Safari: Kicheche Laikipa – Part 3

If you’ve read my first and second blogs on our safari at Kicheche Laikipia, in Kenya, you’ll know that it is now late March 2016, on the cusp of the rainy season. We’re the last guests in this intimate 6-tent camp near Nanyuki, which will close for the season in just two days.   This morning we’ve slept well and are ready for the 5:30 am knock at the tent door and the tray of coffee, hot chocolate and biscuits. Within 40 minutes of waking, we’re with our guide Albert Chesoli out on the savannah, awaiting the sunrise. As yesterday, Mount Kenya is clearly visible on the horizon; later in the day, it is almost always shrouded by cloud.

Mount-Kenya-before-sunrise

Slowly, the sky turns pink….

Pink-sky-Ol-Pejeta

…. and finally, the sun rises. Though we don’t have the lovely giraffe silhouettes we saw yesterday, there’s always something interesting on the horizon at Ol Pejeta Conservancy, like these zebras grazing amongst acacia trees in the distance.

Sunrise-Ol Pejeta

It isn’t long after sunrise when we’re rewarded with what is our best sighting in all of our safari excursions. We spot two cheetah brothers (Acinonyx jubatus), the remaining pair of three brothers born six years earlier.  They are amazingly synchronized in their behaviour, heads turning at the same time….

Cheetas-Ol Pejeta1

….lying down at the same time, then meandering off through the grasses together to sit, one marking a tree to establish territory.

Cheeta-Ol-Pejeta6

Albert positions our van as close to them as possible, then turns the engine off. For the next half-hour or so, we are utterly absorbed watching them in this quiet corner of Ol Pejeta.  Like the cats they are, one sharpens his claws on a dead tree trunk….

Cheetas-Ol Pejeta2

…while his brother watches for prey, preferably an antelope or gazelle straying from the pack.

Cheetas-Ol Pejeta3

What beautiful markings on their faces!

Cheetas-Ol Pejeta5

Soon they begin to relax – a snooze, perhaps, in their future.

Cheetas-Ol Pejeta4

The cheetah brothers are so transfixing, I’ve been switching between still photos and video.  Because of weight restrictions on the small planes, I only brought my ‘small’ camera, the Canon PowerShot SX50HS with its powerful 50x zoom lens (now replaced by the Canon SX60HS with 65x optical zoom), but it’s perfect for recording these two stunning animals interacting playfully and lovingly with each other like the bonded 6-year olds they are.

When it appears that lolling around wrestling and grooming each other, rather than hunting, is on their agenda, we turn on the engine and head back out on the savannah…..

Ol Pejeta Conservancy

…. but the other animal sightings this morning are somewhat anti-climatic after our cheetah experience. We decide to stop for our picnic breakfast, and Albert finds us a clearing near a spring-fed stream and prepares to sets the table.

Albert Chesoli-Kicheche Laikipia-picnic

This morning’s menu features Scotch eggs, a delicious combination of spicy sausage and boiled eggs, with crepes and mango chutney.

Safari breakfast-Kicheche-Laikipia

As I sip my coffee, I notice a little glimmer of bright-red in the grasses. It’s the tiny flower of an indigenous hibiscus, H. aponeurus. In my later reading, I discover this little flower was used by the Maasai in witchcraft!

Hibiscus aponeurus-Ol Pejeta

Besides the acacias, the other predominant shrub on the savannah is Euclea divinorum, which is widespread on the African continent.

Euclea divinorum-Ol Pejeta

The morning has warmed up considerably and many of the animals seem to be hiding from the heat. So we drive back to camp – pronounced Kee-cheh-chay – to put our feet up for a while before lunch.

Kicheche Laikipia Sign

After lunch, I read on our tent porch and watch a cape buffalo at the water hole. But when I approach with my camera, he galumphs off through the mud…..

Tent-overlook-Kicheche

….. so I photograph the cattle egrets on a dead tree instead.

Egrets-Ol Pejeta

In mid-afternoon, I’ve arranged to meet William Wanyika, who not only works in the Kicheche camp administration but is the resident beekeeper, something he’s been doing for most of his life. (Photographing honey bees is one of my great passions.)

