Walking with Lions (December 2015)

[PJL]

So my wife's sister (+ husband & daughter) came for a visit over Christmas and we found out that they had booked a few nights in Addo with the grandparents. I'm not too sure why we didn't get the invite ... so we invited ourselves along and managed to somehow grab a couple of caravan site cancellations and get a booking sorted.

We left home on boxing day, and fortunately we had packed a lot of things earlier in the week to avoid a mad panic on Christmas day

S knows that I like to get to the park early, but seeing as we had a few days there I think I surprised her with a mid-morning departure time
Soon enough the trailer was hitched up and before long we were at the south gate with about 20 other cars. I knew it would be busy but I was really hoping it wouldn't turn into a circus

Travelling up from the south we saw the usual mix of game such as red hartebeest, kudu & zebra. There was an elephant sucking water out the pipe at the windmill waterhole but knowing that the campsite was fully booked we didn't stop as I was keen to get to the main camp and see whether we could get a nice spot before the masses. We pulled in at Jacks for a pit stop and a quick check of the sightings board which seemed to suggest lion along the main road in the north. Hapoor was clearly swamped with cars and elephants so we even gave that a skip in favour of getting to the main camp.

Nearing the area where the lion marker had been there were a few cars hanging around. We pulled in and amazingly from our angle we could see Gibson
Before we even had a chance to get cameras properly ready he got up for a bit of a stretch and re-positioned himself in a shady bush to go back to sleep.





We heard later that Aardlam was somewhere in the bushes as well, but we decided not to wait around. It was hot so we figured the lions would only get up and move much later in the day.

At the main camp S went to check us in whilst I took the trailer round the sites to see what was available. Surprisingly there were actually quite a lot standing vacant so we were able to grab one of the best (in my opinion) sites - C20. It's a really nice size so plenty of space for the trailer, braai, car and everything else. Plus as an added bonus there's some great shade



I came up with a brilliant plan for the afternoon consisting of a swim and a very early braai so that we could get into the park about 5pm and be there until closing so that we could catch the lions getting up. The visiting niece is only 3, so we weren't sure she would manage a later meal.
It was a bit of a rush but we managed to get back into the park soon after 5, but my plan backfired because the lions had already got up and disappeared
Strangely the rest of the drive didn't produce any sightings of note either

Later in the evening I took a wander over to the floodlit waterhole and fairly soon after arriving a buffalo came to drink. I ducked down to the underground hide which is closer to the waterhole (but has a much more restrictive view than the upper viewing area), and it was great to watch the bull drinking and sniffing the air. I hadn't brought my camera along for some reason, and it was kind of nice just being able to watch without looking through a viewfinder. But I was a bit bummed that I had left it behind when shortly after the buffalo a blackie suddenly appeared out of nowhere for a drink. It was a magnificent animal and being so close was remarkable... a great end to the day.

[PRWIN]

PJL , I really must get back there, Trying to twist SO arm for sometime now

[Richprins]

Another one that starts his stories with "so"...


So no braaiers at the campsites, that's interesting, PJL?


Why is your trailer inside the tent?

What is this underground hide thingy....sounds fantastic!

Interesting as always!

[Flutterby]

At least you saw one lion.

[Pumbaa]

Wonderful start, PJL

I guess the title already is promising

[Lisbeth]

You've got quite an outfit there You have found a decent way to go camping

We stayed in one of the rondavels, so had 24 hours view on the water hole, which was great. Luckily the rondavels have a nice deck, because the inside is really small, you have to go outside, if you want to turn around

[Mel]

More from Addo

Ja, sometimes those animals just do what they want and don't care about etiquette

But at least you had a brief sighting of Gibson on your drive in. Don't think every visitor can claim that for himself.

Like we said elsewhere... it is nice to enjoy a sighting without a lens sticking from your face.
Happy to hear you had such good sightings at the waterhole.

[PJL]

PJL , I really must get back there, Trying to twist SO arm for sometime now

Sounds like a good plan
You'll have to consider the time of year a bit based on what you're wanting to see... summer is great for all the elephant activity as the water is limited in the park. But I've tended to find more caracal activity in autumn and winter months

Another one that starts his stories with "so"...


So no braaiers at the campsites, that's interesting, PJL?


Why is your trailer inside the tent?

What is this underground hide thingy....sounds fantastic!

Interesting as always!

The tent is attached to the trailer - like a rooftop tent. So there's a queen size bed on top of the trailer and space down below for the youngsters. I'll try take some pics sometime to show you the set up. S would prefer a caravan as it does take a while to put this thing up - particularly in Addo where the ground is harder than rock

The underground hide is basically the same place as the Addo webcam. It gives a nice close view of the upper waterhole at the main camp and you're basically sitting at ground level

At least you saw one lion.

You're right Flutts... at least one

Wonderful start, PJL

I guess the title already is promising

Thanks Pumbaa! Yes the title does have some interesting connotations

You've got quite an outfit there You have found a decent way to go camping

We stayed in one of the rondavels, so had 24 hours view on the water hole, which was great. Luckily the rondavels have a nice deck, because the inside is really small, you have to go outside, if you want to turn around

Thanks Lis... it is quite an outfit. As I say though... S would like a caravan for the ease of setting up. But I like the fact I can tow this thing anywhere

More from Addo

Ja, sometimes those animals just do what they want and don't care about etiquette

But at least you had a brief sighting of Gibson on your drive in. Don't think every visitor can claim that for himself.

Like we said elsewhere... it is nice to enjoy a sighting without a lens sticking from your face.
Happy to hear you had such good sightings at the waterhole.

I think the lions must learn some etiquette
But yes, it was fortunate to get a view of Gibson. I'm not even sure the other cars could see him when he got up as there were lots of blank stares

[PJL]

I was surprised to see that the gates opened at 5:30am which I think must be a new thing because I can't ever remember getting up so early when staying over before
Sleep wasn't great and for some reason our neighbours were making breakfast at about 4am which seemed a bit early So we made it to the gate with plenty of time and ended up being the 2nd car in the park.

Our morning route was a detour towards Gwarrie and Rooidam to see whether there was any lion or hyena activity there, but it was all quiet. We then swung back onto the Domkrag loop and found some eland quite close. As they wandered away we could clearly hear their hoofs clicking - as they walk, their hoofs splay apart and then click back again when they raise their legs



A little further along we came across a jackal with a kill. It was a bit hard to tell what it was eating, but I think it was a meerkat








Domkrag loop was proving to be a good place to be, as we then found a scrub hare by the side of the road. They normally run away as soon as a vehicle approaches but this one was very accommodating and didn't seem to mind us being so close






There were a few cars near the Domkrag lookout point so I guessed cats were around there somewhere. Sure enough as we got a bit closer Melvin and Aardlam came into view





Gibson was also there but lying flat out. Presumably Gibson and Aardlam had joined up with Melvin overnight as he certainly wasn't with them the previous day. These brothers have been fighting a lot lately due to Aardlam being on heat and it seems that Gibson is now the dominant one. He's picked some crazy fights over the years and as a result seems to have become a very tough chap indeed

Mel got up for a slight change in position and then they were all flat out. It was still very early in the morning so I was a bit surprised that they weren't on the move, but perhaps they had eaten overnight.





At least we knew where they were, so it would be easy enough to check back on them during the day

[Lisbeth]

I love the scrub hare

Melvin looks very handsome

Only cheetahs can get flatter than those three