Northwards along the Lebombo Mountains to Pafuri.

[Super Mongoose]

100P!

poor wild dog! poachers!

[100ponder]

Hi RP, You say our TR has an 1800's feel - I did not know that our age will show. . . .

Other thing we did not mention - as we approached Komati Poort the cloudy weather turned threatening and a slight drizzle started as we booked in at the Crocodile Bridge gate.

Our difficulty with pitching the tent was exacerbated by big drops falling and thunder and lightning all-over. That first night in Crocodile Bridge Camp it was drizzling all the time and in the morning we could only put a plastic tarpaulin over our luggage and heap the wet tent on top to dry-off for that night's pitching in Balule.

The trek to Balule started with slight drizzle but signs of light rain were every-where up to the Olifants.
( More of it later.)

[Lisbeth]

Putting a tent up in the rain, must be rather annoying and even worse taking it down again

[Richprins]

Hi RP, You say our TR has an 1800's feel -

The trek to Balule started

[Flutterby]

Nothing worse than setting up/breaking camp in the rain!

[aat]

Great start of the TR !! Looking forward to the Specials

[puppy]

What a great start100ponder
I am reading this TT with great interest as we are booked for the same time next year.
Love the Wild Dog story - sad about the three-legged doggie - hope he survives.
Giraffes are my favourite.

[100ponder]

The Crocodile Bridge-Tshokwane route runs through the Magic Valley where the H10 climbs up to the Nkumbe View Site. Beyond the Magic Valley to where the road meets up with the H1, we call Hemel Op Aarde
( Heaven On Earth ) because we ALWAYS have the most wonderful and interesting sightings along this route.

In the Magic Valley we unfailingly find zebra with their fawn stained white lines blending wonderfully with the
yellowish rocks of the area.



And giraffe complimenting the scenery as they feast on a spread of fresh leaves, shoots
and thorns :-



With nose regally high a magnificent kudu prince materializes from behind bushes, then another and then a third one steps into the scene :-



Wait, there's another one ! And . . . yet another one ! :-



We can't believe our eyes ! Prince number six just joined the others ! :-



What was that !



You will also find over-weight seniors there with scarred, sun bleached horns :-



and the clacking of horns is carried on the wind when two bachelors sparr :-



. . . and as you silently glide along you might find a boulder among the trees that suddenly turns into
a klipspringer :-



where the lizard will think he wasn't noticed



Ma Ellie also took junior for a rock climbing picnic among the granite boulders where we normally expect to see only leopard and klipspringer :-



And further along were the stalkers of the night, waiting for darkness to hide there malicious intent :-

N

From the Nkumbe lookout you gaze at the silence of the great valley where wildebees and zebra adorn the veld along the Mapilini stream :-



Here you really become one with nature as you let your soul drift with an eagle gliding above the stream.

The Old Tshokwane Road is the nearest you can get to this great valley and it was here that we startled this reedbuck right next to the road, just to halt its frightened dash to stare at the intruders :-



and it was here on the savannah where we saw three more kudu princes in the midday shade :-




So, in just a few hours we had already experienced some of the best nature had on offer - but the north was beckoning !

[Lisbeth]

What a beautiful chain of animal and scenery sightings

I love the ellies among the rocks and your prose makes it all fairy tale like

[nan]

lot of animals, predators and preys amongst the rocks... not easy to chase/escape

love the Reedbuck... behind the grass