Leeu, and Ystervark, and strandwolf, oh my!

[kittykat23uk]

OK that sounds very promising for a future visit sometime. I did get a glimpse of the riverine rabbit but would love to see one properly 😁

[douglaswise]

@Frostfire

 

I have been reading your TR with interest.  In late August and early September this year my wife and I visited South Africa.  Our primary purpose was to fly fish the Pongola Dam In Natal for tiger fish for the first few days of September.  Given the travel involved from the UK, we opted to bolton an extra week and, having read eulogies on this site about night mammal viewing at Marricks, I opted to spend six nights there despite the inconvenient statistics.  I booked five nights of game viewing at Marricks and we spent about 20 hours getting cold!  On three nights, we were on our own in the vehicle but were joined on two occasions by South African friends who visited us there. (They politely declined a third night and, if we hadn't pre-paid, I'd have opted out as well.)  We saw plenty of aardwolves and hares with some close sightings.  We saw the eyes of half a dozen wild cats at a considerable distance and, we were told, those of a black-footed cat - even the spotter was uncertain because of the extreme distance.  Apparently, we were shown one aardvark over the five nights but all I saw was an unidentifiable moving blur in long grass about 80 metres away. I was told that the relative absence of sightings of this species was attributable either to excessively long vegetation due to exceptional prior rains or to predation by brown hyaenas.  We were also informed that two, dark moving objects about 100 metres away were porcupines. We had a single reasonable sighting of a bat eared fox.  It seems, therefore, that you did better than we did although having suffered for only 40% of the time! 

 

The tame meerkats were no longer tame although we did see one party high tailing it in the distance.  A couple of hours in a bird hide produced no birds (the main hides had, I think, been burnt in a recent fire so we went to a minor one.)  We did see the occasional sengi when our attendants beat out the rocks for us.  I am reluctant to sound negative and would have been less so hadn't we already seen plenty of aardwolves and hares in a previous visit to the Northern Cape.  We were very well fed and looked after at Marricks (we stayed in the main building and didn't self cater).  Barring the night drives, everything was extremely affordable and the offsite visits were interesting and enjoyable.  I would endorse your positive comments about Mokala which we visited twice.  We also "did" the Big Hole.  In addition, we spent two days with Brian Culver who took us to excellent birding sites in the area as well as to a private membership game reserve.  Overall, an interesting area and a good place to stay.  I'm not sure, though, that I'd have gone all that way if I had realised that the night drives would be so far below my expectations.  The fishing in Natal, however, was brilliant.

 

Sorry to have butted in to your thread but I wished to endorse what you wrote about areas where we overlapped.

[kittykat23uk]

That's a shame about the meerkats as I had a lovely time with them at marrick. I also scored Smiths red rock rabbit, aardvark and black footed cat there but my sightings of aardwolf were distant. You did well with brown hyena, a species I missed, it was one of my key targets in Namibia and I was not disappointed there. 

 

@Frostfire, you've got a violet eared waxbill and one of the cordonbleus and a tinker bird in your pics, have a look at merlin app. It's free and you can download a pack for South Africa. I've only got Namibia on my phone at the moment and don't have my other bird book to hand.. 

[douglaswise]

@kittykat23uk

 

We didn't do well with brown hyaena at Marricks - we didn't see any.  However, some had previously cropped up and, because there have been authenticated reports of this species predating aardvark and because aardvark sightings at Marricks fell coincident with the hyaena appearances, the two observations were tentatively linked as cause and effect.  The first incoming hyaenas had been trapped and re-located before we got there but I think a couple more had recently appeared, not that we saw them.

[Frostfire]

15 hours ago, douglaswise said:

Sorry to have butted in to your thread but I wished to endorse what you wrote about areas where we overlapped.

 @douglaswiseI am honoured you 'butted in'. It is great to hear your perspective and I think the conversation part of the trip reports is one of the great things about Safaritalk. 

@kittykat23ukThanks for the ID's and the tip for the app! I will download it, and hopefully it will help me get into birds a bit more, as I am interested but just don't know how to start. 

[Frostfire]

Day 19-20 Nossob

We were up bright and early again to be at the gate for opening at 7 am. We wanted to be out early as the drive to Nossob (166km) takes about 4.5 hours and this way we could drive the beginning as a game drive and have plenty of time on the Nossob side, which we had yet to explore. As we got to the gate about 10 minutes before opening time, there was already a line of 5 cars or so in front of us. 

