Day: April 25, 2019

For breakfast we were visited by a Grey Go Away Bird and a Red billed Hornbill. Then we spent about an hour at the lookout point at Mopani Rest Camp watching the many elephants bathing. They were swimming and playing in the water. Whole herds kept coming and going from the bush.

Afterwards we went to Olifants Rest Camp where we rented a bungalow. At 16:30 the evening safari Sunset Game Drive started. We didn’t quite like the guide as he started off a bit unfriendly and listless. It was a larger jeep/bus with an open top and 30 guests. We were able to admire the sunset at the Olifantsriver and we saw many animals on our drive into the night. Elephants, giraffes, zebra, hippo, civet, hyena, springhare, kudu and impala, …. . In the distance we saw a thunderstorm in the night sky. Our absolute highlight today , a leopard. He was completely relaxed on the side of the road, but then went into the bush, because the flashlights probably annoyed him.

Silke

All night a buffalo was grazing behind our cabin and making noise. Early in the morning we saw him. Also an elephant came by the waterhole for a short while!

After a breakfast (funny: a frog sat on the coffee can) we all signed the guestbook and then it was time to say goodbye to Nyalaland. Chritopher delivered us punctually at 9:00 o’clock in the Punda Maria Camp again. Afterwards we went again to Mopani Camp, where we had booked a night game drive. The ranger Cindy drove us (6 guests) from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm through the park and told us a lot about the nocturnal animals. To meet an elephant at night on the road is very exciting. Elephants only sleep about 2 out of 24 hours.

We also spotted a hippo in the bush. At night they come out of the water and eat grass. Especially the males cover long distances. They can reach a speed of 40 Km/h on their short little legs.

We still saw Chameleon, African Civet, Genet and hyenas. And many bats were fluttering around our van.

Silke

Today was similar to yesterday, except that we visited other parts of Nyalaland. The mud holes serve e.g. elephants, warthogs and rhinos for skin care and “sun protection”. A termite mound is ventilated and ventilated through holes like chimneys so that there is always the same temperature inside. The queen becomes over 10 years old and must produce daily approx. 20,000 eggs depending upon “need” more soldiers or builders. Such a hill becomes here already times some meters high and very old.

Animal carcasses, paw prints and the marking behavior of impalas during mating were also explained at length.

In the evening we had again a great sunset point and afterwards a delicious dinner.

Silke