Off for a proper safari

 April 20th

Gosh, a slight lie-in, didn't have to be at the meeting point until 6.45 am! Today we were off to do a proper safari, with a 4X4 and a guide who knew the park like the back of his hand. 

 

 3 4X4s viewing cars were required for all 26 of us. We chose the furthest, which happened to set off first.  Just outside of the resort gate, we saw this.

 

The morning was cool, a mere 21°, a good time for wildlife to be on the move. Our guide got a call to say Lions had been seen, so a quick turnaround and the speed limit of 50km was exceeded. Sure enough, almost hidden from sight was a Lioness. I managed to get this photo before we headed off.

 

One of our group in the other 4X4, who arrived later, had the good fortune to witness them crossing the road. 

 As the day got hotter (32° by 10am) it was in the shade of the trees where we looked. Elephants were still on the move, as were the giraffes, and the warthogs didn't seem to mind the heat either. As for us we were melting. Midday, the temperature was up to 36°, OMG, it was hot. Factor 50 was applied on a regular basis, and I must say it worked. If it hadn't, I would have been completely fried by now! 

Lunch was late, probably because we kept asking the guide to stop so we could take photos. It was at a golf club, and what a place to play a round of golf, right in the heart of Kruger National Park. This sign said it all!

 

 All in all we were out with the guide for 9 hours. He was brilliant and must have eyes everywhere because he saw animals that were almost hidden in the scrub. We were very impressed, and he made our day just perfect. On our return, the clouds started to build up. I had hoped for a good thunderstorm to clear the air. Instead, a massive electrical storm started. Really weird when there is lightning but no thunder! All the site's power went off, no air conditioning in the van; it was like a sauna inside. I dread to think what the temperature was, but "uncomfortable" was too mild a word. We suffered for an hour before power was restored and the air conditioning powered up.  A very comfortable 20° was reached, a far more acceptable temperature than before.

Yipee...tomorrow morning we leave at our leisure to travel North to Phalaborwa, where our next overnight stay will be. Another 219 km of Kruger Park to explore, which should take roughly 5 hours.

And today's offerings

Typical...all this way to see a blooming Heron! 😁