Browns in Kruger September 2021

[Richprins]

Enthralling storytelling again, BC!

And a doggie overload this trip, never mind leopard!

Love the ellie story, and the bushbuck is too cute for words.
Amazing the difference between sunny and dismal!

And cheetah to round off all the predators!

[Pumbaa]

Your nearly got them all, Bushcraft,

all leopards in that area, all the wild dogs, lions and even honey badger

Ellies on the S139 are also not my best freinds as in FEbruary the bushes are so dense so you are hardly seeing them

That little bushbuck is the cutest and I simply love to do bird bath watching in Biyamiti when staying there - Sigh

[Lisbeth]

Such a cute bushbuck

How come that the Cow is so scared of ellies? It seems that even talking about them gets her excited I also escape if I see certain signs of aggressivity, but most times they just do what elephants do

Cheetah, lions, leopards, dogs and even badgers

[Bushcraft]

Enthralling storytelling again, BC!

And a doggie overload this trip, never mind leopard!

Love the ellie story, and the bushbuck is too cute for words.
Amazing the difference between sunny and dismal!

And cheetah to round off all the predators!

Shot RP

Yes, plenty dogs this trip and we haven't left the park yet

The Cow and ellies

[Bushcraft]

Your nearly got them all, Bushcraft,

all leopards in that area, all the wild dogs, lions and even honey badger

Ellies on the S139 are also not my best freinds as in FEbruary the bushes are so dense so you are hardly seeing them

That little bushbuck is the cutest and I simply love to do bird bath watching in Biyamiti when staying there - Sigh

I'm still hunting for a caracal in Kruger

The S139 ellies are touched

We get upset at Biyamiti if we get a unit without the stone bird bath thing as we also love watching

[Bushcraft]

Such a cute bushbuck

How come that the Cow is so scared of ellies? It seems that even talking about them gets her excited I also escape if I see certain signs of aggressivity, but most times they just do what elephants do

Cheetah, lions, leopards, dogs and even badgers

The Cow has been afraid of ellies since we got "charged" and surrounded by ellies on the 2nd day of her 1st trip to the park and since then The Imfolozi ellies are more faulty than the Kruger ellies and charge more often and that doesn't help either.

[Bushcraft]

3rd October Biyamiti to Tugela River Hideaway

We woke to drizzle again, but I was nervous of the long drive to Tugela, so the car packing mission happened quickly, and we were at the camp gate just before 6am.

We were the only car at the gate, so the Cow opened and closed it behind us, and we were soon on the S25 to Croc bridge.

A few km down the S25 I noticed something strange in the distance and then the brain twigged, and I squawked

“Wild dogs! Get the camera ready!”

A pack of dogs were running on the road ahead of us and I was surprised at the pace they were holding.

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We followed the dogs for about another 1km before they paused and then sprinted off after some impala. Unfortunately the chase went deep into the bush and we lost visual, so we continued on towards Croc Bridge and only stopped again for pics just before the H4-2 as a hyena and drowned jackal showed up.

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[Bushcraft]

We were out the park around 7:00am and a few km outside Komatipoort the rain started.

Our drive turned into a nightmare, we got lost in the mist and heavy rain and ended up going 30km down some road which just ended with a large washaway across the road, so we had to backtrack. The Cow and I had a massive blowout over the navigation skills, so there was an extended pelican for nearly the entire drive, it poured with rain for the first 5 hours of the trip and the mist was thick, therefore we were crawling along.

I was relieved to pull into the Hideaway at Tugela River just after 3pm and at least the rain had stopped.

We had never been here before therefore we unpacked quickly so we still had time to explore as they supposedly had zebra, giraffe, the antelope species, etc, roaming around and numerous hikes.

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The farm owner’s 2 Jack Russell’s pulled in and got smothered by Bushpig and Albert, so they became permanent additions immediately.

We hiked to some “koppie” first but stumbled into a duiker which set the Jack Russell’s off and it suddenly turned into a wild dog hunt, but the Russell’s legs were too short for them to keep up.

We then decided to hike up the river and surprisingly I even got the gang to cross a sketchy bridge over a tributary.

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[Bushcraft]

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We were running out of daylight though, so unfortunately, we had to head back and get the braai going.

Just after arriving back at our unit the Cow spotted a duiker cruising around on the opposite bank of the river in the open and there were plenty of birds to watch along the river.

I had arranged with the farmer for additional wood as it was freezing, so the fireplace in the lounge was utilized immediately and I had plenty spare wood for the braai.

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The Jack Russell’s spent the night and weren’t impressed when we left at 7am the next morning for the 3-hour drive home as I think they had been spoilt.

In conclusion, it was a good trip, but as normal it’s over far too quickly and each time it seems to get harder to shake that “Kruger feel” and to get back into the concrete jungle work environment.

Lastly, thanks to all of you guys who have shared our adventure with us.

Bushcraft, the Cow and the Girls.

[Pumbaa]

Thanks so much Bushcraft,

for another wonderful catfilled or better to say spotted trip report

It was wonderful to follow your trip and I am thankful that you share same with us

As to the caracal at least there I am a bit ahead of you

See you next time