scorbs

The scene:

A leopard, having just eaten, rests at the foot of a tree.

The remains of the impala still hang in the branches above.

A young hyena patiently waits for falling scraps.

We saw three different leopards.  Here are photos of the first two.

The first leopard…

… and the second.  Who alternated between yawning and preparing to pounce.

On our very first game drive, we saw a pride of lions eating their kill from the night before.  Dinner was a tasty wildebeest. 

The more difficult sighting though came the next day.  We saw the orphaned baby wildebeest.  None of the other female wildebeest would feed it, and not knowing what to do, it had strayed from the herd.  As our guide said, his odds were not very good.

Sabi Sands is a private game reserve bordering Kruger National Park.  However, are no fences between Kruger and Sabi Sands – so the animals roam between freely.

We stayed at Nkorho Bush Lodge (which I’d highly recommend), and saw a stunning array of animals.  Pictures in subsequent posts!

in my ride…  though, they didn’t let me sit there for long.

Hope you rang in the new decade with gusto!

To celebrate in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (in the Kalahari), we had a 360 degree fireworks display courtesy of mother nature. That’s right. I go to a semi-arid African desert… and get thunderstorms. Still, the long lines of lightening where amazing to see! And the park after the rains was quite magical.

Happy New Year!

The allure of the Kalahari is the beauty of the land.  However, the wildlife – while less dense than in other parts of south africa – is still amazing.

steenbok.  these beautiful antelope almost look like they have make-up on.

african wildcat. a rare daytime sighting, as they normally are only active at night.  long ago, the egyptions domesticated them.  they’re related to our house cats!

i forget what these guys are called. 

a running family of gembok

gembok

springbok