Well done Adrian!
On todays game drive he spotted the first Lion, and before the game ranger!
That never happens!!
Be proud 
Tag Archive for african safari
Well done Adrian!
Elephants and Kitties to play with!
Today was a busy day!
The morning was spent tickling and feeding elephants…
Steph was so determined not to leave South Africa, she climbed in!
Unable to handle the extra wife, Adrian tries to convince Rambo (the elephant) to go to the pub for some male bonding
The afternoon was spent having a spot of lunch at Ilala Weavers (and shopping) and then a tour around a local township.
And then the last item on the days agenda is a bit of a hardship….
cuddling cheetah!!
Not quite sure what Kitten and co, will make of Stephanie and Adrians new pet...
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- Not quite sure what Kitten and co, will make of Stephanie and Adrians new pet...
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- Steph was so determined not to leave South Africa, she climbed in!
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- Unable to handle the extra wife, Adrian tries to convince Rambo (the elephant) to go to the pub for some male bonding
Category: Activities, Devost2012, Extreme Nature Tour /
Tags: african elephant, african safari, animals, big cats, cheetah rehabilitation, cuddle elephant, Elephant, elephant sanctuary, hluhluwe, KwaZulu Natal, nature tour, safari holiday, south africa, south african accommodation, south african cats
Walking with Rhino-saurs
It started off as just a normal drive...
Spot the rhino, its there in the background
...closer....
....closer....
...then the rhinos came closer...
...surely they won't get much closer....
...oh, ok then...
Steph and Adrian peek through the bushes at the Rhino mother (and large) Calf
Swaziland here we come!
We had a feast last night, everything must go! Due to laws in Swaziland you are not allowed to take any food products into the country so we ate and drank until we were fit to burst!
Armed with coffee fresh from the percolator (Antons travel companion who was greatly admired by Adrian) we woke ourselves from sleep and Stephanie ate Stephanies concuction of Pineapple and fruit Yoghurt
We all crossed the border without a hitch and proceeded to our breakfast stop in Swaziland overlooking a small lake. Little crocodile and BIG fish! Not to mention a teeny tiny water monitor who was basking on the frame work below the veranda.
It's a hard life for a little monitor
This redbishop was building a nest nearby to the restaurant.
Category: Devost2012, Extreme Nature Tour /
Tags: Africa conservation, african safari, animal conservation, Conservation, Hlane Royal national Park, hluhluwe, holiday safari, KwaZulu Natal, nature tour, Royal game reserve, safari holiday, south africa, south african accommodation, Swaziland, wildlife conservation
Big Cat and Fish
Leopard! On the night drive last night Stephanie and Adrian saw a Leopard! They saw lots of animals, but I can’t tell you what they were as all they kept saying was “Leopard!!”.
Breakfast this morning brought us a handful of guests to the table, namely the Warthog family.
The baby warthogs are cheeky as their mum tries to steal our food
Mmmmmmm foooooood....
Mummy warthog eyes our lunch hungrily
Out on the boat again today, but disaster stuck. No sooner had we pulled away from the dock than one of the valves snapped on the steering system causing a fountain of pink fluid.
We were covered in hydraulic fluid, but Adrian and Anton were in
heaven as they tried to fix the boat!
After borrowing some tools from a nearby work crew the boys battled with the boat.
Stephanie and I decided that it would be unfair if we let the boys do all the hard work, so we hooked the bait on the lines and opened a couple of beers to keep us hydrated as we fished.
We were going for big catches, namely Hippo and Crocodile (or at least that is what Stephanie and I told anyone that asked)!
After a while the boys decided that the boat could wait as they could see Tigerfish from the boat where it was moored.
Adrian Catches a Tigerfish on his second Cast!
Steph plays with Antons little Catfish
No Hippos, but we did catch our Crocodile!
Another s*#t day in Africa....
Dragon fly radio
Category: Activities, African Safari, Devost2012, Extreme Nature Tour /
Tags: african elephant, african safari, animals, big cats, boat trip, catch tigerfish, Elephant, fishing, hluhluwe, KwaZulu Natal, Leopard, nature tour, safari holiday, south africa, south african accommodation, south african cats, tigerfish, tigerfishing
The Best Way to Travel
The worst bit about any trip is the travelling to get there and then once you are there travelling around in-country.
A quick lunch with Meera the birthday girl and then it is off on the next leg
Unexpected lunch guest
Whilst the journey times from our base in Hluhluwe are not too long, we like to mix it up a bit, so the next leg of our journey is by boat.
On the way down everyone is silently thankful that they don't have to walk back up the hill again!
Better than aircon!
Steph makes herself right at home!
Soon sitting back up for the elephants
What a shame it just happens to be on a really good fishing spot too!
Sundowners on the boat with the elephants nearby
Category: African Safari, Bushwire, Devost2012, Extreme Nature Tour /
Tags: africa, african safari, african transport, biosphere, fishing, fishing camp, game reserve, in country transfers, Jozini dam, nature tour
Stephanie and Adrian Arrive
So, after an extremely long flight from Toronto to Vancouver, to Johannesburg, to Durban and then a 3 hour drive to Umkhumbi Lodge, Stephanie and Adrian were finally with us (and I thought my 18 hour flights were bad)!
