Back down south

It's rare for me to get time to enjoy the bush on my own terms, so sometimes I just need to set aside time to do just that. Many places have a special Place in my heart, and southern Kruger definitely is one of them. Therefor, that's where I was headed on my latest private trip. Driving around on your own, or with friends, in Kruger is always a great experience, no matter what you encounter, but some days are simply fantastic.

I've actually only seen sable twice Before in Kruger and both times it was a single antelope in the distance...

Not so this time around though; a herd of about 15 greeted us half an hour into the drive. My happiness knew no boundaries and as enthusiasm is of course contagious, these beautiful animals held us spellbound for quite a while, though all they really did was eating grass..!

Just to top the morning off, three cheetahs showed up shortly thereafter and decided to pose for half an hour next to the road. Movement further away in the bush suddenly stole their attention however and two of them bolted off, slowly follwed by the less interested third cat.

As my interest in birds is growing ever greater, I always keep my eyes peeled for the creatures of flight... however, not to everyone's amusement I might add. Though, most people will appreciate them if you're persistent enough(?!) and you of course aren't stopping for every LBJ (little brown job).

Green backed herons usually won't let me anywhere near them if I have a camera in my hand, so this guy actually made my day.

...but when the day was already made, a brown snake eagle for once decided on doing what it's supposed to do: catch a snake and eat it in front of me!!!

Inspired by the raptor's snack, we decided on a lunch break... but a lunch break in Kruger doesn't necessarily mean that there's a break from animals. At the rest stops there are usually interesting sightings to be had as well. This fruit bat even had a baby tucked under the right wing.

 As we approached Bergendal in the early afternoon, we'd also been able to tick off a leopard in a tree and lots more, quite enough for one day, especially since it was just a matter of getting to Bergendal for the real adventure to start; a Wilderness trail.

/A