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Cheetah family

Thinking back about this last week, I suddenly realized that we have already (!!) reached the middle of the course… and how, like during all good things, time flies here! But this isn’t very surprising, seeing how interesting and intense our program is.

We all had a really good week last week, because this week was full of new and uncommon events: we went fishing in the Bushman’s River (where we… almost… caught a Catfish); we went to Addo Elephant National Park, where we saw no leopardL, but many elephants, as well as Warthogs and Buffalo at much closer range than in Amakhala – the animals were very relaxed in the park. We also visited the Reptiles and Raptors center – we saw some amazing lizards, snakes and birds (even got to hold some!).

Lunch @ the bushmans river

At the end of the week, we left home for a three-day sleep out on Amakhala, where we saw rhinos mating (!), while actually focusing on trees, grasses and flowers with all their fascinating properties and uses, that Cobus and Jandre explained to us in all the needed details. I think with the knowledge we have gained in the last 3 days, all of us can now survive in the bush without a problem!

On Saturday we even went on a Boat Cruise, where we saw many beautiful river birds while having a 5-star lunch prepared by Amakhala’s best cook: Sarah!

You are probably thinking that with all this, our week couldn’t get any better…

Well, it did!… when we got the chance to observe and assist a group of vet students (with our Amakhala vet, of course) darting our two female cheetahs to give contraception to one and to place a collar on the other one! What an operation! And for once, we could break the rule of minimum viewing distance to dangerous game: normally, its 15m… well we were standing right next to them and even stroking them! What beautiful animals (and they have such smooth tails)!

Journey of Giraffes

 

 

 

 Is it REALLY not possible to freeze time?

– Helene Mertens

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River Bend Lodge: Photography,Wine and Culture

Addo Elephant National Park / Eastern Cape, South Africa

The luxurious River Bend Lodge in association with Mark Drysdale of Wildlife Photography College, will be hosting a Photography Workshop in September 2014.  Mark has identified the River Bend Lodge in the Addo Elephant National Park of South Africa as the ideal location for this specific type of  Course/Workshop, he is developing.  At River Bend the focus will be on photographing Elephants, which are their speciality but sightings of Lions, Buffalo, and any other photographic opportunity will be taken advantage of.

The River Bend Lodge offers an Introduction to Photography Course as part of the inclusive stay at River Bend and Michael is busy developing a more Advanced Module which will be ready by September in time for the high season.

In addition to the Photography Michael also, (on request) hosts an Introduction to South African Wine, which includes the tasting of four Wines.

The River Bend Lodge enjoys a magnificent location in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province.  Set within a private concession of the malaria free, ‘Big Five” Addo Elephant National Park,  the lodge enjoys access to some 17 000 hectares of magnificent African bushveld.  The River Bend Lodge is home to five natural biomes and the variety in the flora and fauna found here is extremely diverse.

 

Book a stay at the River Bend Lodge to experience the untamed adventures of the Addo Elephant National Park!

South African Tourism Company

Tel:    +27 (0)21 794 9050

Mobile: +27 (0)827 823 142

Fax:    +27 (0)21 794 9995

Email:   res@south-african-hotels.com

Website: http://www.south-african-hotels.com

Website: http://www.south-african-lodges.com

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Ryan Mackie

The SANPark’s Honorary Rangers of Addo Elephant National Park are organising their 9th annual golf day on Tuesday, 10th June 2014 at the Port Elizabeth Golf Club.  With the continual threat of poaching within SANParks all money raised on the day will be used to fund counter-poaching activities within Addo Elephant National Park.

Addo Elephant National Park, situated only 40 kilometres from Port Elizabeth conserves the “Big 7″, including Southern Right Whales and Great White Shark. Now the third largest national park in South Africa, Addo Elephant National Park has expanded to conserve a wide diversity of biodiversity, landscapes, fauna and flora. Stretching from the semi-arid karoo area in the north around Darlington Dam, over the rugged Zuurberg Mountains, through the Sundays River valley and south to the coast between Sundays River mouth and Bushman’s river mouth, Addo covers about 180 000 hectares (444 700 acres) and includes the Bird and St Croix Island groups. The Park offers visitors a wide range of accommodation and eco-activities.