 

Soon we had left the camp and after just a short drive from Mata Mata, we came across a jam of 5 cars in front of us, which could only mean one thing: lions. It turned out to be a male lion. We watched him for a while and then continued to make some more space for the other cars behind us. The rest of the trip was quiet, with mainly oryx and gnu sightings. At the thirteenth borehole we did see fresh cheetah prints, but despite searching with two other cars, we couldn’t find them. After about an hour we decided to move on. We drove the so-called long dune road, which connects the Aob riverbed (the Mata Mata side) and the Nossob riverbed. The long dune road was in good condition, and it was a bit strange after the sand roads to be back on gravel. The landscape was beautiful coming through the dunes. There was not much going on, people who passed through about an hour later reported seeing a cheetah in the far distance on a dune top, but we had a lovely close sighting of a calm steenbok who didn’t immediately jump away.  

 

 

 

On the Nossob side we noticed that it was more difficult to locate the ‘sliproads’ to the waterholes as the signs were faced differently than on the Aob, but we quickly got used to the less obvious signs. We spent quite some time at Marie se Draai, watching different kinds of birds come and go and a big herd of gnu who kept getting kicking up dust when they were spooked by the oryx. 

 

 

 

 

When we got to Nossob camp we arranged an evening drive, asked whether they knew of owls roosting in the camp (we were advised to check a large tree by chalet number 3, where there indeed was a spotted eagle owl), had a shower and spent time in the hide. We had planned to explore the north road a little, but had had enough of driving for today. At the hide we saw kudu and of course the customary jackals.

 

 

 

The evening drive started out a blast with a great sighting of a female leopard (Namissa) in the evening sun at Rooikop. Seeing leopards is always rather special. At first, she was laying in the sand and kept rolling over and spent some time grooming herself. She then got up and started calling. It seemed she was in oestrus and looking for a mate. After about 25 minutes with her, she moved off and was soon out of sight. The rest of the drive didn’t yield much, except a fleeting view of a tree rat and some far-off bat-eared foxes. I then spent some more time at the hide until the power went of, which provided more jackal sightings and a nightjar and on the way to the tent I came across an owl. 

 

 

 

 

 

We went on an early morning drive heading further north. Besides the usual jackals we didn’t see much, bar a distant spotted hyena who quickly disappeared. It was a little on the quiet side that morning at KTP, we didn’t even see any birds at Cubitje Quap. After getting as far north as Lijersdraai, we decided to head back south. We ended up settling ourselves with a nice supply of food and drink at Marie se Draai. At the waterhole, we found a large herd of gnu who were later joined by a massive herd of springbok. It took over 20 minutes before we saw an end to the line of springbok. Kudu, oryx, jackals and a brave and hilarious ground squirrel also joined the mass of animals. On our way back to camp, we saw quite a few owls (all spotted eagle owls) and a couple of cape fox. We settled into our tent wondering what our last day in the park would bring.

 

 

 

 

 

[Frostfire]

Day 21 Nossob-Twee Rivieren

Our last day in the KTP. We had got into a routine here and have gotten used to seeing the same faces. It felt odd being on our way back to the “outside” world. So, we hoped for a good final day. We got up early again to pack the tent away and be off at sunrise. Getting up early wasn’t difficult this morning, Nossob is known for hearing lions roar at night. The first night we didn’t hear any, but this morning at 3.45 am we were woken by plenty of roaring. After that it was difficult to fall asleep again. We were packed up quicker than expected and had another 25 minutes before the gate would open, so I decided to pop down to the hide to see if anything was happening there. As I was programming my camera to adjust for the limited amount of light, a brown hyena wandered to the waterhole and sat down to drink! He hung around for about 20-25 minutes and just as others came to look in the hide he ran off. What a wonderful start to the day. 

 

 

 

We then started our trip going back towards the south for the first time since we had been in South Africa. On this drive we made use of the Nossob riverbed road, which snakes along the border of South Africa and Botswana. We were expecting the drive (166km) to take about 4,5 hours. It ended up taking more than seven… the first third of the drive was uneventful, but just as we were nearing the first picnic site on the route, we saw a bunch of cars standing still in the road. Always a good sign! We checked which way all the people in the cars were pointing their bino’s and then were quickly able to locate a male and a female lion sat on the top of the dunes. After a while of the lions doing nothing, the other cars went on their way. 

