before reaching the bushes the lions were under and carried on rooting around in the grasses as they walked. By the time they were 30 metres or so away from the lions the first female caught their scent on the breeze and her head was straight up. Within seconds the others were alert too.

This time they were seriously interested and they immediately went into hunt mode.

The older female is clearly the main hunter out the group and I am absolutely and utterly sure that right in front of my eyes she was telling them what to do and what she was going to do. It is either telepathic as I have discussed before or it is in tones that we simply cannot hear.

I cannot come close to describing how exciting it is to in the middle of such events.

The hogs were heading slowly southwards and now about 50 metres away. The lead female crossed over the road behind me using my landy as cover and she started heading south herself in the thick long grass to me right. The others fanned out slightly and stayed utterly alert on the hogs as they grazed their way further upwind.

I lost sight of the hogs and the female for about ten minutes so I kept my eyes ahead and the corner of them on the three lions that were in waiting. It was very clear the plan was for the female to frighten the hogs and make them panic and run away from her straight into the waiting three who were between 5 and 20 paces away from me to my left.

The hogs crossed the road about 80 metres ahead of me, clearly unperturbed by anything….how far had the female gotton I wondered…it seemed a long distance to cover quietly, but if she had covered enough ground the hogs would be walking straight into her.

It was too far, but not by much. The hogs disappeared into the long grass down there and less than four minutes later the big female appeared in almost exactly the same spot that the hogs had disappeared into. She must have just missed them. She was not sure either as she spent the next few minutes looking for them in the areas in which they had come from. Neither party knew it but they really must of missed each other by not much more than a minute!!

Lucky hogs….I guess they are still grazing somewhere towards the river with no clue at all as to how close they, or one of them had been to breakfast for the cats!

It was all over and the female came back, they all regrouped and pulled in under a bigger bush about 25 metres in where I figure they will be for the day.

A secretary bird came gliding down right across my windscreen level about tem metres in front of me and landed in the open spaces about 50 metres to the east of me. The lions were up again, but this time they did not even leave the shade of their bush…the bird was too small and too far.

They are clearly hungry though and I have no doubt that anything that comes this way will provide some action for me and dinner for them.
It is past 11.30 now so there is less chance that anything will move for the next few hours…prey or predator, so I am going to take the chance and go back to camp for a shower and to organise my lunch. I expect I will be back, there is not too much else to watch, although there is a big puddle nearby, but it is a great chance to see the lions in action and with the two males present they will try buffalo or a small ellie if need be.

I have been having such an excellent time down here at Lower Sabie and from a game viewing perspective it is proving to be the most successful quarter of the trip.

Lots of lion, rhino, buffalo, elephant, giraffe and buck. Hogs, Civet, porcupine, African hawks, tawny eagles, snake eagles, falcons, kites, 9 hippo together grazing out of the water, hyaenas…and so much more.

The weather has been perfect, although there have been blue skies and it has been hot and a bit humid there has mostly been cloud cover which makes the heat much easier to handle and tends to keep the animals up and about more as well.

As usual with me, as I start to get to the last part of my trip I spend more and more of each day out there, especially when it is a weekend as the weekenders pull in, and lower Sabie is probably the favourite camp overall for the short trips from Joburg, Pretoria, Mozambique visitors and many others. Even from Natal where they can drive straight up through Swaziland.

There have been a few little people but in all fairness I have to say that they have been ok. Lower Sabie is a much more compact campsite than many, and although most of the sites are very private…mine in particular being shielded by well established growth, it is fairly intimate in the sense that you can easily hear a lot of what is going on around you and I have been enjoying a couple of glasses of wine after my supper just enjoying the full moon and listening to people. Even some of the kids have been amusing. How different we all are though!! Quite incredible how diverse people are in their ways. I noticed one couple camped close to the ablution block, and on a few occasions all I have seen them do in the evenings is read the bible to each other…I am not knocking it, not at all, I just find it interesting to discover how people pass their time.

I have been doing a fair bit of travelling again, there are so many ‘nooks and crannies’ down here, although for these last two days I have been drawn to the savannah lands to north east of sabie along the lebombo mountains and Mlondozi river areas. Today, after a drive around this morning, I have spent the whole day parked up by the water…..but that is also because lions are here waiting in ambush!

After driving around the Muntshe hill this morning where I saw a porcupine, civet and hyaena amongst other things I parked up at a river crossing over the mlondozi for an early breakfast.

I did not see much whilst there but it is such a lovely spot. Open lands with a few bush willow trees and others dotted around, trickling water from pool to pool, flat bedrocks along the way, it is like something out of a fairy tale book.

