There were some birds as well

While we have ticked off quite a few bird species on previous trips, there are always more to find when you are visiting different habitats. During our game drives at the Zululand reserve we added at least 22 other species to our list along with a good number that we had seen elsewhere. While not always the easiest to photograph, Linda managed to capture a European Roller and an African Hoopoe perched in separate trees

and a Yellow-billed Stork which was trying to pose in an artistic fashion in a dam.

More animals

The Game drives continued relentlessly and we continued to add to our tally – including a pair of adult Lions who appeared to be sleeping off the effects of a very large meal

and a group of three lionesses who were trying unsuccessfully to get the boys attention.

The only one of the big 5 that we didn’t see in our three days was the Leopard but we made up for it on our last evening by spending an hour or so in the company of a herd of 21 elephants which included three young babies with the youngest less than a month old.

Fellow travellers

Being split into two trucks for the game drives – and with separate tables at every meal  - there was little chance for any interaction between the two groups – 15-20 mins over coffee at 5.00 am when conversation rarely flows, and them similar periods over a drink before lunch and dinner.

So we really only chatted with those who were in the same truck and as usual it was a mixed bag: a couple of recently retired middle ranking civil servants with some odd little foibles;  another retired chap from Kent of generous proportions who had lost his wife a few years ago and was now hooked up with a slightly younger but somewhat larger lady who was a travel agent and had booked the entire trip so, in his words, all he had to do was show up and bring his credit card; and an older South African couple who owned the largest free range chicken farm in KwaZula-Natal and were staying on the reserve as personal guests of the owners.

Thankfully the Kentish Man– or should that be Man of Kent? – and his partner had a good sense of humour and enjoyed a glass or two.

Of course the mix changed most days as people moved on and new folk arrived. We were down to 4 at one point and then we were joined by two Irish couples – one were long term SA residents while the other was a sister and brother in law who ran a pub in Kildare – so any thoughts of joining Bernie G and having a day or two off the drink went by the wayside. Anyway it is now after the 1st of Feb and I assume that Bernie has already enjoyed a glass or two of something memorable.

Game Lodge

We were staying at the Rhino River Lodge on the Zululand Rhino Reserve next to Hluhluwe. There were only 12 in total when we arrived – 8 Brits, 2 South Africans and 2 Dutch – so quite relaxed.

Usual routine: up at 5.00 am for coffee and muffins; morning game drive; back at 8.30 for breakfast; lunch at 13.30; afternoon game drive at 16.30; drinks and dinner at 20.00. Hard work but…..probably need a couple of hours in the gym to work off the excess calories!

Great start with some good sightings – all the usual suspects: Giraffe, Zebra, Impala, Kudu, Nyala, Blue Wildebeest, warthogs, ostrich, and a large group of very relaxed Water Buffalo

The next morning we were really lucky and came upon 3 groups of White Rhino – two calves with their mother,

a family group of 5 and a lonely old lady who had survived being shot in the head during a poaching attempt a couple of years ago and was blind in one eye as a result. You will see that they decided to dehorn all the Rhinos in the reserve to discourage poachers. It definitely takes something away from their appearance but if it saves their lives then perhaps it is worthwhile.

In addition we spent a good bit of time in company with ‘Fat Albert’ a male elephant in his prime who was much more interested in his food than us. 

We caught up with him again at dusk as he stripped the bark of a Fever Tree just to get at the cambium layer for the minerals and nutrients - by the time he had finished there wasn't much chance that the tree would ever recover.

Nowhere's perfect....

We have enjoyed our week here in Salt Rock - a peaceful, comfortable apartment, right on the beach, with easy access to places to eat and drink and shops to buy anything we need - but in addition to the thunderstorm which knocked out the internet for half our stay, we also had a power cut one evening and had to arrange for the hire company to replace our initial hire car.
Decided to have breakfast on the beachfront  in Ballito this morning only to find that our chosen venue - the local bakery and cafe - had just closed for their annual 2 week holiday!
However found an alternative around the corner which served an excellent breakfast and good coffee. While we are used to fellow diners who insist on bring either their scabby wains or their equally scabby pets to the breakfast table, I think this is undoubtedly the first place that we have seen someone bring their Harley into a cafe and park it alongside the table - at least it was very well behaved throughout the meal and didn't beg for attention or even need a bowl of water.
Have spent a good bit of time sitting on the beach watching the breakers rolling ashore - always a fascinating sight.

We are on the road again tomorrow - about 300km north west to a game reserve on the borders of the Hluhluwe National Park - hope to spend a few days watching wildlife before heading back to the coast and the St Lucia wetlands next week. Not sure whether we will have any internet access but will catch up when we are able.

Normal service resumed!

After the 30C plus temperatures of our first 24 hours here, it was not really surprising that the second afternoon brought a fairly impressive thunderstorm. Luckily, we had finished our evening walk and were safely undercover in a local seafront bar.

Not much rain but an amazing lightning show as the storm passed right over head and headed out over the ocean.  The only consequence is that it knocked out the internet router so we have had three days without any access.

Peace and quiet

While it was great to spend time with Sue in the big city, it was great to leave it behind and arrive on the East coast where the only noise is the waves breaking on the beach. Thanks to one of the regular taxis and airport shuttles that are still available, we managed to get to the airport for about £3.00 more than the quoted Uber fare – so who needs them.

Our flight to Durban with Kulula was only 65 mins and as straight forward as could be. It was 32C when we landed and up to 36C by the time we had picked up our car and driven the 20km to our beachfront apartment in Salt Rock.

Very comfortable place – if a little warm to start with! We are in a first-floor annex above the garage with a view from each of the rooms over the roof of the main house to the Indian Ocean. The beach is about 50m away with a natural rock swimming pool so probably won’t need to check the efficacy of the shark nets which run along the whole coast