 

 

We decided to hang around and have our second breakfast there in the car instead of at the picnic site. What a good decision that turned out to be! The male lion started roaring and decided to come down the dune. He walked straight towards us and went straight behind and past our car. What a great view! We were just then joined by another vehicle and after the lion had flopped himself back in the shade, we decided it was time to move on. 

 

 

 

 

As we drove, we came across five more lions, including three older cubs. On the KTP Facebook group I had been reading about these cubs for a few months. In the week prior to us coming one of the cubs had not been seen for a while, and the worst was feared. Now, however, it seemed that all three cubs were back together with mum and dad. What a treat! So, we spent ages watching all the lions. 

 

 

 

 

We got into Twee Rivieren and inflated our tires back to 2.0 bar, ready for the tar roads tomorrow, had ice cream and settled ourselves in the hide until sunset. After a week “in the bush” it was slightly odd being at a larger campsite, with even a restaurant! Despite the good wildlife views quite close to the camp, it was our least favorite camp. After dinner, I decided to have a quick look at the hide… The waterhole was lit up, but the light did not carry very far. Within minutes of me being there, I witnessed two cats (lions I think based on colour and prey, but the size was a little small, so maybe cheetah?) chase down a gemsbok and ended up with a horrific sound in the bushes… a little further away whatever was happing was being watched by an oryx.  It was all a matter of seconds and I am still not quite sure what happened, as it was already darkish, but something definitely did and it got my heart pounding! It was the first cat chase/possible kill I have ever witnessed, so despite not really seeing much of it was still special to me. I stayed in the hide until the lights went out hoping that the cats would come back out and shed some light on what had happened, but no luck. KTP did not disappoint and I only wished we had longer to explore more!

 

[Peter Connan]

Thank you for a wonderful and very enjoyable trip report! I am glad you had a good time in my country.

 

The birds you saw from the hide at Marrick were, in order:

Cape Glossy Starling (but you knew that already)

Red-eyed Bulbul

Violet-eared Waxbill (I have never seen one this close and in the open)

Blue Waxbill

Red-fronted Tinkerbird.

 

Regarding the Yellow-billed Hornbill, as kids we called then Piesangbevoels, so very similar to your experience in Uganda.

 

The flock of birds on the ground at Mari se Draai are Namaqua Sandgrouse. Their Afrikaans name is Kelkiewyn. I am sure you will understand why if you think back to their call. This bird has a vey interesting habit: it takes water to it's young by absorbing it into the feathers on their breast.

[Towlersonsafari]

really enjoyed your report @Frostfireta very much

[TonyQ]

Excellent and very enjoyable report. You had some great sightings 

[JayRon]

Great report so far and some great sightings...Seeing a leopard and brown hyena is pretty good 

[Frostfire]

Day 22 Goegap Nature Reserve

Today we had our longest drive of the trip planned: around 650km. We left early and had an uneventful drive and I think we can count the cars we came across on two hands. 

 

The day's main goal was to make a lot of ground, as there was not much to do between the KTP and the West Coast. However, we did visit the Goegap nature reserve. Before planning our trip we were unaware that the west coast has a spectacular wildflower season, but we decided to try and see some of this spectacle. Thus, Goegap was added as a possibility if we made good time on the drive. As it was, we arrived around 14.00 and were able to spend 2,5 hours at the reserve. 

 

After driving for seven hours, we decided not to do the drive through the park but opted for a hike up the mountain. It was hard going on the way up, clambering up rocks and the odd ladder. However, once at the top, the scenery was stunning and we saw huge patches of colorful flowers. We were both surprised how impressed we were with the spectacle; it was such a huge contrast with the landscapes we enjoyed in the KTP. 

[Frostfire]

Day 23 Namaqua NP
We only had a short hour or so drive today to Namaqua National Park, another wildflower stronghold.

 The last 21km were on a bumpy dirt road. For some reason the roads to national parks seem to be of nobody’s concern and not well kept, whereas the main roads are fantastic and those to non-state-run nature reserves also seem in much beter condition. Anyway, we got to Namaqua midmorning and spent most of the day exploring this stunning park and particularly its hiking trails.

