Sunday April 6, 2025

Early morning wake-up call at 5:20 AM for the morning safari excursion leaving the camp at 6:00 AM.  The morning was overcast with a mist in the air and 67 degrees.  As we left the camp, not 1,000 feet down the road was a pack of female hyenas - they hunt at night and rest during the day, so them laying around is normal behavior.  Further down the road, we encounter a "different" white rhino mother with calf, simply laying in the road with no intention to move.  Obviously, we viewed them and then backed away, going a different direction.  The animal activity this morning was not as "active" as last evening, but we did encounter a herd/family of elephants and simply sat in their space and watched them interact, eat and play for 30+ minutes.  They are incredible animals with no natural predators and a true family culture that was on full display.  The final encounter of the morning was a tree full of vultures - the cleaning crew for the preserve.  If they are roosting then, there is nothing in the area for them to clean-up.  



                                                                                    
                                                                                    







The second safari excursion of the day was again, a "highlight reel" for animals in the wild.  The first encounter was a female Waterbuck grazing in a field next to the Earth Lodge with a herd of Impala.  Around the next corner was a small group of Zebra (commonly found), but this family had a young stallion sticking close to its mother.  The highlight of the evening safari, for me was an encounter with a "tower" (family) of Giraffe - simply majestic creatures that feed on leaves that others cannot reach.  We then experienced another "elusive" creature - a young female leopard that was camouflaged to the point that finding her was quite a chore, but worth it.  As the evening wore on, Jamiel & Louis provided evening cocktails to the group in one of the many open spaces in Sabi Sabi - a great way to stare at the setting sun and the emerging stars - yes, the Southern Cross Constellation.  As we progressed back to the Earth Lodge, the evening was highlighted by an encounter with two male lions walking along the road - spectacular and the #1 "target sighting" for Leslie.  Sorry, but the images loaded in "reverse order" than the script, but they all should make sense.  

What a great way to end the day.  Back tomorrow with two more safari adventures.  


 










Location: Kruger National Park, South Africa

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