Singita: Morning Drive

Another morning drive worth getting up super early for! This kudu hid behind the screen of thorns, to me the picture looks like it's in a winter wonderland although that is not at all the case. A quick giraffe sighting, with this yellow-billed hornbill nearby. My interest in birds is starting to pick up. :-) Then a rhino, followed by a visit to a hyena den. We saw a few females and several cubs, the cubs were nursing for a while and then scampered about. They were as cute as possible given that were hyenas. Then more zebra, and another leopard! Straight from the leopard to two male lions, part of the coalition that runs this territory. Finishing up with more rhino.

Singita: Afternoon Drive

The afternoon drive was exciting! We had a great sighting of this gorgeous giraffe, then a few vervet monkeys, and this bluebird I could not identify even with my fancy African Bird Book. Which probably means it's a common bluebird, found everywhere! After that, we came across our very first sighting of a leopard. Spectacular!

Singita: The Room

At this point, I'm calling sitting on the patio "watching the nature channel." We had a great view of these impala across the river, then elephants crossing the river again, and one of the nyala that hang around the lodge came to visit. Then while we were taking pictures of the elephants, a goliath heron walked in front of them, trying to steal their light. Finally a couple of buffalo came to the river for a drink. Not a dull moment!

Singita: Morning Drive

Our first morning drive was filled with amazing sightings. We saw zebra a few times, several kudu including this sweet looking female. Then my hoped-for giraffes! Three of them, looking..... well, like awkward teenagers, all gangly and unlikely. Then a herd of buffalo streaming past us, a herd of impala showing off, and Jack's friends the elephants. It was fairly overwhelming.

Singita: Afternoon Drive

Our first game drive and, to summarize - WOW! :-) We saw just an amazing number and variety of animals. We saw impala, of course, then some zebra, and some sort of korhaan, either a red-crested or a black bellied. I think they called it a Franklin. And a blacksmith plover. Then the beautiful male kudu. Then a trio of rhino, then a pride of lions! And after that, wild dogs. It was incredible, just far above and beyond my expectations.

Singita: The Room

Our first afternoon at a safari lodge. From the patio in our exquisite suite, we saw elephants! First crossing the river, then on the opposite bank. It was wonderful, and a sign of what was to come. We saw them just about every afternoon from our patio, both here and at the next lodge.

Capetown: Table Mountain and Beach

What a day! It was our first really nice day in Capetown, so we took Melissa's car and Melissa's guest Nacita all around. First to Table Mountain where we saw a dassie. Then to the penguin park where we saw .... wait for it.... penguins! The first pic is chicks, then adults.



On the way back we stopped at the bay that had the whales and watched them for a while. The first whale pic is fins from 2 different whales. The next one is the classic whale-tail shot.