 

When we were planning we thought we might be a week or so early for the flowers, but luckily we decided to book one of the four cottages in the park. This was another place we were lucky to get accommodation for a year ago.  When we were booking, we thought we might be a little on the early side, but decided to give it a shot. Actually, this was one of the attractions in which the El Niño year worked positively for us: as there had been exceptional amounts of rain earlier in the year, the flower season was already in full swing despite it only being halfway through August and Namaqua's 'sleeping in the flowerbed campsites' not yet being open, so our worries that there would be no flowers were unnecessary.

 

The wildflower season was in full swing and today was lovely and sunny so all the flowers opened. It is indescribable; everywhere you looked there are thousands of wildflowers in all colours and sizes. I have never seen anything quite like it and the photos hardly do it justice. The smell of the air is lovely and sweet to finish it off. We did all three walks from the office and also came across some wildlife, mainly springbok, but also lots of interesting caterpillar nests and one of the first reptiles (ID ideas?) of the trip. Towards the end of the afternoon we settled into our cottage with its magnificent view. 

 

 

 

 

 

[AndrewB]

Goegap! Had a wonderful time in this small park a few years ago. Driving and camping on a circle from Uppington up into Namibia and back through the KTP.

Goegap was full of flowers (the plan), decent wildlife and birds, walks and drives. The 4WD loop high into the back part of the park was spectacular (as was the hike up the hill behind the Visitor's Centre).

I was up pre-dawn by the fire and a Honey Badger strolled past. I mentioned this in the Visitors Centre to much excitement as one had been spotted on a trail cam but no one had seen one before.

 

[Frostfire]

12 hours ago, AndrewB said:

Goegap! Had a wonderful time in this small park a few years ago. Driving and camping on a circle from Uppington up into Namibia and back through the KTP.

Goegap was full of flowers (the plan), decent wildlife and birds, walks and drives. The 4WD loop high into the back part of the park was spectacular (as was the hike up the hill behind the Visitor's Centre).

I was up pre-dawn by the fire and a Honey Badger strolled past. I mentioned this in the Visitors Centre to much excitement as one had been spotted on a trail cam but no one had seen one before.

 

When planning I didn't realise that it was possible to stay here overnight, otherwise, we would have opted for that. How fantastic to see a Honey Badger there! We didn't see much in the way of wildlife, but were not there long and the time we had was not really wildlife viewing time. It was a lovely park and would recommend it, definitely in flower season to visit if one is traveling between the KTP and. the West coast.

[Frostfire]

Day 24 Sevilla Rock Art Trail

We left Namaqua back via its bumpy road. We were heading to the coast for our next accommodation, but took a detour to the Cederberg area. We specifically wanted to hike the Sevilla rock art trail, nearby Clanwilliam. The trail is about 9 km, in total but it is not a loop, so you walk the same route both ways. We found the trail to be marked out very well when 'going', but for some reason the trail was difficult to find on the route back. The rock art was very interesting as it portrayed a lot of human group figures. It is so fascinating that we have seen rock art in Africa, Jordan and Australia and the symbolism and type of art is so similar despite the distances. We enjoyed the landscapes and it was great after spening a lot of time in the car at the KTP to have had a few days with a lot of hiking.

 

 

 

 

During the hike, we saw quite a few lizards basking on the rocks and our first snake of the trip. Going on its long length and its dark colour, I would say it was a mole snake, but we got no decent pictures as it slithered off quickly into the grass. With that sighting we can say that spring was heading its way to South Africa, despite the weather reports for our final week in the West Cape before heading to KZN looking more like autumn! Overall, wildlife sightings so far on the West Coast had been quite, but we hoped it would pick up again once we reached the West Coast NP as planned for the next two days.

 

 

Well, we were now quite far into our trip, and as on every trip something would have to go wrong eventually, and however carefully you plan and prepare it will be something you are not prepared for.  Somehow, somewhere on the trail, I lost my glasses. We walked the trail back, but couldn’t find them and none had been handed in at reception. This was actually the first time I had gone away without having a set of contact lenses on me just in case… Oh well, at least I still had my sunglasses for driving and during the day. Moreover, I can still see rather well without them in contrast to my partner. On a positive note, overall, we could have lost something more important. And this way I could have felt a little like Hugh Grant, and use my prescription goggles (which I did have with me) at the cinema in Cape Town if I had wanted! 

