After the yesterday’s night drive, most slept in. I took a morning run where I saw a wonderful sunrise over the Sabie river.
Today is local election day in South Africa. As I ran around the rest camp, a queue formed at the Independent Electoral Commission polling station. We checked out of Skukuza at 10 AM, our destination being Lower Sabie where are spending the last two nights of our time in Kruger.
As we approached Lower Sabie, the weather became warmer and the vegetation changed markedly. It is dry in Kruger, very dry. Only the largest rivers and dams contain water; vegetation is mostly brown; dust and sand are the rule rather than the exception. We went long stretches without seeing any animals. At a snack shop between Skukuza and Lower Sabie, we took a family photo. Near Lower Sabie, we saw a lone hippo making its way to the Sabie river.
Less than 2 km away from the camp, we saw a small traffic jam. Knowing that rare animals can usually be found near humans, we also stopped to look. A cheetah made its way in the sand along the bank of the Sabie. This was truly amazing, as neither Tracy nor I have seen a wild cheetah before. We watched for several minutes as it walked, paused, and walked some more. Amazing!
Just outside the Lower Sabie gate is a dam that serves as a watering hole, essential at this time of year. Thereat, we spotted several crocodiles on the bank. Next stop: the camp.
We decided to change our night drive reservation to a sunset drive, because the night drive returns at 10 PM while the sunset drive returns at 7:30 PM. With a 5 AM start time for tomorrow’s morning drive, an earlier return seemed prudent.
Our guide was Petrus, an affable and skilled leader. We saw waterbuck, and a lazy lion on the opposite bank of the Sabie. (In my opinion, the lion barely counts, because it was so far away. In fact, I never properly saw it until I looked at the photos later!) We came upon a male elephant with a pierced ear, probably caused by a rival’s tusk. We also saw a giraffe.
Then things got really exciting. We encountered a leopard sleeping on a branch! After a time, it moved to climb down the trunk. After a pause, it continued down and headed into the bush, presumably to hunt. Amazing!
As we moved on from the leopard, the sun set, providing a nice view of vultures preparing to scavenge a kill. And we got a reminder of just how deadly the bush can be. We saw a hippo carcass, evidence of the draught earlier this year.
All in all, this was an incredibly interesting day. We’re grateful to Petrus for his knowledge and humor on our sunset drive!
—Matt