William Wanyika-beekeeper-Kicheche Laikipia

William shows me the flowers of the abundant euclea, which are providing most of the nectar flow for the bees at the moment….

Euclea divinorum flowers

…and I ask him to talk a bit about his beekeeping while I videotape him. What a treat to have this opportunity to learn about something I’ve chronicled at home.  Here’s my video – sorry about the buffeting wind.

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Black-Chested Snake Eagles-Kicheche Laikipia

As we get closer to the Sweetwaters Chimp Sanctuary where the majority of lodges and hotels are, we find lots of crowded safari vehicles on the road; one driver pulls close to tell Albert about a lion sighting nearby  On our way to find it, we come upon a bull elephant (Loxodonta africana) drinking at a pond. It’s clear by his partially-unsheathed penis that he has also recently been (or is about to be) urinating. From his vantage point, Albert doesn’t think he’s in musth, but with my telephoto lens I can capture him at a safe distance and later see that there are secretions from the temporal glands at the side of his head which seem to indicate that he is.   If so, his urine contains much higher levels of testosterone than usual, and dribbling it around signals his musth status to other males.

Elephant-Ol-Pejeta

Unlike the female elephants that congregate in matriarchal communities with grandmothers, daughters, aunts, female cousins and the youngest male and female calves living together, young male elephants are kicked out when they reach their adolescent years (about 14) and will live in “bachelor clubs” with other males and a dominant bull male, from whom they learn behaviour. When females are in oestrus, musth males can detect it from far away.

Once the elephant saunters off, we go in search of the lions, finding them resting in the trees near the road, likely waiting for darkness before going hunting. So we drive on.

Lion-Ol Pejeta

Next we find a pair of grey-crowned cranes (Balearica regulorum) doing their courtship dance….

Grey-crowned Cranes-Ol Pejeta

….and a southern white rhinoceros drinking at one of Ol Pejeta’s water troughs….

Southern White Rhinoceros-Ol Pejeta

….and some newborn zebras, below. The common (Burchell’s) zebras (Equus burchellii) usually give birth during the rainy season in East Africa. The mare will separate from the herd before delivering in order to protect the vulnerable foal.

Zebra & foal-Ol Pejeta

Albert points out that zebras have evolved long enough legs for a newborn that when standing behind their mothers (and combined with the visually confusing stripes), lions cannot easily detect them.

Zebra mother & foal leg height-Ol Pejeta

As we drive on, we see a group of safari vans parked along the road, all the cameras trained on a lioness She yawns…..

Lion-yawning-Ol Pejeta

….then saunters off, and we decide we’re a little tired, too. Time to head back for a drink – the traditional safari ‘sundowner’ – before dinner.

Tomorrow, we fly home and this is our final sighting at Kicheche Laikipia and Ol Pejeta Conservancy.  But I’ve collected video of a lot of the animals we’ve seen over the past few days, and put it together so I can enjoy the feel of the savannah here any time I want.  I hope you enjoy watching it, too..

On our last morning, we sleep in a little (no safari drive today) and have breakfast in the main tent before packing for home.

Camp breakfast-Kicheche-Laikipia

We say our goodbyes to Andy & Sonja Webb, and Albert drives us into the little airport at Nanyuki and watches until we’re safely up in the air. These flights are often milk runs, and the sleepy passengers settle in as we head to Wilson Airport outside Nairobi via a stop at Lewa Downs, where we began our Kenyan adventure one week before.

Air Kenya plane

As we fly over Laikipia, I gaze down at the landscape below us.  The patchwork farm crops…..

Laikipia-Aerial2

….the wheat fields…..

Laikipia-Aerial3

…and the great forests and acacia-dotted plains of the conservancies and parks where Kenya’s magnificent animals roam free.

Laikipia-4

It is a land like no other, and one we’re so fortunate to have experienced.