 

[kittykat23uk]

Beautiful flowers! We included west coast np for the flowers for my mum when we made a similar trip and we're also awed by the sight! 

[Frostfire]

Day 25-26 West Coast Fossil Park, West Coast NP

 

We were on our way to the West Coast NP, but had decided to stop at the West Coast Fossil Park before heading into the national park. We had very little idea of what to expect from the park, except that there would be a dig site which was extremely rich in number of fossils. The museum itself was huge, yet still somewhat empty. The guided tour to the fossil beds was great, very informatie and gave a lot of new perspectives to the area and the animals that used to once roam here. It reminded us of an animal verson of the fossil beds we visited in Dinosaur NP in Canada. Everywhere there were fossilized bones of extinct huge mammals, such as the African bear. There was a café there as well, so we decided to have a bit of lunch there (tacos, the only veggie option) before we set off a little further towards West Coast NP.

 

 

 

We spent the afternoon driving around the park. We were definitely close to Cape Town now: the roads in the park are tarred! We saw our first reticulated tortoise and lots of birds as we drove. The landscape is totally different again. It is more like a wetland and there is a lagoon. The colour water in the lagoon is a stunning turquoise, a large contrast with the Atlantic Ocean on the other side of the dunes. We spent some time at the bird hide watching the flamingos.  The water levels were very high, and according to others in the hide who knew the park well, this was quite unusual. Towards the end of the afternoon took a drive to the end of the park and back to our cottage in the hope of seeing a caracal. No caracal, but we did spot ostrich and some type of duiker. Fingers crossed that an early morning drive might yield that elusive caracal…

 

 

 

 

 

 

It chucked it down overnight, but when we got up, the skies were clear. We started out early as planned, but the caracal remained elusive. We did see some blesbok, including some very young ones. The drive turned out into a dodge the francolin quest… these birds just hang around in the road and when they finally decide to run, they do so in the direction that the car is driving. 

 

 

 

 

At nine o’clock the Postberg section of the park opened. This section is only open in August and September for flower season. We had a lovely drive with great views and near tropical-looking beaches. While driving around we saw zebra, ostriches and steenbok along with far-off views of whales swimming past the coast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had an early lunch at the cafe, and most importantly, we checked our email to see whether the pelagic trip from Simons Town planned for this weekend would be going ahead. Depending on that, we would either leave that afternoon or stay a little longer in the park. Most of the trips of the last few months had been cancelled, so we didn’t have high hopes. However, our trip was confirmed, with the only difference that we would be leaving at 10AM instead of 7AM. This worked out perfectly for us as we had two night nights booked in Simons Town, so a later return wouldn’t be a problem and we would get a lie-in! We spent a little bit more time in the hide before heading off at 14.00 towards Simons Town. 

Edited November 4, 2023 by Frostfire

[Frostfire]

Day 27 Pelagic tour from Simons Town

Booked with Cape Town Pelagics a year ago, and just based on that August had been a better month that year than July for the trips, my trip was going ahead! As the trip would last all day and my partner isn’t a fan of boats, I went on the trip myself. I was hoping to see an albatross and, despite it being aimed at birds, also some ocean mammals. 

 

The reception at the dock was friendly, and we were quickly led to the boat. The boat was a good size, with room to move around and it was large enough for me not to suffer from seasickness (I did take medication just in case). Before heading out we saw our first bird: a Crowned Cormorant. We were accompanied by Hartlaub’s Gulls, Swift terns and Cape Cormorants as we left the harbor. We headed towards Cape Point and then towards the continental shelf. Our guide gave us interesting information on the geological formation of the Cape Peninsula. The views of the coast were beautiful and plenty of cape fur seals were about.  

