As the sun breaks through the clouds, another day dawns and bathes Africa in a gentle glow. Predator and prey both have their roles to play in the ebb and flow of the bushveld between dawn and dusk. It is also time for those who have come to experience the cry of the wild to enjoy this sight as they climb aboard a game drive vehicle and head out to see what can be found in the early morning light. I treat each drive as a voyage of discovery and therefore I am very seldom disappointed. A final game drives compilation while at Becks Safari Lodge.
A 13-second overview of a game drive, featuring my wife…just a bit of fun for those who remember The Benny Hill show and his theme music.
International guests are often confused by these amphibians. In order to clarify matters, a quick informative explanation. Tortoises…they live on land. Turtles…they live in the oceans, but come on land to lay their eggs. And then there are these, freshwater Terrapins that can be found in many of the waterholes and dams in reserves across Southern Africa. On occasion, they can also be spotted getting some sunlight while they bask precariously on the back of a semi-submerged hippo!
And speaking of Hippo…often this is the only glimpse that you get of these large and fearsome creatures. Their name, hippopotamus, comes from the Greek meaning River Horse.
Predator sightings are always special. This young female leopard had our tracker and guide searching for quite some time. When she was eventually found, she was relaxing in the fork of a tree, unimpressed by the vehicles stopping by to take a look.
“Crocodiles are easy. They try to kill and eat you. People are harder. Sometimes they pretend to be your friend first.”
It has been a while since a published posting has contained a posterior. I thought that I would rectify that with this image.
Having a leopard stare into your soul can be disconcerting. These words by Chinese-American actress, Bai Ling resonated with the international guests on the vehicle. ” I went to South Africa on safari and came eye to eye with a beautiful leopard. We were so close; I was staring at him for a long time and I felt a recognition with my own nature”
Our guide at Becks Safari Lodge was the incredible Bethuel. He has a way of imparting knowledge to those on his vehicle in an informative and educational manner. As a guide, he was entertaining but at the same time was very aware of what guests needs were and how he could fulfil their expectations. Well done!
No matter how often I visit game reserves, this is a sight that still gets my adrenaline pumping and my heart beating just that little bit faster.
FYI: I have no idea why almost everyone I know talks about ‘male lions’. The word ‘lion’, is, by its very nature, masculine, while the females are referred to as female lions…yet there is NO such animal. The correct terms are lions (males) and lionesses (female).
Always fun to find the vehicle from the first camp that we visited on the trip. This was Mathews and Martin on the Karongwe River Lodge vehicle. The British couple in the front seat was with us just a few days earlier and this was their final drive before heading off to Mauritius.
A Woodland Kingfisher, once seen, never forgotten. Not all Kingfishers eat fish. In fact, of the 10 species found in South Africa, only 4 include fish in their diet. This species is one of those that eats insects.
Known for running at incredible speeds in short bursts, this female cheetah allowed us to get to within 10m while we were on foot. She is one of 4 cheetah that we found in the reserve, the others being a coalition of three brothers who we found while on a drive from Kuname Lodge.
Seeing that this posting is a combination of morning and afternoon drives, I felt that it would be remiss of me NOT to include a sunset…so this is it.
On returning to camp this breakfast of champions after an early morning drive was most welcoming.
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