Companies and individuals are invited to enter a 4-ball at R1,400 per team and / or sponsor a tee or green for as little as R500. This is an opportunity to associate your company (or yourself) with the conservation efforts of the Addo Elephant National Park. As always, donations of prizes are also very welcome.

Luxury prizes at River Bend Lodge, Gorah Elephant Camp and Kuzuko Lodge are up for grabs.

For further information please contact Charlene at 082 552 6813 or Charlene.Heck@outlook.com

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4×4 Trail

Ride the Bedrogfontein 4 x 4 trail between Kabouga and Darlington and immerse yourself in breathtaking views and early 20th century history. Imagine the perseverance of the early pioneers who traveled by wagon over these rugged mountains. This route was the scene of fierce battles between the British and Afrikaner troops during the Anglo-Boer war.

The route travels through a variety of vegetation types, from riverine thicket, to afromontane forest, to fynbos on the peaks and into the arid nama-karoo of the Darlington area.

Two species of ancient cycads grace the mountain slopes and towering yellowwood trees pierce the sky.

Numerous historical relics can be viewed along the way, including an old wagon.

4x4ers should carry their own water and no fires may be lit along the route. Maximum number of vehicles on the route is six, while it is strongly recommended that at least two vehicles travel together for safety. The route is only suitable for vehicles with 4×4 and low range facilities, both because of terrain and to cause minimum impact on the environment. A grade 5 river crossing is an option, but river conditions should be checked with the ranger. This 45km route can be easily traveled within six hours. There is no cell phone reception along the route.

Accommodation is available at Kabouga House or Mvubu campsite (camping only) on the Kabouga side. On the Darlington side, the luxury Darlington Lake Lodge are available.

The route is self-driven and can be followed either from Darlington to Kabouga or from Kabouga to Darlington. Kabouga is situated about 40 km (one hour’s drive) from the main park entrance, near the town of Kirkwood. Darlington is situated about 150 km (two hour’s drive) from the main park entrance.

The SANPark’s Honorary Rangers of Addo Elephant National Park are organising their 9th annual golf day on Tuesday, 10th June 2014 at the Port Elizabeth Golf Club.  With the continual threat of poaching within SANParks all money raised on the day will be used to fund counter-poaching activities within Addo Elephant National Park.

Addo Elephant National Park, situated only 40 kilometres from Port Elizabeth conserves the “Big 7″, including Southern Right Whales and Great White Shark. Now the third largest national park in South Africa, Addo Elephant National Park has expanded to conserve a wide diversity of biodiversity, landscapes, fauna and flora. Stretching from the semi-arid karoo area in the north around Darlington Dam, over the rugged Zuurberg Mountains, through the Sundays River valley and south to the coast between Sundays River mouth and Bushman’s river mouth, Addo covers about 180 000 hectares (444 700 acres) and includes the Bird and St Croix Island groups. The Park offers visitors a wide range of accommodation and eco-activities.

Companies and individuals are invited to enter a 4-ball at R1,400 per team and / or sponsor a tee or green for as little as R500. This is an opportunity to associate your company (or yourself) with the conservation efforts of the Addo Elephant National Park. As always, donations of prizes are also very welcome.

Luxury prizes at River Bend Lodge, Gorah Elephant Camp and Kuzuko Lodge are up for grabs.

For further information please contact Charlene at 082 552 6813 or Charlene.Heck@outlook.com

The following two tabs change content below.

• Bio
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The weather was overcast, drizzling and cold when we got to the Matyholweni Gate in the Colchester Section of the Addo Elephant National Park. We were informed that no caravans, buses or motorbikes are allowed to travel between this camp and the Main Camp due to steep inclines. Luckily Ufudu has 4×4 capabilities so we had no problem. The Matyholweni Camp has no camping facility but Main Camp still had 2 tent sites available. Tent sites are smaller than caravan sites so we were advised to check it out before deciding to check in.