After a shower and a quick nap for Stephanie (she made the mistake of lying down – ‘for just a second’) it was dinner and then straight to bed!
Today the tour began with a short commute to Amangwane Kosi Bay, an interpretive walk with Tommy around the area of Kosi Bay including a stop at the viewpoint.
This little agama was waiting outside Steph and Adrians reed chalet at Kosi bay
Viewpoint over Kosi Estuary and Mouth
"Want to try the custard apple...?"
....nope, doesn't look that appetising!
Then back to camp to refuel our tired, hot bodies.
Nothing recharges the weary traveller like an African sunset
Except may be a glass of wine as you relax…
Glass of wine, but still no relaxing for Stephanie, not just yet anyway!
But there is no time for relaxing as Stephanie swaps camera tips with Meera, another guest we have staying with us as Adrian wanders around camp to find a different sunset view from the rest of us.
Finally! Time to relax over Tommys awesome cooking!
Bye bye Kiboko!
As always we had lots of fun with our group of 11 Kiboko guests. There wasn’t a quiet moment!
Roars of laughter are frequent from the Kiboko table
Hope you enjoy the rest of your trip everyone!
Category: New friends /
Tags: african group holiday, african safari, guest, hluhluwe accommodation, New friends, south africa, south africa tour, tour bus, tour group
Day 8 – uMkhuze
The bird hunting continues!
A fantastic days sightings at uMkhuze, even whilst loading the car with our cameras, telescope, binoculars, bird books and most importantly breakfast we could hear the birds whistling around us.
No sooner had we pulled out of Umkhumbi Lodge gate than we see 2 Burchells Coucals sitting on a fence post, how could it possibly be a bad day after that!?
The bird list for today is:
- plover
- sandpipers
- swift
- moorhen
- lilac breasted roller
- nesting black-bellied starling pair
- white-faced whistling ducks
- 3 purple gallinule heron
- 2 heron
- bulbul
- barn swallow
- violet-back starling
- barbet
- collared dove
- 3 crested frankolin
- 2 rudds apalis
- mousebird
- crowned hornbill
- cardinal woodpecker
- tawny flanked prinia
- nobbeaked duck female
- jacan (adult and juvenile)
- glossy ibis
- sacred ibis
- emerald spotted dove
- cape dove
- gold-tailed woodpecker
- open billed stork
- red-breasted cuckoo
- broad billed roller !!
- eagle with nesting material
- dusky flycatcher
- golden breasted bunting
- nob-billed ducks
- egyptian goose
- broad billed roller
- black-bellied korhaan
- bustard
- european bee-eater
- bluecheeked bee-eater
- european bee-eater
- blue-cheeked bee eater
- red-backed shrike (again the most common bird of the day!)
- 2 blue waxbill/ cordon bleu
- broad-billed roller
- chinspot batis
- weaver
- black-shouldered kite
- purple-crested turaco/ lourie
- red-breasted swallow
- lesser striped swallow
- pie-tailed swallow
- swallow
- white-tailed swallow
- bulbul
- mystery bird
- cisticola
- red-cheeked mousebird
- stint
- canary
- unidentified bird of prey
- eagle
- cattle egret
- spurwing
- 4 red bishop
- 2 burchells coucal
- 3 trumpeter hornbill
- 5 yellow-billed hornbill
- stuffed buzzard
- woodland kingfisher
- 2 pied kingfisher
- 2 malachite kingfisher
- kingfisher
- masked weaver
- golden weaver
- pells weaver
- crested guinea fowl
- helmeted /crowned guinea fowl
- foamnest frog
- hippo
- dragonfly
- natal hinged tortoise
- forest cobra
Category: Activities, Birding, Extreme Nature Tour, Jason and Adam /
Tags: african safari, bird safari, bird sightings, birding holiday in south africa, birding safari, Extreme nature tour, game drive, hluhluwe accommodation, hluhluwe-imfolozi, KwaZulu Natal, kwazulu natal travel base, rare south african birds, safari, south african birds, twitcher holidays, twitching
Day 6 – Tembe Elephant Reserve
Time to say good bye to Kosi Bay as the boys set out at 6:30 am to head once more to their Hluhluwe accommodation at Umkhumbi Lodge.
But whilst we’re driving past Tembe Elephant Reserve, it would be wrong not to go in… wouldn’t it?
Don’t let the name fool you, Tembe Elephant reserve is about much more than just Elephants! There are countless bird species as well as many different game animals. Although saying that, it is also fantastic for elephants, after turning a corner in the park whilst tracking down a bird they came across about 14 elephants just loitering on and to the side of the road.
They certainly had fun as they stayed in the park from gate open to gate close and arrived back at Umkhumbi Lodge just in time for a fantastic 3 course dinner under the stars.
Category: Activities, Extreme Nature Tour, Jason and Adam, New friends /
Tags: african safari, bird safari, bird sightings, birding holiday in south africa, birding safari, Extreme nature tour, game drive, hluhluwe accommodation, hluhluwe-imfolozi, KwaZulu Natal, kwazulu natal travel base, rare south african birds, safari, south african birds, twitcher holidays, twitching
