Showdown at the Airstrip

Monday, September 18, 2023

We embarked on our final safari drive this morning and it was a memorable one. Our vehicle was the first one out of the Idube gate and Joas had a destination in mind. After driving awhile, he stopped and found lion tracks in the road. We continued on awhile, then he dropped Congive off to scout, drove a little further, and parked in a small opening beside some thick brush. We heard some animal sounds nearby. Joas left us in the vehicle alone and went to help scout. He returned shortly, unzipped his rifle that had been laying across the dashboard, loaded it, and armed, headed back into the bush. We novice safariites waited anxiously for what seemed like a long, long time, but was probably about ten minutes. Finally, both Joas and Congive safely returned. They believed that a lion had made a kill nearby but that a pack of hyenas had taken it and all were gone. Oh, well, such are the vagaries of a safari.

Lion Tracks

Impala

Joas & Congive return to the Vehicle after Scouting

Elephant

Meanwhile, another vehicle had spotted a leopard, so we moved on in hopes of observing it. When we arrived, sure enough, there was a satiated leopard sleeping off a recent feast. We observed close up while it laid about, rolling over occasionally.

Leopard

Sleeping Soundly

Sweet Dreams

After the the leopard stop, we moved on to another sighting, African wild dogs. We had seen a large pack of wild dogs previously on our transfer from Lukimbi to Idube but they were too far from the roadside to get a good view. Here, a small pack of four wild dogs were hunkered down in thickets. Joas was able to position our vehicle close enough for a good look albeit through the thickets that the dogs were lying in. While we were snapping pictures, an elephant approached the thickets from our left side. 

Shortly, after our guide mentioned that elephants hate wild dogs, the elephant raised its trunk, emitted a loud bellow, and charged the dogs! It flushed the dogs from their hiding places and continued chasing them through the thickets into a large grassy field. It all happened too fast for us to photograph it, but Joas positioned our vehicle on the edge of the field, which I later realized was an airstrip, so that we had a great unobstructed view of the action which we were able to photograph and video record. 

The four dogs spread out in the field forcing the elephant to confront only one of them at a time. The elephant approached a single dog, stared it down for awhile, and then charged while the other dogs calmly sat down and watched. The dogs were faster than the elephant but the elephant was persistent and continued pursuing one dog at a time. This amusement continued for about half an hour before the elephant decided that the dogs had learned their lesson and wandered off the other side of the field into the bush. As the elephant departed, a hyena that had been trailing the dogs emerged onto the field. Hyenas often track dogs to scavenge the remains of their meals and munch on the bones that the dogs cannot digest.

African Wild Dog

Standoff

Enemies

Trailing Hyena

During the showdown, our 8:30 am return time to the lodge passed and Jane & I were concerned about missing our 10:00 am transfer to the airport. But, we returned directly to the lodge (without coffee break) arriving about 9:00. Jane & I rushed to our cottage where we quickly packed up and I forewent my planned shave and shower. We rolled our luggage to the lodge, ate breakfast, and upon returning to the lodge were greeted by our familiar driver, Chris, who had already loaded our luggage. I went inside to settle the bill and gratuities. As we drove off Joas, Congive and the Idube staff said their goodbyes and waved us off on our journey.

We saw more animal sightings on our way out and as we exited Kruger, Chris said, “The fun ends here”. After about a two-hour-long trip, Chris dropped us off at the departures building of Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport and we said our final goodbyes. We quickly checked our bags and had about an hour to wander through the airport shoppes full of interesting African souvenirs. Our Airlink flight to Cape Town went smoothly. Jane had a window seat and as we got neared our destination, had nice views of the coastline. Our arranged driver was not around as we entered the arrivals area. I called the company (Kwathlano) from the information desk and while waiting there, Jane, who had gone scouting, returned with the driver and we headed out for the Commodore Hotel in Cape Town.

Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport – Departures

Our Flight to Cape Town

Along the Indian Ocean Coast

Our Cape Town Transfer & Tour Company

Let the Feast Begin!

Commodore Hotel

Go Boks!