Sunday, September 17, 2023
Today was our full day of safariing at Idube. We again witnessed a glorious African sunrise early in our morning excursion. While driving about, we spotted more rhinos and elephants, then an announcement came over the radio and off we sped to another leopard sighting. When we arrived, the leopard was lying about and occasionally yawning. We sat nearby for a long time mesmerized and snapping photos. Eventually, it got up and walked near our vehicle, this time right below my side, then wandered off.
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| Another African Sunrise |
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| Rhino Crossing |
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| Leopard Relaxing |
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| Yawing |
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| Moving On |
Joas then moved the vehicle and found a nice place to park for our morning coffee break. Shortly after break, we were dropped off for our bush walk back to the lodge. Joas led us and Congive drove the vehicle back to the lodge. We started on a road but eventually turned onto a path that hippos had blazed to move between watering holes. We further expanded our knowledge of tracking, skat, and local plants and birds. We didn’t spot any animals until we approached the lodge outskirts where a herd of elephants seemed to perpetually reside.
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| Morning Coffee Break |
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| Returning to the Lodge after our Bush Walk |
Back at the lodge, we both decided to skip lunch. Jane rested in our cottage while I found a comfortable chair to blog from in the lodge’s den. My computer battery was about to die when one of the guides came and asked if he could turn on the TV. The South African Springboks were up against Romania in the second round of the Rugby World Cup; A. Big. Deal. So, I watched and received an education on rugby rules and strategies. It was obvious, even to a novice fan like me, that the Springboks were clearly the better team. They led 33-0 near the end of second half when I had to leave to go on the afternoon safari ride. (Later, I learned the lopsided final score was 76-0). Because we had skipped lunch, the staff tracked me down while I was watching the match to get our safari drink and dinner orders.
On afternoon safari, we started with numerous sightings: African buffalo, rhinos and a giraffe. Then, responding to a radio tip, Joas navigated to an open area where two lionesses were lying around digested a meal. We approached quite close but they only seemed interested in sleeping off their recent feast.
From there, we experienced more sightings and eventually Joas found a spot near the watering hole for drinks as the skies darkened before heading back to the lodge.
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| Buffalo Crossing |
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| Mom & Baby Rhinos |
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| Giraffe |
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| Wallowing Lionesses |
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| Hornbill |
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| Jane befriends another Elephant |
Our appetites had returned so after evening drinks, Jane and I dug into our delicious dinner. After being escorted back to our cottage, we packed up as much as we could and then hit the sack early.
Ramble on!
Spectacular!