The VERY bumpy terrain we had to cross to get here (or as our guide says, too much African disco) was well worth it - although next time I will be packing a sports bra, just sayin'. Over the course of two days here we have seen TONNES. Jackals & vultures hungrily tearing the meat off an unidentifiable dead animal, along with abundant buffalo, zebras and giraffes. The lush green land is also populated with elan (the largest type of antelope) and wildebeest, who like to stick with zebras as they can sense danger. We were so excited to see elephants, another one of the Big Five! With a one month baby in tow, they lumbered right past the truck which was SO cool. Also had the good luck to see a lioness and her four cubs, who put on quite a show - and then a young male and female pair (honeymooners) who we saw in the act of mating! Delightful. Apparently they're at it every 15 minutes for a two week period just to make sure they conceive! No wonder the male was yawning every few minutes - or that the female looked disinterested and slightly put out! Got so close, it was fantastic, very happy with the photos!
We haven't spotted a leopard yet but saw cheetahs on three occasions during our second game drive. The third came very close to the truck and we realised it had its eye on an impala a little way off in the distance so stuck around for a while. So glad we did - it was a long old waiting game but once the impala had its back turned the cheetah started creeping forwards step by step and when it was about 30 metres away went in for the kill...only to be outsmarted by the impala. Epic seeing the chase though, high speed action and lots of dust kicked up - no photo unfortunately as it all happened in the blink of an eye.
We may also see hyena later...in our campsite! Dear GOD. Our guide warned us not to leave anything outside our tent in case the hyenas steal our stuff (apparently they have a particular penchant for shoes). And not to go to the bathroom on our own in case we get attacked! Cripes. On that note, the toilet facilities are a lot better than I expected, except for the inevitable bugs flying towards the light: a ginormous moth sent me packing out of one cubicle with my trousers round my ankles (luckily I was alone!) and diving into the next for safety. Showers...not so great. And now it's raining like crazy, which just makes everything ten times more difficult when you're in a tent. WHAT have I signed up for. Think this will be my last camping excursion for a while!
