So. Africa: Summer '06
August saw the second of Chris's photo safaris to Kruger National Park in South Africa. After the success of the earlier safari, follow how events unfolded for the second group in this web diary.
Airport angst
23rd August 2006
The recent new restrictions at UK airports had me wondering how I was going to manage travelling with all the gear I needed for the photo safari and follow on assignment to Zimbabwe. I needn't have worried. The whole airport experience was the most pleasurable, least stressful I've had in many years. I arrived at Gatwick by car at 4:55pm and was sipping (okay, guzzling) beer in the departure hall at 5:19pm. The upside of all the new rules regarding hand luggage appears to be a much faster processing of passengers ... and I have to say, I'm all for it. Using a photo vest and the regulation-size, single carry on bag I managed to take on board a DSLR, 200-400mm f/4 zoom (not the smallest or lightest lens in the world), a portable HDD, several batteries, chargers and CF cards (and associated cables), and still had room for another lens, if I'd wanted. Okay, I looked like a bit of a prat, but it worked a treat.
Rain, rain go away
25th August 2006
Thunder showers in the dry season, now that's a novelty. We head from Numbi Gate to our first camp at Skukuza. A patient wait at Lake panic hide is rewarded with close views of malachite kingfisher and a swallow feeding it's young. Then, just before dusk we encounter our first big sighting - a pride of thirteen lions. We note their location and plan for an early start the next morning.
Lucky number thirteen
26th August 2006
After an early start we sight the lions close to the road. There are several adult lionesses and some three-year old males. No sign of the big male. We sit and watch. After 30 minutes the lions spot three giraffes in the distance and the hunt begins. Two females stalk from the front, while two more take a circuitous route to flank the prey. A young male, three metres from the jeep, watches and learns. The lions miss the kill but the sighting has everyone excited. In the afternoon, another great sighting. This time, we see three male cheetah close to the road. We watch awhile and see the cheetah frolic before heading for the bush. It's a big cat day, no doubt!
A rare day
27th August 2006
We pack camp and head for our next destination - Lower Sabie. We pull into a small watering hole. It's almost dry. We're watching a herd of impala drink when a new visitor arrives - a black rhino. There are less than 250 black rhino in the whole of Kruger National Park, and I've never seen one here before. It's a special treat as we watch this magnificent beast drink from the pan, before an arriving car scares it back into the bush. In the afternoon, we here about some cheetah further south, close to Duke dam. We hit the gas and head south. We find the cheetah - three males - skulking, having lost their kill to a lioness, who is merrily munching away under a nearby tree. Vultures circle, waiting for the pickings.
On the march
28th August 2006
The highlight of the day is watching a large herd of breeding elephants cross in front of us, as we traverse the roads around Lower Sabie camp. These magnificent beasts are a sight to behold, and it's a privilege to see every age of elephant from the very young to the matriarch. We spend the evening watching hippo and crocodile at Sunset Dam, before heading back to camp.