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Postscript:  Given the vagaries of airline schedules, a total of 41 hours will elapse between awakening at Kicheche Laikipia and going to bed In Toronto.  To pass some of the hours before our Nairobi-London leg, we’ve booked a day room at Macushla House on Nairobi’s outskirts, where we stayed for 2 nights more than a week ago on our arrival in Kenya from London.

Macushla House1

We can sit and read in an easy chair….

Macushla House3…while enjoying the unique furnishings, like this cool owl support post….

Macushla House4

Or sip a gin-and-tonic at an outdoor table with lunch…

Macushla House2

…after a swim in the pool.

Macushla House5

Eventually, it’s time to brave Nairobi’s traffic to Jomo Kenyatta airport to begin the flights home to Canada. As always, East Africa has bewitched us, its people have enchanted us, and its majestic animals have served as powerful reminders that there are still beautiful places in the world where ‘wild’ is more than just a word, it’s a covenant with nature.

Safari: Kicheche Laikipia – Part 2

After our initial game drive yesterday on our arrival at Kicheche Laikipia from Lewa, we’re almost eager to rise-and-shine as we hear “Good morning, Jambo!” from the darkness outside our tent. We unzip the flap and greet our pre-dawn messenger, who places a tray with coffee and biscuits on a low table.

Wake-up tray-Kicheche-Laikipia

There’s no time to shower now, just a fast wash before dressing in layers of clothes to keep us warm (it’s barely 50F-10C outside), gulping the coffee, and heading down the path behind the guard’s flashlight beam. (Since many animals can and do wander through the various camps, when it’s dark outside there is always someone to escort you to the parking area, to dinner or back to your tent for the night.) Albert bids us good morning and we climb into the vehicle. Having been on safari before in vans crammed with 8-10 people all vying for the best camera angle, it is nothing short of luxury to be on our own with just our driver. Soon we are out in the open and the sky is beginning to lighten on the eastern horizon where the rugged profile of Mount Kenya juts into the sky. At 17,058 feet (5199 m), it is second in height only to Mount Kilimanjaro (19,340 feet or 5895 m), Africa’s highest mountain.

Mount Kenya at dawn-Ol Pejeta-Kicheche

Suddenly the van shakes a little and we hear a noise close by. Looking down, we see a young spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) trying to eat the tires. Scoot!

Hyena chewing tire-Ol Pejeta-Kicheche

With the sun about to rise, Albert sees three reticulated giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) nibbling on salt-rich soil (necessary for their diets) and quickly positions us to the west. They take turns standing guard while each bends its long neck to reach the ground.

Girafffes at dawn-Ol Pejeta-Laikipia

I wait patiently and as the sun begins to rise, all three stand erect. Click!

Giraffes at sunrise-Ol Pejeta-Kicheche

As we drive on, the sky grows progressively brighter but there’s still a chill in the air, especially with the roof open and the windows down for photography. Fortunately, Kicheche Laikipia has thought about that and furnished the van with two hot water bottles. I borrow Doug’s to keep my legs warm!

Water bottles-Kicheche-Laikipia

We surprise a little flock of helmeted guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) on the road. They’re common birds, but quite beautiful – and so nervous,it’s hard to get a photo.

Helmeted Guineafowl-Ol Pejeta-Kicheche Something about the way the gazelles are acting piques Albert’s curiosity.

Albert Chesoli-Kicheche-Laikipia His professional instinct is rewarded when he spots a lone cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) ambling away from us. Cheetah1-Ol Pejeta-Kicheche We follow it, then lose it.

But somehow, with some tracker’s sixth sense, Albert finds it resting in the grasses amidst eucleas and whistling thorns. He radios the other Kicheche van with the two guys from San Francisco, and like some human GPS map, carefully explains our location to the driver. Soon they join us and we quietly sit and observe this beautiful big cat.  But since he doesn’t seem anxious to move, we decide to press on, backing out through the grasses and heading down the road.

Cheetah2-Ol Pejeta-Kicheche

Then Albert points to the top of an acacia, where a sweet little lilac-breasted roller (Coracias caudatus) sits in the morning sun.  I’m so excited! This is one of the “must-see” birds for safari-going ornithologists.

