This could be anywhere in Africa. It reminded me very much of the view that visitors to Arusha get of Kilimanjaro.
But it was not…it was a view of the Northern Drakensberg as seen from the Blue Canyon Reserve, where Moditlo River Camp is situated.
The Lowveld offers many spectacular landscape vistas similar to this. So, even if none of the Big 5 are sighted during a drive, guests can be enthralled by the vast open spaces and mountain views.
A trail of water sweeps through the air as a giraffe brings itself to the upright position after enjoying a long cool drink.
Even though they might need a drink, a giraffe will take the time to make certain that it is safe for them to splay their legs and lean down in what could be seen as a safety-compromising position.
Just blowing off steam? I could think of many possible captions for this image, but I think that I will leave it up to you, the reader, to make up your own.
Suffice it for me to say that this fellow was seemingly not in the best of moods and was snorting and farting to make certain that we paid attention and kept our distance.
A pair of African Hawk-Eagles look out over their territory.
Did you know?
African hawk-eagle females usually lay two eggs, of which only one survives. The first chick to hatch collects more food than the second and will eventually cause the death of its sibling. Called siblicide, it is common in this species.
Browsing close enough to touch…
FYI: African Elephants have up to 40,000 muscles in their trunks, allowing them the ability to pick a single blade of grass or tear down huge branches of trees.
By comparison, the human body only contains around 600 muscles!
The Spotted Hyena has one of the worst reputations, thanks largely to the trio portrayed in “The Lion King”. However, the characteristics of those that lope across the African plains bear no real resemblance to the shenanigans that Shenzi, Banzai, and Crazy Eddie get up to in the movie. ( Voiced by Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, and Jim Cummings)
Without the clean-up work that hyaenas do, our landscapes would be littered with rotting carcasses.
And working hand in hand, or should that the beak to jaw with the hyena, the vulture is yet another of the necessary bushveld clean-up crew.
Stop, look, and breathe. Take in the sights and sounds of Africa as night descends and she is cloaked in darkness.
Field guides seem to have the innate ability to find chameleons in virtual darkness on night drives. This individual was caught in our spotlight as we went past. So, we stopped to have a look.
An African Barred Owlet, peering at us out of the darkness. Owls are always an exciting find for me on a drive.
Top Tip: Never get into a staring contest with an owl…you will lose.
Ended a drive with THIS. Always awesome to find a leopard, but even more so when it slinks out of the darkness unexpectedly.
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