We took a leisurely drive to Main Camp and stopped along the way to have lunch, one of the advantages of being in Ufudu! We spotted 3 elephant bulls along the way, but that was it as far as elephants go! There were zebra, red hartebeest and kudu as well but they were mostly lying down, apparently due to the cold weather.

Bull elephant

Of course a visit to Addo is not complete without seeing and learning about the Addo Flightless Dung Beetle. Their conservation status is listed as ‘vulnerable’ due to the fact that they have only one nesting sequence per year during which a single offspring is produced. Being flightless they also face many environmental threats, one of them being run over by cars!

Addo Flightless Dung Beetle in the road

We were able to see a wind turbine near the Koega Harbour in the distance, through the haze.

Wind turbine

We were alerted to the presence of lions at the Hapoor Dam so we went to have a look before we got to Main Camp. There were two males sleeping. Very boring, really, and people just sit there for hours watching them do nothing…

Unperturbed by all the attention

Dreaming while soaking up the warmth of the sun

They were still there the next afternoon but at least now they were showing signs of life.

What big teeth you have!

The birding was more rewarding.

Pale Chanting Goshawk

Juvenile Pale Chanting Goshawk. We initially got excited, thinking it was a new species for our list…

Speckled Mousebird

We eventually got to Main Camp and chose the largest of the available tent sites. We had to leave the trailer in the parking lot but at least Ufudu and Suzi fitted snugly. It was not too bad and we were very happy to be able to stay for two nights.

Squeezed into tent site (T9)

The night was really cold but we were brave and got out rather early the next day. It was worth it. The photos are not too great due to low light/overcast conditions but hey, we had some great sightings.

Denham’s Bustard

A very cold and miserable Southern Black Korhaan

Bokmakierie

Red-necked Spurfowl

Black-backed Jackal

There were numerous Warthog and all were in very good condition but very light in colour, unlike the normal grey that we are used to. We suspect it is because of the mud they have been rolling in. Warthog were apparently only re-introduced to the Park during the 1990’s.

Warthog

Main Camp itself is really great and we spent quite some time working our way through all the facilities. They cater for the whole family with facilities such as a bird hide, an interpretive centre, a play area for little people, a wheelchair friendly discovery trail, Cattle Baron restaurant, etc.

Ulwazi Interpretive Centre with Hapoor’s head mounted on the wall

‘Elephant’ gym

Milkweed Bug on Ivy-leaved Geranium seen on the discovery trail

We also saw two bachelor buffalo and a small herd of elephant. By all accounts we were lucky because everyone we chatted to said they had no good sightings!

After 2 nights we moved on to the Kabouga Section of the Park. We checked in at the Mvubu rustic camp for 2 nights. It was stunning. Just us, no electricity and a pipe shower (again). I had a friend years ago that had the theory: if you encounter something for the first time, you will encounter it again within 48 hours. She was right again!

The Mvubu camp is situated on the banks of the Sundays River which was very murky. Roger thinks it is because the Sundays River is supplemented by water pumped from the Orange River.

Lookout over the Sundays River at Mvubu campsite

From Mvubu camp we went on a 4×4 trail up the Zuurberg Mountain. We did the full trail a number of years ago, all the way to the Darlington Dam. This time we only went to the top of the pass and then back down to our camp. It took us the best part of 7 hours to complete!

Very pregnant Black-backed Jackal encountered on the 4×4 trail

Suzi negotiating a rocky river bed

Ancient cycads encountered high up on the trail

Example of folds in the mountain

Lunch on the run

View from the top of the Zuurberg

The evenings at Mvubu camp were glorious. Starry skies, a Scops Owl calling incessantly, wood fire burning….

When we left the park after our last night we saw an excellent example of a dyke, which is a vertical intrusion of magma. The surrounding softer structures are all weathered away, leaving only the dyke standing.

Dyke outside park gate. Looks like a built wall!

Next stop Port Elizabeth where Kevin will be joining us for a few days.

