Cue 'Out of Africa Music' *

[Bushcraft]

I also don’t like Lower Sabie, the camp, but the area produces, so it’s difficult. (I heard a rumour about a new camp manager that is changing things, maybe RP has more info )

I also prefer Skukuza and many think that I’m crazy, but if one gets the correct unit (which we have found over the years) it’s more peaceful than Tamboti in camp

Fantastic leopard sighting

Love the Tamboti visitor

[Richprins]

Great stuff crazydoglover! Whew! That hyena den has been pumping since end 2011!

I have never liked the "new" Lower Sabie...it is confusing and poorly laid out...But always had good service at reception!

Ja, BC, the Camp and duty managers seem to get shuffled around a lot! Hope it's not my fault!

Just kidding, that is accepted practice!

[Bushcraft]

That hyena den has been pumping since end 2011!

I checked it out twice 3 weeks ago RP and it’s abandoned

[mouseinthehouse]

Oh shame about the den being abandoned, perhaps the attention eventually got a bit much. Then again hyena abandon dens for all sorts of reasons and relocate. Maybe it got some unwanted attention from other predators.

So, up early at Tamboti we headed to Muzandzeni picnic site for breakfast. Hyena were out on the H7 and then it was the usual suspects along the way. We enjoyed a great breakfast at the picnic spot. We unwittingly parked right under the resident Scops owl so we had a few visitors coming over directed by the very friendly attendant. One of the visitors kindly offered to take our photo.



We then headed off on the sweni river road s126. We then headed up the H1-3 and then onto the H6 towards N'wanetsi Picnic Site. When we arrived at the picnic site it was VERY busy. So busy in fact that cars were lined up along the road leading to the site itself. SO only wanted a loo stop so he did a dash in while I waited in the car. Then it was off on the s41. About 6kms along, a car came by and motioned for us to stop. 'If you move along a bit, there are lions a couple of kms ahead in the causeway'. Well we didn't need any more prompting. Keeping in the speed limit of course we drove along and were astounded to find part of the famous mega-pride drinking at a causeway in a gully. There was only two cars there!!!!



I did a good job of riding the clutch ,as we went up out of the gully, stopping to watch some of the pride walk up behind us.



At the top we realised that some of the pride had already been ahead and everywhere we looked were lions under bushes.









This beautiful girl was happy to pose for a photo. We never had more than two cars the whole time, about 40 minutes! I could only think about all those people at the picnic site totally oblivious.

The pride were out for the count for the rest of the day so headed off to the s100 turn-off. We were about a km into the s100 when a safari game viewer came along and I flagged him down. I said, 'do you know about the mega-pride close by?' and he had a bored look and said, 'yeah there is a big pride who gets around this area'. Thinking I was about to ask if he had seen them. 'No, I said, there are 19+ lions just around the corner if you turn right at the end of this road'. Well, didn't his eyes light up and he just put his hands together in prayer fashion and mouthed the words 'Thank you'.

The s100 was very quiet, but of course we didn't care at all! That night at Tamboti we again got the braai going but Mr Genet didn't show up. The previous night a honey badger had come by late and done over the bin. So we though we would be smart and tie the bin to the post that was behind it. In the night we heard him again. Daylight revealed that with brute force he pushed it over to a 45 degree angle, got the lid open and pulled stuff out! Also in the night, at about 2am, I woke SO and asked him to escort me to the loos. It was funny because as we emerged out of the darkness, two other couples appeared, each with the men being very valiant and guiding their ladies to the toilets. -O

After a quiet day doing the Rabelais loop and taking it easy in camp, our final day in the park arrived.
The drive to Phalaborwa was via the Timbavati picnic site. Some of the critters we saw on the way were wildies, warthog, elephant, baboons, banded mongoose and klipspringer. It was cool and fine and I didn't want it to end.

Here are a couple of the camera trap pics.
Bushbaby chancing his luck at the bin at Punda Maria.






Cute aint it!

A civet on the OUTSIDE of the fence looking for his/her mate on the INSIDE!


Here is our trusty vehicle. It was horribly dusty inside when we took it back. I dropped the key into the guy at the hire desk at Phalaborwa airport and he didn't even move out of his chair. We went in to check our bags in and 10 minutes later the hire car guy appears and says, 'Man, that car *raises eyebrows* eeeisshh!'



Hope you have enjoyed our travel tale. Of course I have only recounted a small amount. I hope you will join us again after our trip to KTP next May. In the meantime we will start our non-Africa travel tale in just over a weeks time. You can ride along as we travel through the outback of South Australia all the way to Uluru then across outback Queensland through Longreach to the central Queensland coast and back down through south east Queensland, New South Wales and then the nations capital, Canberra and on to home again.