Lilac-breasted rolle-Ol Pejeta-Kicheche

A little further, two female waterbucks (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) stop their grazing and stare at us.

Waterbucks-Ol Pejeta-Kicheche

Down the road, we spot a secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius), no doubt hunting for snakes, their principal food (and reflected in their species name). What great feathers!

Secretary bird-Ol Pejeta-Kicheche

And a little black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas).

Jackal-Ol Pejeta-Kicheche

We drive past trees, like the one at the top of the photo below, festooned with myriad species of birds. This one has grey-crowned cranes (Balearica regulorum) at right and spoonbills (Platalea alba), sacred ibis and hadada ibis at left. Below are closeup shots of sacred ibis (Threskiornis ethiopicus), left and hadada ibis, right (Bostrychia hagedash).

Birds-Ol Pejeta-Kicheche

Next, we come upon a large troop of olive baboons (Papio anubis) just descending from the big trees where they’ve spent the night.

Baboon troop-Ol Pejeta-Kicheche Infant baboons learn to hang onto their mother’s fur at about 1 week.

Baboons-Pejeta-Kicheche

We pass a pond where the African spoonbill (Platalea alba) is fishing.

African spoonbill-Ol Pejeta-Kicheche

A little further on, a migratory European white stork (Circonia circonia) watches us carefully.  It will fly back to its breeding grounds in Europe soon.

European-Stork

A male impala (Aepyceros melampus) gathers his harem together protectively as we drive by……

Impalas-Ol Pejeta-Kicheche

…while the common eland (Taurotragus oryx) pays us no heed whatsoever.

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A pair of southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum) keep an eye on us. Note the square lips that give it its other common name, the “southern square-lipped rhinoceros). Southern White Rhinos-Ol Pejeta-Kicheche

Ol Pejeta Conservancy is also home to the only remaining northern white rhinos (Ceraotherium simum cottoni) in the world: three individuals for whom breeding attempts have so far failed, given the age and health of the two females. A December 2015 meeting in Austria explored options of frozen tissue and spermatozoa and other technologies that might help conserve this subspecies in the face of its imminent extinction.

We watch a Jackson’s hartebeest (Alcephalus bucelaphus lelwel) who’s watching us back!

Jackson's Hartebeest-Ol Pejeta-Kicheche

We’ve been out a few hours and our tummies are telling us it’s time to eat. Albert finds a clearing and removes the back floorboard from the van, which transforms itself, presto, into a picnic table!  He sets up three camp stools and brings out a basket filled with a sumptuous assortment of food, with juice and coffee.

Kicheche Laikipia picnic breakfast

I set my camera on the back seat and hit the timer button. Click!

Picnic Breakfast-Kicheche-Laikipia

After breakfast, we spot a black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) and her calf. Note the red-billed oxpecker on the mother. From the starling family, its preferred diet is blood and blood-engorged ticks from the skin of these big mammals.

Black Rhino & calf-Ol Pejeta-Kicheche

It’s late morning and we’re ready to head back to the camp for a rest before lunch. As we drive, Albert points out the lion’s preferred food – a baby gazelle playing a little too far from its mother.

Baby Thomson's gazelle-Ol Pejeta

Back at camp, we put our feet up for a while. Then it’s lunch time. Sonja Webb loves buying cookbooks and having her cooks try out all kinds of gourmet recipes.  So we’re treated to a delicious homemade pizza and salad……

Kicheche Laikipia-Lunch1

…. and grilled pineapple with homemade peanut ice cream for dessert!  Mmmmm…

Kicheche Laikipia-Lunch2

At 4 o’clock, we’re back out on the savannah, where we come across a herd of Cape or African buffalo ( Syncerus caffer).  Such grizzled old faces on these beasts.

Cape Buffalo-Ol Pejeta-Kicheche

Then we spot a small group of elephants munching on vegetation. Albert tells us they need to eat 250-300 kilograms a day.

Elephants-Ol-Pejeta

There are lots of common zebras….

Common Zebras-Ol Pejeta-Kicheche

…and Albert points out a hybrid zebra, below right, that displays the characteristics of both the common and larger, more rare Grevey’s zebras. I later learn that there are four of these on Ol Pejeta Conservancy.