Article source: http://www.thereandbackut.com/addo-elephant-park/

Situated in the Eastern Cape, just a short distance from nearby coastal city Port Elizabeth, the Addo Elephant National Park is the third largest of South Africa’s wildlife conservation areas. Spanning 1640 square kilometers, Addo was originally founded in an effort to save the remaining 11 elephants in the region, and has garnered such success that the population now hovers around an overly healthy 450. In addition to these majestic giants, the park is also home to approximately 400 cape buffalo, 48 endangered black rhinos and more recently lion and spotted hyena. As the population of elephant and rhinoceros mega-vores increases, certain plant species become subject to over-grazing and trampling, with a real threat of extinction, and thus the re-introduction of top carnivores has emerged as a requirement for sustainability.

Typical rolling hill landscape at the Addo Elephant National Park

After crossing through the main entrance to Addo, our giant truck looped its way through two tourist tracks, and provided a short but pleasant welcome safari to the park. As anticipated, we met several kudu, a flock of wild ostrich, some Pumbaa’s and Timon’s, and to my great enjoyment, a spotted black-backed jackal. Perhaps the funniest creature we encountered was not a mammal at all, but instead a rather large, flightless insect. The flightless dung beetle (Circellium bacchus) is endemic to South Africa, and Addo is one of only two locations where it still survives. As a consequence of being flightless, it has low breeding capacity and low dispersability. Its survival is strictly dependent on the feces of large vertebrates (eg. elephant and buffalo) on which it feeds. YUM!

Flightless dung beetle rolling up a ball of delicious SHIT for this evening’s fine dining experience!

Do you see what I see? NOT the Kudu!

The spectacular horns of the male kudu can grow as long as 72 inches!

Never really thought I would see an ostrich in the wild, but low and behold, here she be!

Fossil records indicate the spotted black-backed jackal is the oldest extant member of the genus Canus. Although he is the smallest of the jackals, he is also the most aggressive and entirely capable of hunting animals many times his size.

I’m a sensitive soul, though I seem thick-skinned ~ Pumbaa

Once settled in to camp (which featured a swimming pool!), I was admittedly getting close to my wits end with annoying girl, and in an effort to chill out a bit, I took a much-needed break from the group to explore camp on my own. This was really quite nice, as it gave me the opportunity to  morph back into Bird Lady, and get up close and personal with some of the local avian species….something not many others were interested in doing. Smiling at a group of colorful, chirping yellow weavers really did wonders for calming my mood and rejuvenating the depleted patience stores.

Nesting Egyptian Goose

Southern Red Bishop

Cape Weaver (front) and Southern Masked Weaver (back)

With my soothing bird break logged in the books, I was ready to rejoin the group and opted to take  a night safari with three of my new tour mates. It was the perfect opportunity to get to know the newcomers on a more personal level, and I was very thankful that we were able to spend some time together….mostly because it finally enabled me to fully embrace the change in group dynamic and begin to wholly enjoy these three new personalities (who I now would not trade for the world!). Although the night safari was mostly marred by chilly, pouring rain, I can definitely report that one experience I will NEVER forget is the eons of seconds I spent staring into the face of a gigantic elephant who was just as shocked to run into our truck as we were to run into it!

My what sharp tusks you have!

Kudu are so abundant you can even find them in the rain in the dead of night!

Elephant sighting at a much safer distance!

Although our stay in the Addo Elephant National Park was a very short, single day, I was once again in awe of Mother Nature. This amazement would only strengthen as we departed Addo’s gates in the midst of a glorious sunrise, and was surely cemented in my mind as a true wonder upon our sunset arrival at the Tsitsikamma National Park. That is a bit of a teaser, but you’ll have to wait until next time for stories and photos of my journey along the astounding Otter Trail at Tsitsikamma, the greatest camping site on earth!

