SOUTH
AFRICA
26th October - 11th November 2007
Part 5 The Garden Route
Thursday - Sunday Home Page
Thursday 8th November
We woke to a
beautiful sunny day. Our hotel was right alongside the beach at
Jeffreys Bay which is known as the best surfing beach in the
world.
Although today the surf was not brilliant there
was still quite a number of young men out in the water waiting for
a suitable wave.
Every now and then a good wave would come and they
would paddle hard to get going and then jump up onto their feet.
These waves are called tubes and the skill is to
keep just away from the breaking part and travel along with the
great tube of the wave. We stayed here for half the morning
resting and watching the surfers.
Addo Elephant Park this afternoon
Leopard Tortoise
Warthog
Lioness
Elephant
Female Kudu
Male Ostrich
Female Ostrich
Female Kudu
Red Hartebeast
Female Koraan
Adeeda Ibis
Adeeda Ibis
Friday 9th November
We woke up this
morning and looked out of our windows to see two elephants and a
pair of warthogs walking past. As soon as we had eaten breakfast
and packed our cases we were off again in our mini bus to see what
we could find before leaving the Addo park. Our first find were
some more Hartebeasts enjoying a drink at a waterhole before the
elephants pushed them out.
Then our first close sightings of Zebra.
The elephants had found another waterhole and were
having a wonderful time swimming and covering themselves with mud.
By the time they had finished, the water would not have been fit
for drinking by anything.
Then, back into the mini bus and Benoit drove us
for about an hour and a half to find the Anakhala private game
reserve. Here we were given individual chalets. Each with every
comfort you could imagine, including the fact that all drinks were
included. Naturally Derek and I immediately opened two very fine
bottles of white wine that we found in our fridges.
At 4:00 pm we got into big jeeps and were driven
into the park by the chief ranger. Our first sighting was a
Black Wildebeast.
Then we found a small group of giraffes.
One of their white rhinos appeared.
At 6.00 pm it was time for the sundowner. Parked
in a safe place we all got out and our ranger produced enormous
metal mugs filled with ice cold gins. There was also a plate of
biscuits and brie cheese. We all agreed that it was the best
safari we could possibly have.
Back in the jeep when we had finished our drinks,
and with the light rapidly fading we saw some Zebras
and an Oryx.
Saturday 10th November
We were up early
for coffee and biscuits at 7.00 before setting off on the early
morning trip in the Jeep which left at 7.30.
A timid red Hartebeest running away from us.
Two white Rhinos let us take the Jeep really close
to them.
After two hours we left the jeep at this little
lodge where Mike, our ranger gave us all coffee.
It was a lovely spot looking out over the river.
We hope to have a river trip tomorrow morning.
We found a small herd of buffalo with a baby that
was probably only a few hours old.
Baby buffalo with its mother.
A mixed herd of Oryx and Eland Antelopes.
Water Buck
After brunch and a few hours of rest we had high
tea and then at 3.30 pm set off again to look for lions. We never
found any but had our first sighting of a Springbok.
An Egyptian Goose with her young family
A large herd of Impala,
and two young female giraffes.
Sunday 11th November
Our last day before
flying home. We had our early morning coffee watched closely by
the monkeys who had woken us by dancing on the roofs of our
houses.
We then drove through the park stopping to have
last glimpses of many animals including the white Rhinos.
We parked by the river and found our small motor
boat that was to take us for a trip down the river.
Here we saw lots of wonderful birds including this
Kingfisher.
Back once more at our camp we had a chance to
clean up again before our 11.00 am brunch. Finally it was back
once more to our own mini bus for Benoit to drive us to Port
Elizabeth airport for our flight back to Cape Town and from there
our long over night flight back to London.
Certainly a holiday that we shall remember for a
very long time.