Hybrid giraffe-Ol Pejeta

A giraffe walks gracefully in front of us.

Reticulated giraffe-Ol Pejeta-Kicheche

And we spend a lot of time watching families of spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) playing around their den opening.

Hyenas & den-Ol Pejeta

As the sun is setting, there’s barely enough light to capture this spotted eagle owl (Bubo africanus) roosting on a tree.

Spotted-eagle-owl-Ol-Pejeta

Then the sun goes down…..

Sunset-Ol Pejeta

….. and we head back to camp where there’s a lovely surprise awaiting us. Instead of dining alone at the big table in the main tent, they have set a romantic table for two in our tent, complete with candles, wine, and wildflowers strewn across the tablecloth.

Tent dinner-Kicheche-Laikipia

Time for bed. That 5:30 knock at the tent door comes early!

Tune in for Safari-Part 3 in a few days, when we’ll watch a pair of cheetah brothers play with each other on film and visit with Kicheche Laikipia’s resident beekeeper!

Safari: Kicheche Laikipia – Part 1

On March 28th, 2016, after 4 days spent at the 62,000 acre Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, in Isiolo, Kenya, we are driven to the Lewa gates by Francis and pose for a farewell photo with him….

Francis-Lewa

…. before getting into the van that was dispatched from Kicheche Camp-Laikipia to make the 2-1/2 hour drive southwest to their tented camp on Ol Pejeta Conservancy. When we planned our trip, we looked for a small camp within driving distance of Lewa and in view of Mount Kenya, the highest peak in the country.

Here’s the map of Laikipia showing the route from Lewa to Ol Pejeta.

Laikipia-map

Soon we’re driving through rolling hills of the countryside, listening to our driver Albert Chesoli, who will also be our safari guide for the next three days. Note the greenhouses, upper right. Laikipia has a thriving cut flower industry, particularly roses.

Laikipia-GreenhousesAfter maize, wheat is the #2 grain produced in Kenya, and these rolling, high-altitude (c.5,000 feet) hills are perfect for growing it.

Laikipia-Wheat Fields

Staying in a wildlife conservancy tends to isolate you from the neighbouring villages and farms outside the gate. The poverty rate in Laikipia is 46% (2006 figures) which puts it about middle of the pack in Kenya. This is something that is often difficult to square with a luxurious safari stay, and many visitors pack a suitcase with school supplies or make donations to neighbouring communities a part of their journey.

Laikipia-town

We pass a donkey cart carrying supplies……

Donkey-cart-Laikipia

…. and a produce stand by the side of the highway.

Laikipia-Fruit stand

The shops are small and colourful!

Laikipia-shops

Passing through Nanyuki, the market town that services many of the safari lodges in the Mount Kenya area, I notice a garden centre with plants that look surprisingly like many we can buy at local nurseries.

Nanyuki-Garden Centre

After negotiating the road repairs near Nanyuki, we pull into the gatehouse of Ol Pejeta Conservancy while Albert registers us. Their mission statement:“The Ol Pejeta Conservancy works to conserve wildlife, provide a sanctuary for great apes and to generate income through wildlife tourism and complementary enterprises for re-investment in conservation and communities.”  Throughout the 90,000 acre conservancy, there are more than a dozen lodges, tented camps (of which ours is one), guest houses and campsites. The most famous site within Ol Pejeta is Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, established in 1993 by Jane Goodall to give refuge to orphaned and abused chimps from West and Central Africa.  (I had visited the sanctuary in 2007, on our previous trip to Kenya, our 30th anniversary tour of several conservancies and national parks.)  Security is high here, with elephant tusk and rhino horn poaching a constant threat.

Ol Pejeta-Rongai gate

A short time later, we pull into the parking area at Kicheche Laikipia and after a refreshing drink, we’re taken to our tent, one of just six on the property……

Kicheche-Laikipia-Batian tent

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Kicheche-hammock

…. and an excellent view of the water hole…..