Sunrise over the Addo Elephant National Park bidding us farewell as we journey onward down the coast to Tsitsikamma

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Deanna Tremblay

Article source: http://niffasrx.com/2014/04/19/on-safari-at-the-addo-elephant-national-park/

Situated in the Eastern Cape, just a short distance from nearby coastal city Port Elizabeth, the Addo Elephant National Park is the third largest of South Africa’s wildlife conservation areas. Spanning 1640 square kilometers, Addo was originally founded in an effort to save the remaining 11 elephants in the region, and has garnered such success that the population now hovers around an overly healthy 450. In addition to these majestic giants, the park is also home to approximately 400 cape buffalo, 48 endangered black rhinos and more recently lion and spotted hyena. As the population of elephant and rhinoceros mega-vores increases, certain plant species become subject to over-grazing and trampling, with a real threat of extinction, and thus the re-introduction of top carnivores has emerged as a requirement for sustainability.

Typical rolling hill landscape at the Addo Elephant National Park

After crossing through the main entrance to Addo, our giant truck looped its way through two tourist tracks, and provided a short but pleasant welcome safari to the park. As anticipated, we met several kudu, a flock of wild ostrich, some Pumbaa’s and Timon’s, and to my great enjoyment, a spotted black-backed jackal. Perhaps the funniest creature we encountered was not a mammal at all, but instead a rather large, flightless insect. The flightless dung beetle (Circellium bacchus) is endemic to South Africa, and Addo is one of only two locations where it still survives. As a consequence of being flightless, it has low breeding capacity and low dispersability. Its survival is strictly dependent on the feces of large vertebrates (eg. elephant and buffalo) on which it feeds. YUM!

Flightless dung beetle rolling up a ball of delicious SHIT for this evening’s fine dining experience!

Do you see what I see? NOT the Kudu!

The spectacular horns of the male kudu can grow as long as 72 inches!

Never really thought I would see an ostrich in the wild, but low and behold, here she be!

Fossil records indicate the spotted black-backed jackal is the oldest extant member of the genus Canus. Although he is the smallest of the jackals, he is also the most aggressive and entirely capable of hunting animals many times his size.

I’m a sensitive soul, though I seem thick-skinned ~ Pumbaa

Once settled in to camp (which featured a swimming pool!), I was admittedly getting close to my wits end with annoying girl, and in an effort to chill out a bit, I took a much-needed break from the group to explore camp on my own. This was really quite nice, as it gave me the opportunity to  morph back into Bird Lady, and get up close and personal with some of the local avian species….something not many others were interested in doing. Smiling at a group of colorful, chirping yellow weavers really did wonders for calming my mood and rejuvenating the depleted patience stores.

Nesting Egyptian Goose

Southern Red Bishop

Cape Weaver (front) and Southern Masked Weaver (back)

With my soothing bird break logged in the books, I was ready to rejoin the group and opted to take  a night safari with three of my new tour mates. It was the perfect opportunity to get to know the newcomers on a more personal level, and I was very thankful that we were able to spend some time together….mostly because it finally enabled me to fully embrace the change in group dynamic and begin to wholly enjoy these three new personalities (who I now would not trade for the world!). Although the night safari was mostly marred by chilly, pouring rain, I can definitely report that one experience I will NEVER forget is the eons of seconds I spent staring into the face of a gigantic elephant who was just as shocked to run into our truck as we were to run into it!

My what sharp tusks you have!

Kudu are so abundant you can even find them in the rain in the dead of night!

Elephant sighting at a much safer distance!

Although our stay in the Addo Elephant National Park was a very short, single day, I was once again in awe of Mother Nature. This amazement would only strengthen as we departed Addo’s gates in the midst of a glorious sunrise, and was surely cemented in my mind as a true wonder upon our sunset arrival at the Tsitsikamma National Park. That is a bit of a teaser, but you’ll have to wait until next time for stories and photos of my journey along the astounding Otter Trail at Tsitsikamma, the greatest camping site on earth!

