Impossible

Up at 4.55am. 

How can it be this incredible? It began with beautiful light on this gorgeous black-backed jackal. The dogs were always going to be right up my street!

What followed was like a scene from David Attenborough where one species after another frolicked down to one of the water holes.... Impala followed by shadow zebra and then wildebeest.  They were desperate for a drink, wading straight into the water without caution. 

And that was while we waited our turn to drop in on a resting leopard. Our tracker who sits on the front of the vehicle had disappeared off on foot to track some leopards paws that were on the dirt road. He radioed in to tell us we could come in to find him. We were taken right off road to a small mound with the leopard near the top. He was awake but nonchalant. We admired for some time. And then... 

It was a surprise for everyone when a warthog appeared from behind the mound a mere few metres from a less than sleeping predator. He sat up like Little Dog does on high squirrel alert. Everyone expected him to attack but he had second thoughts (maybe having come off worse to a warthog before and, being a bit of a whipper snapper, lacking in experience.)

Thankfully we fitted in a snooze after we came back for breakfast and before lunch. The hippo had wallowed off overnight but the elephants came in to bathe this afternoon. 

We could be here just for the bird life. There's three types of resident kingfisher to be seen from the balcony!

The afternoon drive was no less impressive. We sat among a herd of elephants (male, female, old, young and some pregnant) for a good while watching the babies copying their mums and listening to their munching on the spikiest of branches. There's not much greenery left as there's been little rain so they're actively destroying trees to reach younger, juicier bark as well as uprooting whole trees to eat the soft, moist roots. There's lots of damage.

Afterwards, we came across an old lion nearing the end of his lifespan. He was on his back, paws in the air snoozing, while a little further on the rest of his pride (including two youngsters) were relaxing in the sunshine right on the roadside. We watched the young ones for ages, yawning, turning over, mimicking each other in how they lay. 

It's been quite a sight, quite a day!