 

 

 

As we sailed to the feeding grounds of the pelagic bird species, we saw a humpback whale at a little distance. I thought it was behaving differently than other humpbacks I had seen, but now I have been able to take a closer look at the photos, my doubts are all gone. Some minutes later we came across a very large pod of common dolphins, the first time I had seen this species. They were fun to watch as they raced about the boat, sometimes jumping out of the water. I was in awe of the hundreds of dolphins everywhere we looked. It was probably my best dolphin encounter to date. The dolphins were accompanied by Cape Gannets. As always after a sea excursion, I have 1000+ pictures and only a few good or decent pictures. For some reason, I always seem to forget how difficult it is to take photos at sea on a bobbing boat. If anybody has tips besides ‘just shoot a lot’ they would be welcome! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After we left the dolphins, we quickly found thousands of birds, including four types of albatross and species of petrel (I will add a complete overview at the end of this post). I am glad I saw albatrosses, and the number of birds was astounding, but I am definitely a mammal watcher, not a birder yet. The pod of dolphins excited me much more than the birds, but I did really enjoy the sheer number of birds. The size and distances the albatrosses fly are mind-blowing!  I found having a guide extremely helpful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We spent over an hour at the feeding grounds, before heading back to avoid the incoming cold front approaching. On our way, we stopped at Castle Rock in False Bay, which was inhabited by multiple species of cormorants and other coastal birds. Our last stop was close to Boulder’s Beach (which we hadn’t visited, as we had views from our apartment and we thought it looked too busy the afternoon before, particularly after our lovely sightings at Betty’s Bay) and we saw some African penguins heading on their way to shore. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The skipper and guide took great care of us, and provided lots of information and lunch. For any birder (or people like me who want to see albatross and have an interest in cetaceans) I would say this trip is a must. It impeded our flexibility when planning the trip, as it only runs on weekends and you need to keep Saturday and Sunday available. I would advise staying two nights in Simon’s Town, particularly in winter so one does not have to drive in the dark either before or after the trip. We decided to have a flexible plan just in case the trip was canceled and booked extra nights at West Coast NP just in case. For us, that flexibility was worth the money, if the trip had not been going ahead, two days in Simon Town would have felt a little like lost time. Luckily the trip went ahead and all the information ahead of time was great, making it possible to plan the best use of time possible. 

 

Pelagic species seen and approximate numbers: 

Cape Gannet 50 

White-chinned Petrel 300+ 

Pintado Petrel 3 

Northern Giant Petrel 5 

Southern Giant Petrel 3 

Sooty Shearwater 450 

Shy Albatross 150 

Black-browed Albatross 120 

Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross 12 

Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross 3 

Sub-Antarctic Skua 6

 

We also saw:

Swift Tern 

Hartlaub’s Gull 

Kelp Gull 

Cape Cormorant 

Bank Cormorant 

Crowned Cormorant

White-breasted Cormorant 

African Penguin 

African Black Oystercatcher

Grey Heron

 

 

Edited November 4, 2023 by Frostfire
Lay out

[Frostfire]

Day 28-29-30 Cape of Good Hope NP, Chapman’s Peak, Cape Town

We enjoyed our stay at Penguin Den so much, that we decided to get a later start than we had been so far this trip and have a relaxed breakfast. Just before check-out time, we set off towards the Cape of Good Hope National Park. Despite the cold temperatures and the howling wind, for the first time this trip we were in a queue (except for lion jams in the KTP that is)! Not only was there a short line into the park but there were multiple touring busses… we were definitely on the tourist trail now. We decided to visit Cape Point first and walk up to the defunct lighthouse. The way up was steep, but mainly hard going because of the wind (and people in flip-flops). Originally when Diaz reached this southwestern tip of Africa he named it the Cape of Storms because of the wind, but the Portuguese king wanted a more positive name to get people to go there. The original would have been a much more apt name according to our experience! I kept an eye over the sea for signs of whales, but the water was too choppy to have seen them I think even if they had been there. 

 

 

We then visited the Cape of Good Hope itself. We even stood in line for the obligatory photo. We enjoyed watching a group of youngsters ahead of us who were dressed to the nines (very suitable for the weather… ehmmm) and Instagramming very seriously.

 

We took the very scenic route along the west coast towards Cape Town, which included the famous Chapman's Peak Drive. The drive was stunning as it snaked along the cliffs and looked out over the sea. Looking at the photo's, you wouldn't have thought that the weather was turning and the wind was picking up...

 

 

We found the drive in Cape Town to our B&B in Greenpoint less busy than we expected on a Sunday afternoon and were pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to park. We were not disappointed by our expectations of Cape Town cuisine! The rest of our time in Cape Town was a little disappointing. We knew that August was not a great time to visit the city, but hoped that we would be able to have one day in which the weather would allow a trip to Robben Island and for it to be dry enough to go to Kirstenbosch botanical gardens. This was not the case. We did enjoy some of the city’s museums, despite having to plan our visits around load-shedding times. Because the weather was so bad, we ended up spending most of our time in a nice café with a book. Luckily the food in Cape Town was unbelievably good! We spent the final night of our western loop back in Hotel Verde, as we had a very early morning flight the next day to Durban. I was very excited to be heading to Manyoni Private Game Reserve!