Sunrise over the Addo Elephant National Park bidding us farewell as we journey onward down the coast to Tsitsikamma

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Deanna Tremblay

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Part two of my fall recess was just as exciting as part one! We were picked up in a bg van on Wednesday morning by Hendrik and Chrissie of Earthstompers Adventures. They were the nicest couple ever. They met when Chrissie came on one of Hendrik’s tours and she moved from the States to South Africa to marry him and help him manage the tour company. They were both a lot of fun to chat with! We started out our Wednesday morning with a hike in the Tsitsikamma forest. We hiked to a suspension bridge and hung out there for a bit before returning for a picnic lunch. The scenery along the Garden Route is stunningly beautiful and dramatic. Huge mountains full of plants and trees rise right along the ocean with rock studded coasts. South Africa has many dramatic sights and the Garden Route is definitely one of my favorites so far!

The suspension bridge in Tsitsikamma

The beautiful scenery along the Garden route

After Tsitsikamma we got into the van where it promptly started to pour! We had some great rain timing throughout this trip! After a couple of hours we arrived at our cabins for the night. They were located along a river with kayaks and a paddle board. A couple of us decided to go swimming in the river. It was rather cold at first but eventually we got used to it! After we got out it started to pour and continued to pour for the rest of the night. After dinner we all headed to bed. I was asleep by 9, probably the earliest I’ve gone to bed since I came to South Africa!

Hanging out in the river

When we woke up it was still raining but we continued onward to Addo Elephant Park. Addo was originally created to help preserve the eleven remaining elephants in the area and now has over 450 wild elephants and many other animals. The first hour of our safari was incredibly slow. We did not really see any animals. It was raining so many of the animals were trying to take cover from the rain and the park is huge so it can be hard to spot them. But then luck turned in our favor and we saw two lions chilling in the rain. They were brothers and they looked miserable but it was incredibly exciting to see them just chilling. After that we started to see more animals. We saw quite a few elephants including some babies with their moms. We saw several antelope type animals and even a dung beetle. The most exciting sighting though was another three lions, 2 males and a female. They were hanging out super close to the road and it was mating season so we even got to see lions mating first hand. Lion King wasn’t too far off with its circle of life song. After we had our fill of animals we headed off to Jeffrey’s Bay to our next hostel!

This picture reminds me of Lion King

Elephants at Addo!

The lions being miserable in the rain

Jeffrey’s Bay is a famous surf town along the coast. They have the World Surfing Championships there and it is quite the popular surfing destination. My balance is off on land and being in the water wouldn’t make it any better so I decided to shop instead of trying my hand at surfing! We stayed at Island Vibes hostel which was also pretty cool. They have a hopping bar there that we spent the rest of the night at! Friday morning we woke up to try and watch the sunrise but yet once again it was raining. We all packed back into the van for a long drive to our final stop at Up the Creek camp on the Breede River. It was a pretty rustic camp with A-frame two bed cabins. I was in heaven being so close to the outdoors without actually having to sleep on the ground but that sentiment was not as widely shared! We had a great dinner and another roaring campfire. On Saturday morning we woke up and got an orientation before we started our rafting. We were in two person blow up rafts that were almost like kayaks. We kayaked for a bit down the river, including some smaller rapids. We beached, had lunch and then continued down the river to do some more rapids and paddling. It wasn’t exactly what I was picturing but I still really enjoyed it. We had yet another amazing dinner and fire and headed to bed for our last night before our return to Stellies.

AIFS takes over J-Bay!

Frolicking in Jeffrey’s Bay (photo credit Juliana)

Up the River Camp

The river we rafted!

On Sunday we packed up and started the scenic route back to Stellenbosch. We stopped by Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of Africa and also the geographical location where the Atlantic and Indian Ocean meet each other. It was super windy and we snapped some pictures and got in the van to head to Hermanus. Hermanus is known for its whale watching during the winter months. We were lucky enough to spot a whale after we gabbed lunch hanging out in the harbor! It doesn’t look that big because you can only see one part of the whale at a time, like it’s blowhole or its tail, but they are massive! After lunch we headed back to Stellenbosch, home sweet home for right now. I only have 2 months left and I plan on taking advantage of everything possible in South Africa! I can’t wait to see where my next adventures will take me!

Red Raider pride on the tip of Africa!

