Black rhino

Back blipped on 3rd March

A great day.  We got up at 0400, for the 2hr sunrise drive.  We were the only customers.  Our guide was very knowledgeable, and really good at spotting.  We saw animals you won't see during the day, but most memorable was the sunrise, and the wonderful light over the plains and hills.  In extras is an eland in the sun. 

Then we returned to our chalet for breakfast – last Sunday's very delayed or tomorrow's early poached eggs.  And dozed and read for a while.  We then went out for a drive, and saw the rhino.  The park (understandably in view of the poaching problem) doesn't mention rhino in the list of animals to be found here, and we only discovered they were here when our driver pointed one out in the early morning quite a long way away – we would never have seen it without his help.  But the ones we saw in the afternoon were right by the road – you'd have had to be blind to miss them!  They only have a few in the Park, and they're all black rhino, so I can say with confidence that's what these are.

Then we had a meal at the restaurant.  Not a huge choice, but what was on offer was tasty and generous – I asked for a glass of wine and they brought a full glass – none of the half empty glasses you get elsewhere, and I had a very tasty venison bobotie. 

That set us up well for the late evening drive, in the dark.  This time there were 6 of us in the truck.  Once again our driver found some good views, but I didn't even take my camera, I decided to concentrate on enjoying the drive.  The list of things we saw would be tedious for those not on the drive, but probably most memorable for me were the numerous spring hares.  These are in fact not hares at all, but rodents, most closely related to rats, and looking like mini kangaroos in the way they bounce around – W says they should in fact be called kangaroo rats!  We also saw the rear end of gemsbok, which is one of the bucks I had most wanted to see, and a whole herd of buffalo.  Returning to the chalet afterwards I loved the vast sky full of stars – minimal light pollution here.

We’re moving on again tomorrow morning, so I'm back blipping this.  I've also blipped for yesterday should you be interested.