 

[Frostfire]

Day 31 Manyoni Private Game Reserve: Pangolin experience
The alarm went at 3.30 AM this morning to catch our flight to Durban. The flight with SafAir was great, we landed much earlier than expected, luggage came through quickly, and picking up our new car rental (another SUV) went smoothly. Before we knew it, we were making our way to Manyoni Private Game Reserve.

 

After a couple of hours of driving, we arrived in Manyoni. We entered via the East Gate. The drive through the park was a bit bumpy with one or two very steep and rough patches. On our way, we did see nyala (another first for us) and impala, but my camera was still packed in the boot. We received an extremely warm welcome at African Spirit Lodge. Despite arriving around noon, our chalet was already ready for us. The bed was massive and the room was very comfortable. We spent the afternoon reading and sitting at the on-site waterhole. We saw nyala and warthog regularly and giraffes also came in to drink. 

 

 

 

 

 

After afternoon tea (scrumptious), we set off on our Pangolin Tracking Experience! (For more on this activity I advise you to also read TonyQ’s great trip report who also visited this winter). A ranger picked us up and we met with the pangolin specialist/researcher near the last known location of ‘our’ pangolin. We would be tracking “Ditsy”. Ditsy is the famous ground pangolin who was filmed having a bath. She is also the youngest pangolin released in Manyoni. She is a quite small pangolin, only weighing in at around 7,5KG. We spent quite about 45 minutes on foot looking for her in the bushes and long grasses, at one time we feared she had gone back into a burrow, but suddenly my partner heard her. Following the noise, we found her! Wow, what a bizarre yet cute animal. The researcher quickly weighed her and then we had an hour in which we just could watch and follow Ditsy. She was very relaxed and would come and sniff our feet. Most of the time however she was digging out ants and trying to push rocks over. She was struggling however with the rocks as she is so small. She was also surprisingly fast on her feet! We really had to keep an eye on her not to lose her in the tall grass. The pangolins are wild in that they can roam free in the reserve, but the tags make it possible to locate them via telemetry. This experience was magical, despite not ‘coming across’ a pangolin, but similarly to ‘finding’ gorilla it was still thrilling and I was somewhat worried we would not find her at one point. For me, this excursion was the highlight of the trip! 

 

 

 

 

 

We headed back to the lodge, where a fantastic three course meal was waiting for us. We checked for ticks and went to bed as very happy souls after a very long day. 

Edited November 4, 2023 by Frostfire

[TonyQ]

What an excellent range of activities you built into your trip. Really imaginative. Your enthusiasm really shines through.

Beautiful flowers. You did very well on the Pelagic.

Great to see you went on the Pangolin experience and enjoyed it so much. Your Pangolin was roughly half the size of the one we saw. We also found the experience to be one of the highlights of our trip.

A very enjoyable report

[Frostfire]

11 hours ago, TonyQ said:

What an excellent range of activities you built into your trip. Really imaginative. Your enthusiasm really shines through.

Beautiful flowers. You did very well on the Pelagic.

Great to see you went on the Pangolin experience and enjoyed it so much. Your Pangolin was roughly half the size of the one we saw. We also found the experience to be one of the highlights of our trip.

A very enjoyable report

 

Thanks for your lovely comment! I spent many hours putting together this trip and trying to create a varied trip to keep us experiencing new things in our generous six weeks. Despite having so long, it was still difficult choosing! Friends seemed to think we were mad not going to Kruger or the Garden Route, but I am so happy we did what we did. I would have changed a few things with the knowledge I have now, but it certainly supplied us with lots of different sides of South Africa. I am not good at making decisions, so am proud of this itinerary! 

It was great to read your report and compare it to our experience, nobody else at Manyoni when we were there (okay, it was nearly only us) seemed to know about the possibility of the pangolin experience so I think it is good to get it out there to people who know how special it is. Our guide told us a lot about 'your' pangolin, apparently, it is quite a character and a very different one from 'ours'. 

