D Day +8 and 9

Right the very fact that we have WiFi on the banks of a river in the middle of Kruger National Park is amazing. The fact that it is not very quick WiFi is immaterial but might curtail the length of posts while we are here.

Yesterday started pretty early to get to the airport for the short flight to Hoedspruit. The airport there is shared with the airforce as you can tell from the size of it and the fact there are dispersal bays and bunkers everywhere. The domestic terminal is tiny but it makes it easy to find your lift. I guess that 99% of the people landing here are off on Safari as the permanent population of Hoedspruit is less than 4000 folk.

Heading off we’ve hardly been travelling for 5 mins when the driver pulls over and stops right by a giraffe at the side of the road. Chris is over the moon as the one thing she really, really wanted to see was a giraffe and here one is.

It takes about 2 hours to get to the camp but a lot of that is stopping to look at the animals, we see giraffes (lots of them), Impala, Kudu, Warthogs, Zebra, Hippopotami, Cape Buffalo, Wildebeest and Elephants. Not a bad start at all.

We arrived at the camp at around 3:00 with just enough time to drop our bags off and head out on a animal drive. Now we leave when its 35c, sunny and still, by the time we get back it’s probably 15c, dark and windy, not ideal when all you are wearing is a shirt and shorts. Note to self, warm clothes next time. Now we know that this is not Disney where there is an allotted time and place for you to see a particular animal but it does rather seem that they’ve all turned in for an early night. However for compensation the sunset is spectacular.

Back to camp for the evening meal which would not be out of place in a Michelin starred restaurant and finally back to our tent.

Now we were told NOT to go wandering around in the dark which as it turns out is pretty good advice because at around 3:00 am  there are a couple of very loud noises which bypass the rational parts of your brain and directly push that little button that says Primal Terror when you suddenly realise you are pretty much on the bottom of the food chain. The first is a low rumbling purr. Not the nice, I’m a happy cat and will rub against your leg, type of purr more I’m hungry and will eat your leg sort of purr and whats more it sounds as if its on our balcony. The second is a very strange noise which we’re told later is two Hippopotami doing whatever two Hippopotami do at three in the morning. Either way it certainly reminds you that you are in the bush proper.

5:00 am call to head out on an animal drive. Gee but it’s cold. 4 layers on and all I can say is we didn’t see any brass monkeys.

Hardly outside the lodge and crossing a dried up river bed and there is a leopard as bold as you like out for a late spot of hunting. What a stunning creature and when it moves into the grass  it immediately becomes almost invisible. 

Next stop is a pride of lions just sitting at the side of the road. Apparently they like to do that as the road retains heat overnight. They seem quite unfazed by the people poking camera lenses at them and just carry on as if we were not there. Now daddy lion and mummy lion decide to make a baby lion. Blink and you would miss it, 5 seconds max. At the end daddy looks smug and mummy looks bored. Sound familiar.😂

Round and round with new surprises around every corner. Enough waffle on my part just look at the pictures.