From there I carried on north continuing through the savannah, passing by a big herd of buffalo, more rhino and several kudu before I turned onto a dirt road heading west to this waterhole where I have been sitting all day.

I have sat here many times before and seen many things from game to predators, a lion kill once, many birds, reptiles and insects, but most importantly this place gets very few cars passing by which I like. Not that I am some sort of weirdo who wants to be alone all the time, but here in the bush it is about me and the surroundings. I hate hearing the noise of other engines, and that is even worse when you are actually seeing something happening. Sometimes on the busier roads, if something really exciting is going on it can get to be like Piccadilly Circus which is dreadful. It can also be very irritating at times when one parks up somewhere and anyone passing by pulls up to see what you are doing or looking at. It is inevitable of course, and I would be a liar if I said I have never done it…I still do sometimes. However, it is lovely to get away from all that and just find a spot off the road less travelled where you can sit, watch, hear and smell everything going on around you in total peace.

This place is perfect, it is well off the beaten track and does not show on any maps….not the ones I have anyway.

It is a fairly large natural water hole, probably about the size of a large public swimming pool that appears to be ‘fed’ by an offshoot of the Mlondozi River. With very little vegetation around it is very easy to park up and see the water’s edge all around as well as anything approaching from every direction. Currently the long grass prevents that to a large extent but it is certainly possible to see elephants from 500metres in most directions, and to the south, east and west of me I can see the horizon which between 2 to 5 kilometres away.

As I approached the water hole this morning at around 8am on what is little more than a farm track, way off the popular routes and very rarely used by most visitors I spotted a young male lion at the edge of the grass to my right, it was a good ‘spot’ as he only had his front paws stretched out in front of him that were clearly visible outside the edge of the long grass, I could very easily have missed him. He was very light in colour with a fairly sparse but full mane. I rolled up to within a couple of metres from him very slowly and was well pleased to see him settle after I switched the engine off.

Within a few minutes I saw a young female to my left…just 4 or 5 metres from me, but virtually impossible to see. Her colour was also very light and I wondered if they were a mating couple or were related.

I got some nice pics for about 30 minutes before I realised that were another two to my right, no more than 4 metres from where I was sat, I only saw them because I heard them move. One leap from me and I had not seen a thing!!

These two eventually got up and stretched themselves and I saw that they were bigger and older than the first two, one a big male with a kind of a Mohican mane, maybe 6 years old and her about 4 or 5 years old. I got to thinking that the first two were siblings although not from the same litter.

At one point the bigger female came behind me for a while and was calling softly and I heard a reply from somewhere deeper into the long grass. It was not the reply of small cubs but other adults.

It is such a privilege to see and hear such things!!

A large breeding herd of about 70 elephants came down through the grass from the north east and crossed the track about 75 metres ahead. There were many young ones and they certainly had the attention of the lions. I think I have got some nice shots of the lions in the foreground checking out the elephants in the back ground intently!!.

I realised that they were looking out for prey and moved the 50 metres or so down to water hole which was upwind from the lions.

As I rolled up next to the water I was chased off by the last of the elephants that was just finishing off his drink. I got too close and he swung his head at me with a flap of the ears, raised his trunk spilling water all over the place and gave me little ‘piss off’ trumpet!! I backed off and after a few minutes he was on his way, I guess he was the back marker for the breeding herd that had just passed through.

I settled down, poured some coffee and decided to spend the day.
I was busy writing when about 2 hours later they moved down to the water, I was able to get some lovely shots of them at the water’s edge. The one male who I had seen first sat for a long time at the very edge of the water. There was a piece of a branch protruding slightly above the surface a couple of metres from the edge and I am convinced he thought, and indeed was hoping it was a small croc that would go for him so he could take it and provide everyone with a snack for breakfast!!

After about 30 minutes or so they made their way, one by one, to the deeper cover of a small group of bushes about 20 metres up the slope and away from the water.

They were ideally placed to see, and go for anything that might come down for a drink. The decision for me to stay for the day was finalised.
It was 11.30 by now so I decided to go on to Tshokwane for some pap and wors, thinking that if anything was going to happen it would probably be later in the day. I did exactly that, had a bit of a freshen up at the same time and was back just after 1pm

Just after 2pm two more young males showed up, very young, probably less than 3 years old, I figured they were who the lioness had been talking to earlier that morning. They must surely of been, they took a drink no more than thirty metres away from where the others were plotted up but there was no reaction whatsoever from any of them.

I must admit I had been typing so I did not actually see them arrive, they may have greeted the others first but I suspect not. After drinking they moved off to the other side of the water from the first lot and I lost them as they disappeared into the long grass. They appeared to be heading to another small clump of bushes about 100 metres away and I was quite sure it was all part of an arranged ambush.