Tent view of waterhole-Kicheche-Laikipia…. which is behind an almost invisible electric fence…..

Kicheche-Laikipia-electric fence

…that, nonetheless, does a good job of keeping the elephants on the far side.

Elephant-Fence

After a review of the camp procedures with Andy Webb, co-manager of Kicheche Laikipia with his wife Sonja, we join him and the other few guests for a lovely lunch served by Stephen outdoors under a tree. As it’s the very end of the season, (safari camps in the region close for the rainy season in April and May, when the roads become impassable), we only have one night with other guests – the next two nights we’re on our own here!

Andy Webb-Kicheche-Laikipia

From lunch time to tea time on safari, which precedes the 4 pm game-viewing drive, guests take the opportunity to read, nap or wander around camp. I decide to get a better look at the families of elephants drinking on the far side of the water hole.

Our afternoon drive is rather quiet. There are common zebras, of course – the mainstay of the savannah…..

Zebras-Ol Pejeta

…..and a lovely tawny eagle (Aquila rapax) up in a tree.

Tawny Eagle

We engage in a staring contest with a warthog….

Warthog-Ol Pejeta

….and manage to catch the end of a turf war between two groups of lions, with this one skulking off to her own territory.

Lioness-Ol-Pejeta

It’s the end of a long day, with dinner in the main tent……

Kicheche-Laikipia-main tent

….. and early lights out, for the friendly “Jambo! Good morning” comes at 5:30 am tomorrow, followed by our 6 am game drive.  See you then for Safari-Part 2!

A Kapama Safari – Part Three

It’s the afternoon of our second day at Kapama Private Game Reserve in Limpopo (Day 4 of our South Africa garden tour). The calendar says October 12th and the temperature is very hot, in the mid-30s or 90F+ with humidity. It is the first and only time our bathing suits will emerge from our suitcases, as we take the opportunity to cool off in the swimming pool at River Lodge. Leaving our room for our third game drive (I also blogged about our first and second game drives at Kapama) I come upon a few nyalas browsing in the brush adjacent to our suite.  Shy by nature, they have nevertheless learned to be calm in this safe environment.  As we head into the bushveld in our vehicle, we slow to watch their lookalike cousins, the greater kudus.   But the word on the radios is that a leopard has been sighted in the vicinity so Willis and another tracker head off into the bush on foot. Clearly, they know their job, but um……

Rangers-tracking-Kapama

Part of the fun of being on an animal safari is the occasional insight you gain into the plants that grow in the bushveld.  The shrub below is the magic guarri bush (Euclea divinorum) and Dino points out that the leaves are so rich in bitter tannins that it is not browsed by wild animals. Those tannins also provide a dye for traditional basket-making (in Durban a few days from now, I’ll buy four beautiful Zulu baskets for my children).  Parts of the tree are also used by the traditional sangomas in “divining” problems (thus the botanical name) with the body or mind; the bark is used to fabricate ropes; and a decoction of the fruit is used in making an alcoholic beverage.  It has many other uses as described on the plantzafrica site, including treatment of coughs, diarrhea and stomach problems.

Dino & magic guarri bush-Euclea divinorum-Kapama

After a lot of driving and radio communication, we finally come upon the leopard (Panthera pardus) resting in the bush; alas, well camouflaged by shrubs and grasses.  Some people are bothered by the collar around its neck, thinking this somehow makes it “tame” and not a valid part of a “wild animal safari”. In fact, Kapama is a conservation oasis for cheetahs and leopards that have been rescued, often in dire circumstances, either trapped in a farmer’s snare in the wild or in locations where they have been caged to amuse their owners.  This leopard was likely rescued and collared as part of Fred Berrangé’s Leopard Conservation Project which has saved more than 150 leopards since its inception in 2000.  But catching them and bringing them to animal reserves is not the project’s main goal; it is educating farmers in how to deal with leopards as predators of their domestic animals, rather than removing them from the ecosystem in which they play a vital and natural role.

Leopard-Kapama It’s a quiet game drive after that, and we head to the clearing where Dino transforms himself from expert game ranger to cocktail waiter. Cheers!

