My, what big teeth you have!

We were up at 5am this morning for our last game drive. And what a game drive it was, as we saw so much - rhino, elephants, giraffe, wildebeest, different antelope, hippos, baboons, crocodiles and lions. 

The four lionesses we saw hidden behind the thick vegetation yesterday had moved right to the entrance of one of the lodges. When we got there we could not see them clearly but as it was more than 24 hours since the last rainfall, our ranger was allowed to drive right up to them. That rule exists because every four years at the end of winter the bushveldt is burnt to clear the undergrowth to encourage new growth. Vehicles are then not allowed to drive over the new growth when the ground is soft from the rain. This area had been controlled burnt 3 weeks ago so that rule applied. 

Phinda is part of a group that is partly owned by the Getty family. What makes this group admirable are their ethics and policies they apply to the animals, the landscape, the local community (which gets much support) and their staff. Their environmental and societal standards are very high. 

After a final hearty breakfast we said goodbye to our excellent ranger Jan and tracker Malusi, went and packed up and left. 

The journey from Phinda in northern KwaZulu Natal to the Drakensberg mountains in the western part of KwaZulu Natal took about 7 hours. There was a 30km section that was a dirt road under construction and I am not sure how we actually got through it without a 4x4 vehicle, it was very rocky and progress was slow. Along the main roads cows and goats wander into the road having no regard for a vehicle travelling at 120km, so it was quite stressful driving this journey. 

The countryside was beautiful and green with plenty of water. It was good to see schools in the tiniest rural settlements full of children neatly dressed in their school uniforms. Not so good to see the litter lying on the side of the roads near settlements but I presume there is no refuse collection in these outlying areas.


We have now arrived in the beautiful mountains, and we look forward to spending a few days here with my family