 

With love from South Africa, Colleen

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Article source: http://adventuresofcolleen.wordpress.com/2014/04/09/addo-elephant-park-and-other-adventures/

Africa » South Africa » Eastern Cape » Cradock
March 8th 2014

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RamblingRosies
1403-140 Church in CraddockAddo Elephant National Park to Mountain Zebra National Park (222km or 138 miles), Saturday, March 8^th. Completely overcast today.

Before leaving Addo, we stopped at the gift shop to buy T-shirts and to look around at the various items for sale. We then hit the road going out the Park Gate and turning right toward the community of Paterson. Just outside the gate, was a troop of vervet monkeys, a herd of impalas, and several spur-fowl with red feet and beaks. We continued driving along the Park fence line for several miles.

Fencing for these animal parks and reserves, in this part of the world, is FENCING in all caps. They must withstand a bull elephant leaning on them and keep antelope from jumping over and out and hopefully deter poachers, so they are about 6-8 feet tall with strong round wooden posts set about every 5 feet. Heavy wire mesh is strung between the posts and the whole thing is topped with barbed wire and is electrified. If you looked closely at the picture of the two male lions on one side of the fence and the female on the other in the last blog entry, you coud

1403-141 Cape Mountain Zebrasee the fencing between them. This is a double fence; one on each side of the boundary line. You can imagine the amount of fencing needed to enclose these humongous National Parks. This fencing also goes around reception areas, residences, cabins, and camping areas within the park to keep elephants and lions/cheetah/hyenas, etc. out. The fence gates are also closed and locked by a certain time. Along with the fencing, there are guards at each of the gates and patrols constantly watching for poachers.

Now heading due north toward the town of Cradock on the N-10, we crossed over a number of passes with very steep grades. Seeing lots of trucks going this way most likely from and toward Port Elizabeth. Construction, construction, construction–-forcing us to stop and wait for cars coming the other way before we can proceed. Most of the “flag” people are young women. Several we talked to said that they worked a 12-hour shift, 7 days a week, every other week. In many construction areas, the road that they have completed/constructed, but not opened, often had branches or tree limbs placed along it every so often to keep cars off, we guess. Along this stretch

1403-142 Red Hartebeestof road, they had softball size rocks neatly placed across the width of the pavement in row after row 2 to 3 feet apart. The amount of hand labor this entails is mind boggling for us.

Needing a break from the rigors of this construction, we stopped at a farm stall at the very end. This was a place called “Daggaboer” and we joined several of our group here eating a snacks or lunches. Valerie ordered a sausage roll and I ordered a piece of cheese pie, not quite cheesecake as we know it, but still good. Valerie’s sausage roll was about a foot long of meat wrapped in a flaky crust. It was served with homemade peach chutney. We left there with two more frozen rolls and a bottle of their chutney. Wished along the way we bought more as we just popped them in the microwave and one was enough for both of us for lunch.

After about 197 km of driving, we began to follow the brown signs to Mountain Zebra National Park. By the way, if you are British or South African; zebra is pronounced with a short “e” sound and not as we

1403-143 European RollerAmerican’s do with a long “e”, saying zee—bra to their zeb ra.

There is now over 700 Cape mountain zebra in this Park, which was originally established in 1937 to save this species from extinction. It started with a small founder herd of only 6 zebra on 4,230 acres of land. By purchasing 9 adjacent farms, over the years, the park has grown to 70,207 acres. Cheetah were reintroduced in 2007, becoming the first large predators in the Park.

There is only one gate into the park and it comes off of R-61. We entered the gate and then registered and were given a map of the self-drive roads. We decided that since we were several miles from the campground and it was still early that we would drive a couple of loops before settling down for the night. Right as we entered the park lands we spotted Black Wildebeest and herds of antelope.

We started on the Ubejane Loop that went by a large pond. Along this way, we saw our first European Roller that sat on a branch and was happy to pose for us. We saw/watched a number of birds along the shore of

1403-144 Ostriches and park bluffthe pond and then turned onto the Link road. This road went straight up onto a grassy plateau and there we saw several different kinds of antelope: Blesbok, Red-hartebeest, Grey Rhebok, and herds of the Cape Mountain zebra. This zebra is different from the Burchell’s zebra, which has narrower stripes. We also saw ostrich, blue Cranes, and the pale Chanting Goshawk among other song type birds.

