Standing( or seated) on the deck in front of the lounge/dining room, visitors have a clear view of the waterhole below.
It might not be the largest waterhole, but it does attract elephants…so it must be doing something right.
I have also seen plains game as well as a hyena using it as a splash pool.
The moment the sky lights up, it is time to hop onto one of the game viewing vehicles and head out to see what the day holds.
If, like me, you suffer from bush FOMO, then late mornings are not what you can expect when at a camp.
I always believe that I will miss out on “that” sighting that could potentially be an award-winning image. That being said, I still refuse to leave any camp if it is raining. Watching wet animals watching me is not my idea of fun, and to date, that has worked out well for me.
Is it an ear or is it an eye patch? You can decide. This impala ewe flicked her ear at exactly the moment I pressed the shutter button.
No impala were hurt during the taking of this image.
Time to lock horns.
Young Impala males testing each other during a mock-fight that got rather heated.
Very few interactions of this nature end in the death or mortal wounding of the animals involved. This is mainly about dominance, and eventually, one of the rams will decide that discretion is the better part of valour and will take off, leaving the other victorious and with the opportunity to mate.
It took me a moment to realise that the Kudu I was staring at was staring back.
Were you aware?
Kudus can easily clear fences and obstacles that are up to 2m high. When startled or fleeing from danger, they have been known to clear 3m!
In comparison, the men’s high jump record is 2.45m, which has stood since 1993. It was not broken at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
A young female Kudu. They don’t normally hang around and will take off at the slightest sound, hence this image is unusual.
And no, it is not bird poop on its back; those stripes are all part of the camouflage that makes them blend in so completely.
I have my eye on you…
FYI: They have small eyes for such a large mammal; however, they do have adaptations like a 3rd eyelid and long eyelashes for protection against thorny branches. Their vision is dichromatic, meaning they perceive colours similar to those with red-green colour blindness.
Queen of all she surveys…
This young male was curious, but not enough to come out from behind the large female in the foreground.
If we could track the pride, then I suppose the pride could track us.
The Big Boss!
He was licking his lips about a potential meal, and we in the vehicle were thinking of breakfast that awaited us back in camp.
The difference was that we wouldn’t have to spend any energy searching for food.
Guinea Fowl can be a real nuisance when they decide to take up the entire road. It seems they prefer walking or running over flying.
I have had a single bird run in front of a vehicle for nearly 500m before it finally dawned on it that it could fly.
Time for a close-up. This chameleon was caught in the spotlight that the tracker was using like a lightsaber.
Just a sliver of a moon visible as we drove back to camp…
There’s something quietly sacred about looking up at a new moon — that sliver of light barely brushing the edge of the night, like a whispered promise in the dark. It’s a beginning disguised as silence, a soft reminder that even in emptiness, there’s the potential for fullness. Under its pale curve, the world feels hushed, possibilities feel tender and real, and for a fleeting moment, you’re not just standing beneath the sky — you’re part of its unfolding story.
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Pecu, Rose, Judith, Joyce, Anthony, Lybon, and Rewald, thanks for making my final days in Balule memorable.
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Travel & Things is the proud winner of these prestigious awards from the digital British lifestyle magazine Luxlife.
The awards are in the categories:
Best Travel & Experiences Blog 2024 – South Africa
Best African Game Reserves & Lodges Travel Review Site 2025.
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