[kittykat23uk]

Yes, definitely something I would tag on the list for another trip to south Africa 😁. Looks like a fantastic experience! Also reading about your pelagic takes me back 😁. 

[Frostfire]

Day 32-33-34 Manyoni Private Game Reserve: game drives

 

Our first full day at Manyoni started early with a continental breakfast before our morning game drive, it was just us and two others. Our guide throughout our whole stay was Trevor. A young guide, new to the reserve, making him equally excited anytime we saw anything as us. We particularly enjoyed all his warthog facts On the first half of the drive we saw a lot of different animals, mainly grazers. Then it was time for tea and rusks before heading back to the lodge. As we drove around a corner there was suddenly a male lion walking straight towards us down the road. It passed within touching distance and we followed it for a while as it was scent marking his territory. Soon it started stalking a warthog, which finally spotted the danger and ran off. Suddenly, we heard another lion breathing right behind us. It was a second male and a particularly large one at that, which also walked passed the vehicle. This trip was turning out very good for male lions! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we got back to the lodge, it was time for breakfast number two: an English fry-up. We enjoyed some downtime watching the waterhole, reading and napping and before we knew it, we were called for afternoon tea. Trevor then arrived to take us on the evening game drive. This was a relaxed drive with just us and two new guests, it was the last time we shared the vehicle with anyone during our stay. Trevor led us towards a pool of water with hippos in for our sundowners (with snacks of course). We watched the hippos in and out of the water for some time before we noticed a crocodile that was consuming a warthog. Eating and swimming simultaneously was not the most efficient way to have a meal, but the croc did his best. On the way back to the lodge, just as it was getting dark we came across a black rhino. It was a bit of a shame it was too dark for a clear photo but we could watch it eat for some time before it really got dark. A three-course meal was waiting for us at the lodge and Trevor had found a way for my partner to watch the 400m hurdles finale so we we did that before heading to bed!

 

 

 

Eat, drive, sleep repeat… that is the safari rhythm on a private game reserve and so also on the second day of our stay at Manyoni. The morning game drive was a bit slow for mammals, but we enjoyed watching the birds (including bee eaters, hoopoo's and different species of ibis) and chatting to our guide who taught us lots about South Africa and its nature. We saw white rhino from quite a distance during the afternoon drive and on the rest of the drive we saw a nice variety of antelope, vervet monkeys and plains zebra. Despite it being a warm day, the wind had picked up, which I think kept the wildlife a bit more under the cover. It is a bit sad leaving here tomorrow, I have loved my time here, but we have exciting plans for our last few days as well…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The third and final morning started with the usual breakfast and game drive. We quickly came across a giraffe acting a little strange and its being alone was also a bit odd. We watched the giraffe for a few minutes and suddenly heard a lion sigh and pop its head up out of the grass. As we drove a little nearer, we realized that there were actually two male lions and they were eating something… by the looks of it a young giraffe. The giraffe we had seen was hissing and blowing at the lions who took no notice and continued munching (loudly) on some bones. After a while the giraffe went off to find its group and the lions finished their meal. I did feel very sorry for the giraffe watching…

We then continued, seeing the usual suspects (impala, nyala, warthogs…). Later during the drive, we came across another male lion. Until this trip, we had only seen male lions up close once, and even then not active, but this trip was male lions galore! This was a sleepy lion, but he was right next to the road. I don’t think Trevor believed me when I said to stop for a monitor lizard on the road, but I was right: there was a rock monitor lizard! Trevor hadn’t seen one in the park before, so he was taking photos too, despite only having a short time to do so before the monitor took cover in the grass. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then it was time to turn back to the lodge, have breakfast, get our stuff and go, I was more than a bit sad doing so, I would have loved to further explore this park. The lodge itself and the staff were wonderful. We had still not come across a cheetah on this trip (this species seems to always elude us, we have seen leopards in larger numbers than cheetahs, having only seen a group of three once in Etosha) and were a little disappointed not having seen them in Manyoni, but with all our wonderful sightings could most definitely not complain. We said our goodbyes to the staff and the stick insect that lived on our chalet wall. As we drove towards the north gate (much closer to African Spirit Lodge than the east gate and the road was in much better condition), we came across another first for us: a family of ostrich with tiny little chicks was blocking the road. We kept our eyes peeled for cheetah, but still no luck and then set off towards St. Lucia.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 5, 2023 by Frostfire