Here we have a general report on the two visits we had here - once fly camping going north and then again so on out trek south-wards :-
Since the Muniwini sighting we continued to see large numbers of game as the winter grass cover gradually improved along the way.
There was also this pink eared babe in black !
And then one of the smaller mammals of KNP, a slender mongoose :-
We also found this young elephant bull foraging grass and when he came to this old discarded soda can he tested in his mouth before tossing it aside in disgust :-
We reached Balule as the sun was decending towards the horizon and, as now seems to become a ritual, we were met at the Balule gate by giraffe :-
We selected a camping spot on the far side from the river - nothing else really available but our previous camps on this side always awarded us with plenty of game while in camp. The tent pitching drama continued but some young knights were really helpful to assist with one or two of their princesses also lending a hand - if any of you were to read this - thank you very much, your gallant assistance was much appreciated.
Of cause the dogs came to say hello :-
And as always - the camp fires along the fence made for a romantic evening.
One point of note here - I just love Balule's residents - we ( and every-one else ) leave our perishables in the gas freezers and never once did any-thing disappear. This time we even went as far as forgetting our stuff in the freezers and upon our return when we trekked south, everything was still waiting there ! ( Made for some big feasts on the last two nights !)
What was wonderful here at Balule is the fact that the low-water bridge over the Olifants had been wonderfully repaired :-
After the floods :-
After the repairs :-
Well done SANPARKS ! !
As we left Balule on our trek up north, there was a good flow in the Olifants with plenty birds of a great variety to be seen both sides of the low water bridge.
We drove along the dust road towards the H1 and reaching the new weir we were met with a sight to behold - lots and lots of water fowl and waders all-over the place. What a wonderful sight it was - in every direction plenty if birds speckling the water with some pods of hippo thrown into the potpourri.
Reaching the H1 and turning north along the Olifants, we beheld numbers of egiptian geese with the occasional pod of hippo relaxing in the sandy Olifants shores. And then an elephant herd trekking accross the river :-
What a fitting adieu as we were also leaving this area. . . .
( for now )