We turned north on the Rooiplaat Loop that then crossed into the Kranskop Loop, which would take us into camp. As we were creeping along this very rocky section with very high grass, I had Valerie stop and help me decide if I was seeing a cat head or a rock laying in the grass. We both studied the image carefully for some time and never saw movement, but Valerie took many shots from different positions hoping they would show something when she downloaded the photo onto the computer and enlarged it.

Going straight down off the plateau with heart-stopping sharp curves we entered the campground and found a grassy place in the shade to park and hook up. We were warned to keep all windows and vents closed because the monkeys

1403-145 Turtle at watering holeand baboons liked to get into the units after food.

Just before dusk, we walked up to the reception area/restaurant where we sat on chairs placed on the grass for us to watch a cultural song/chanting and dance show. If the tribe doing the dancing was mentioned, I don’t remember—it seemed to be as small group that was an extended family or a dance troupe. There were quite a number of songs that we would have liked to have had an introduction to, or translation of, as they seemed to be very emotional in tone. At one point they brought about half the group up to dance with them. As you can see from the photo I shot of Valerie, some were better than others—not mentioning any names. For a video sample of their performance, see: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10203375951460842set=vb.1273183320type=2theater

When the show was over, we went into the restaurant where a buffet of lamb, venison (I think kudu tonight), and salads were served for dinner. After the dinner we used our flashlights to walk back to our campsites with the group and headed for bed.

Mountain Zebra National Park–Sunday morning, March 9^th.

The first thing we

1403-146 Lily-like plantdid this morning was to go to the reception area and speak with the Ranger on duty. We had spoken with her the night before and she said she would be happy to look at our photos we took of the rock/cat and help confirm what we thought we were seeing. Valerie opened up her computer to a picture of the possible cat and the ranger immediately exclaimed that the picture was of one of their Cheetahs and that she had 3 cubs by her side. It was the cubs at her side that had also blurred/confused our outline/impression/identification of rocks or cat.

Leaving reception, oh so excited, we got on our way out this morning. We decided to take it slow driving back toward the entrance gate and then turning off to drive one of the legs on the Ubejane Loop we missed doing the day before. This is an area that had some large trees and we saw a number of birds along this route.

As we were going along, we were leap frogging a white sedan–we would stop and they would go around and then they would stop, and we would go around them. One

1403-147 Big old spidertime Valerie responded to their question of “what are you looking at?” by answering “birds.” They replied that they were also. So, we showed them some photos we had taken for them to ID the birds, which they happily did. It was nice to interact with some more South African birders!!

We turned up the loop for 3.9 km and then turned back by the pond and toward the exit gate. In a flatish, cleared area we saw a bunch of ground squirrels sitting up really cute like they do all over-–we have pics of them in Alaska in Denali (where the rangers referred to them as grizzly snacks) and Roosevelt National Parks in North Dakota where they happily co-exist with the Buffalo. Anyway, I digress ‘cause I don’t want to write about this–-we were both looking at the squirrels when I trained my binoculars on a rather large round shape very close by and immediately exclaimed that there was a snake curled up there and then further exclaimed as I watched, that it was a cobra. As the cobra uncurled and started toward the ground squirrels, I watched in horror as they seemed to run at it. I

1403-148 Yellow mongoosecouldn’t understand the behavior. Valerie was snapping away and I was looking away when the snake disappeared and all was very quiet.

While this was all happening, a car coming the other way could not get by us as we had taken up most of the roadside, so we pointed to the ground to show what we were looking at. As we finally slid by (since the show was over) we realized that the man driving was a park ranger. We asked about the behavior of the squirrels and he said they were most likely trying to protect their young and that was why they were running at the snake. That the snake was a Cape Cobra and that he slithered down the squirrel den after their young–-sob! I had a hard time blocking out that image that night.

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