Our trip to Madikwe Game Reserve yesterday took about 4.5 hours. We had a lovely lady, Martie, who drove us and explained things along the way. Went through some townships with very small iron huts, and others with more solid and substantial homes. Dry dirt everywhere, a few places had hens and goats, not many had gardens. There were many folk out walking along the sides of the road, or waiting on a bus. It was a pleasant temperature for us of 20 degrees, though for our driver it was cold.
On arrival at the park, around 2pm, Martie drove us the long way so we could see some of the wildlife. There were elephants crossing the road, and some zebra. We arrived at Impodimo Lodge at 2.30, and were shown to our chalet. Just outside our room were elephants bathing in the waterhole! It is an unfenced lodge, so we are not allowed to go to or leave our chalets at night without an armed guard, in case we encounter any wildlife along the way.
At 3pm we met at the pool for High Tea. Then we went on a game drive, with Tyrone our guide and Sam our tracker. Travelled in an open land rover, with a couple from Australia, so there were 6 guests and two staff in total. We saw lions resting after a kill - parked just a few metres away to sit and watch them! There were zebra, jackals, a large buffalo, hyena, steenbuck, warthogs, impala, and many other species of wildlife. We stopped and had a wine and nibbles in a clearing along the way. As it got dark we saw a few nocturnal animals. The temperature dropped the sun disappeared but we had hats, jackets and a rug to keep us warm.
Upon returning to the Lodge around 8pm we gathered in a courtyard for dinner. It was lovely and cosy, with open fires in a bush-like setting. We had a delicious three course meal, and then it was time to be escorted back to our room.
We are in a lovely chalet, which had a small fire burning and hot-water bottles in the bed. There is a bath with a view over the waterhole, and both an inside and outside shower. It was very quiet during the night, though I did hear something nibbling/gnawing - discovered in the morning that there had been a mouse in my bag eating a muesli bar. There were others out on the seat it could have had without going through my bag!
A wake up call came at 6.30 so we got up and dressed and met at the lodge at 6.45 for a hot drink and muffin, before heading back to the vehicle for the early morning game drive. Sam had placed a hot water bottle and rug on our seats, so it was lovely and cosy.
The first big animal we saw was a white rhinoceros. We were able to get within a few metres of this great beast, which continued peacefully grazing alongside of us. So we spent quite a while watching it. It was an amazing experience. The other animals we saw close up included giraffes and elephants. There was a very young elephant which was playing with its mother - the mother was lying down and the baby was climbing on her.
We also spotted quite a number of birds, some beautifully coloured ones and others like quail and guinea-fowl. A drongo also showed itself.
On return to the Lodge it was time for brunch. We sat poolside for a continental breakfast, and enjoyed the atmosphere. There is a bit of wind today, and it is cloudy, so a bit cooler than yesterday.
This blog is being composed while sitting on the deck overlooking the waterhole. Have watched an elephant bathing, and some impala come by. Quite a number of birds are able to be seen and heard.
It is the dry season so very dusty and brown everywhere. Makes for easier animal spotting than in the summer when the grass and trees are green.
We meet again at 3 for High Tea before heading out again for our dusk game drive. We have requested Tyrone to make sure we see a black rhino and a hippo tonight!
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