Dino-serving sundowners-Kapama And as we stand chatting and sipping our “sundowners”, the sun appropriately goes down and the sky over the Drakensberg range is suffused with colour. Tree silhouette&Drakensberg-Kapama

Then it’s time for our second night drive. Willis’s flashlight sweeps the bush on both sides of the road. Night-drive-Kapama

And somehow he sees them: a pair of female lions sleeping on the far side of the waterhole. Dino turns the vehicle and we drive the 4×4 down the slope to the water’s edge. Gulp. But these cats are fast asleep and we are able to study them quietly for a few moments. Female lions sleeping-Kapama

The lion sighting, after seeing the leopard, puts us in a great mood as we drive back to the lodge under the stars for dinner.

4th and Final Game Drive Day 5 of our garden tour “dawns” early and we get a start on packing our bags, since we’re heading to the local airport right after lunch to fly to Durban. Soon we’re climbing into the vehicle for our final three-hour game drive. Last game drive-Kapama As often happens, our tracker sees tracks! Dino and Willis get out and study the footprints by the side of the road.  Fresh lion tracks is their conclusion.

Animal tracks Kapama And a few minutes later, Dino gets out to follow a drag mark in the dirt:  a hyena has dragged home dinner through the bush.  Dino points out the white-backed vulture (Gyps africanus) waiting in a tree for the thermal winds that will aid in its airborne search for food. White-backed vulture-Gyps africanus-Kapama

And then we find her, a female lion down by the watering hole – likely one from last night now looking wide awake but not in the least concerned about us watching her. Female lion-Kapama

We drive on, and Dino gets out and tells us a little about the silver-clusterleaf tree (Terminalia sericea), a common bushveld species.  According to Plantzafrica, “The leaves and roots are boiled in water and the infusion is taken orally for the treatment of coughs, diarrhea and stomach aches. the leaves can be used as an antibiotic for wounds. In case of bleeding, a paste can be made by cooking the leaves in water and placing them on the wounds. The wood is used as a source of energy for cooking and boiling water, for construction huts, for fencing material and for solid structures. Leaves are food for caterpillars during the rainy season.” Silver-cluster leaf-Terminalia sericea-Kapama

Driving on a bit, we come upon a female white rhino (Ceratotherium simum) and her calfforaging in the grasses.  Here is a little flavour of the atmosphere in the bush (and the sound of ranger’s radio communications) as the rhinos feed.

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And our last mid-morning coffee break at Kapama, with Dino and Willis sharing the pouring honours. Coffee-break-Kapama

Caffeine and biscuit under my belt, I’m now wide awake and in focus….. Janet Davis-Kapama safari

Our last lovely sighting of our South African safari features two male giraffes “necking” at a water hole.  Giraffes move in loose herds, the females sticking together and the calves playing in groups. At around 3 years of age, the males leave their mothers and become part of “bachelor herds”, often standing side-by-side and using their necks like boxers’ arms and their heads like fists to show dominance.  This pair is just sparring, says Dino, while assuring us that the real thing is much more vicious. Giraffes-necking-Kapama

And then it’s time to leave Kapama. What a wonderful two days we’ve had here, but it’s time to get back to garden touring.  We leave Limpopo province and re-enter Mpumalanga.  Here are houses in the small town of Bushbackridge, so named in 1880 for the number of antelopes that roamed the slope. Bushbackridge-Mpumalanga

We pass a typical fruit vendor’s stand selling bananas, oranges, onions and tomatoes. Fruit-Vendor-Limpopo

And this fabulous jacaranda tree spangled with weaver nests. Jacaranda & weaver nests-Mpumalanga

And farm pickers working beneath the Drakensberg foothills. Farm-workers-Mpumalanga

Then it’s time for a short shopping stop at a smart little mall in White River where I find this lovely “made in South Africa” beadwork necklace. (Yes, I do like gaudy costume jewelry, now that you ask!)

Beaded-South-African-necklace

Finally, we’re at the airport for our 1-hour flight to Durban. Stay tuned for more on this city, including the lovely Durban Botanic Garden.