I have seen it before on numerous occasions, every time I do it strengthens my believe that although they do talk to each other, and although their instincts, habits and training kicks in I am sure that they can communicate through some sort of telepathy as well. Admittedly, this time I was not totally concentrating on them, but I am quite sure of it within myself.

Nothing came through though.

I sat until after 5pm but apart from a bull tusker who came down and had a very ‘nervous’ drink there was no other game at all. I could not even see anything when I scanned the plains with my binoculars.

It is still exciting to see it taking shape all the same, knowing that if anything does happen you have a front seat so to speak, and I thoroughly enjoyed the day, seeing the lions in the first place, watching some falcons and kites hunting, and the solitude. I saw only two other cars passing by in all of the 8 hours or so that I spent here.

I had a lovely cruise back to camp too. Spending a bit of time getting some more nice shots of an African hawk eagle, dealing with a big bull ellie that was walking down the road directly towards me and showing no sign of budging, a large herd of buffalo and a nice heavy shower that lasted for just five minutes before scudding away to the north.

The evening was very nice too, the camp had half emptied out and it was perfectly calm and still as I knocked up a small salad for supper whilst I planned to return here first thing this morning to see if I could see any action, who knows, maybe even find the pride on a buffalo kill or something.

I was up early and really enjoyed the light of the full moon as I prepared my coffee and self for the quick drive here.

I was out at 5.25 and zoomed along at 50kph (the speed limit on the tar roads). Elephants, jackals, hyaenas. The morning was stunning, as the sun came up (behind a low bank of cloud unfortunately) the mist from the shower late yesterday rose from the ground giving everything that wonderful ethereal effect. I stopped and took a couple of shots but I don’t have the right lens to capture that particular type of beauty unfortunately.

Soon after stopping to take those shots I was lucky enough to see a leopard by the side of the road ahead of me. She was a beauty (most of them are) vey dark in colour and not so old either by the look of her. It was not a photo opportunity sadly, I should of stopped immediately and viewed her properly through the binocs, but I pushed it a little too far and she disappeared into the grass and bushes as I approached about twenty metres or so away. Fool!! It is exciting to see them though, and much easier said than done to just stop there and then and not try and get closer.

I hung around for a couple of hours this morning but not much action and no sign of the lions or of them having had any luck during the night. The only spoor I could see that was fresh was those of some big tuskers and as much as I am sure the lions would of liked to tuck into them I don’t think that just four have much chance at all, even if two or four of them are males!

So at about 9am I decided to head slowly back to camp along the dirt tracks and have a good shower, change my clothes and eat some lunch which I did…as well as grab 45 minutes napping.

Actually the highlight of the morning happened on the way back although I did not realise it at the time. As I was driving along I saw a tiny little bird that seemed to be caught on something at the edge of the grass line bordering the track…I almost ran over it in fact. I stopped and reversed thinking it might be some kind of spider’s web or indeed a spider itself.

I leant out and took a couple of shots of the poor little thing, the terror in its eyes was very clear and I am sure that will show in my shots.
Anyway, when I got out to investigate I found that somehow it had got caught up in some tangle weed and I guess that with it panicking it had become completely tangled. I gently snapped the main bit of weed holding it and lifted it up into the air at which point she seemed to free her feet and flew off at speed twittering away like nobody’s business!….not even a thank you….lol

After a couple of hours chilling out in camp, watching the birds around the thicket I am camped in and a lizard that come dashing out of the undergrowth to snatch a beetle that came tootling by. Amazing to watch, and then it almost seemed as if the lizard was showing me his catch proudly before standing up on his front legs eating the thing right in front of me. I headed north again, I felt the lions had moved on but I wanted to be doubly sure. So here I sit again after another very pleasant and busy drive back. It is 3.30pm now and I am going to finish up here and cruise very slowly back in the direction of Sabie.

Another wonderful afternoon drive. I did some filming on the way back of the scenery with elephants in the foreground, I think that this area is possibly one of the nicest in the park.

Amazingly I saw three snakes on the way back, a green mamba, a black mamba and what I think was a Mozambique spitting cobra, all within a couple of klicks of each other as they crossed the road in front of me. I have seen several on this trip as is normal but I cannot remember seeing so many in virtually one go!

The sunset was superb, I parked up on the bridge over the Sabie River for much of it before heading slowly into camp for the last 5 minutes and stopping every couple of hundred metres for a different angled shot. I found a perfect spot where I shall be sitting for my last remaining 3 nights here at Sabie in the hope that I can get the sunset shot with a nice elephant or giraffe silhouette…a shot I have for looking for many years. I have had a little success but not that perfect one I want.

There is always something to strive for here in the bush.