Kruger Game Park, South Africa - Part 3

Thursday 24 November 2005

We were up at 3.50. I think Joy was surprised to find us awake and about. We set out shortly after and spent the next 14 hours on a game drive with stops for breakfast and lunch and rest stops for the toilets. 
What rewards we have had today - as we drove out of the gate at Skukuza a ‘gaggle’ of banded mongoose went romping by. They caught us by surprise. The lighting was poor and the flash useless
We watched a small elephant family having a mud bath. When he saw us he ran forward a few steps and trumpeted at us to show us who was boss.
Later we saw a large herd of elephant of all ages which crossed the road in front of us and soon had us surrounded. Joy had, of course stopped and switched off the engine. One elephant auntie was just a few yards away and looked aggressive for a moment, just to warn us off, but then ambled off. It was a very exciting few moments. One moment they are there and the next they have disappeared into the bush.

As the day progressed we saw impala, rhino, buffalo, crocodile and baboons etc before we arrived at a place where lions had made a kill and were sleeping off their meal.



We saw much else and had an excellent game viewing day but the elephants made it for us. They were what we wanted to see.
When we returned to Skukuza it was to discover that the monkeys had raided the fridge and taken all the bananas and other fruit and had made quite a mess. The maid had cleaned it up but I think she was worried in case we thought she had stolen the fruit.
As we sat after dinner a yoghurt pot fell out of the tree next to the bungalow. And two bush babies appeared. Joy ran for the torch so that Joe could film them.