African Roadblocks

After the shark madness we headed north towards Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve.  The plan was to spend one night in Hluhluwe which is the northern part of the park and two nights in Imfolozi, which is in the south.  I had previously visited Hluhluwe in October (which perhaps you know if you have read my October blog), but this was Cesar's first time on a safari, so it was really exciting!

As we entered the park the first thing we encountered was a whole group of baboons on the road, including little baby baboons holding on to their moms.

After we checked in at the Hilltop Camp and signed up for a morning guided drive, we set out to explore the park.  We drove for a while without seeing anything, which I am sure was a bit of a disappointment for Cesar, though he denies it.  It wasn't until sunset that we ran into a group of rhinos peacefully eating on the side of the road.

After we made our way back to the Hilltop camp, Cesar made a braai and we had a nice dinner outside.  The next morning we woke up bright and early at 4:30am for our morning drive.  As we set out the sun was just rising.  The scenery was magnificent.

 We saw quite a number of animals including zebras, giraffes, elephants, impalas, warthogs and buffalo, though the best was the rhino roadblock we encountered.  In fact, during our stay at Hluhluwe-Imfolozi we encountered many more roadblocks, but I will discuss those a little later.

 I even got to meet a family of warthogs by the front gate of the park, as our guide was setting up our breakfast picnic.

After our drive it was time to pack up and leave our temporary home at the Hilltop Camp.

As we drove from Hluhluwe south into Imfolozi, we notice that the terrain wasn't as mountainous and we could see a lot more animals. 

Noon was approaching and the air was getting hot.  We saw two elephants desperately trying to cool themselves off by taking baths and staying in the shade.

Other animals were also trying to stay out of the heat, such as this warthog who was sleeping in the mud.  Cesar called him Stefi :)

Our accommodation in the Mpila Camp in Imfolozi was very different than our hut in Hluhluwe.  It was a safari tent on stilts that actually had its own bathroom, kitchen and deck.  It was probably the most luxurious camping I have ever done.

Unlike Hilltop, the Mpila camp does not have a fence surrounding it.  So, many animals actually come by, including zebras, nyalas, impalas and warthogs.  However, that is the reason people are encouraged to stay within their premises after dark.  Animals such as hyena are known to come by and try to take your meat from the braai.   And so, despite the heat, we decided  to make a braai in the afternoon and have a light meal at night.

During our stay in Imfolozi we saw a ton of animals.  Our road was blocked on numerous occasions by zebras, impalas, buffalos and giraffes. 

Though nothing was as scary as the giant elephant that we just came upon.  Though he seemed to be shooing away the giraffe in the distance, he did not have a problem with us.  By the way, I don't understand why giraffes as such scaredy-cats.  They are huge and they don't have any predators but they seem to be more afraid than any other animal.

And let's not forget the time a black rhino charged at us.  Side note: black rhinos are pretty shy and so it is often really hard to see them, but they are also really aggressive.  Of course it took me awhile to realize that the rhino wasn't just moving out of the bushes to pose for the camera, but he was actually running towards the car.  It goes without saying that we had to step on the gas pretty quickly.

At night we did have various visitors, though nothing was as exciting as when a genet jumped up on our veranda fence right behind me.  At first we weren't sure whether it was a baby leopard or a regular cat (we were hoping it was the former), but thanks to Ali's animal book, we figured out its true identity.

I would also like to point out that I saw a hyena for the first time and I actually though it was quite cute.  Shame on you Lion King for making hyenas look so evil.

Cesar and I also signed up for a night drive that did not disappoint.  We saw a number of the nocturnal animals, including owls, hyenas and snakes, but the highlight was the lions we saw in the distance.  Our driver did not seem to mind taking the vehicle off the road and driving straight through the grass towards them.  In fact I thought he was more excited than us. The lion and lioness were not at all phased by our presence and were calmly drinking water (just like Simba and Nala when they were falling in love and Elton John was singing in the background).  On this occasion Elton John was not singing in the background.

Overall, Cesar and I had a fantastic time.  Throughout our stay one thing we noticed was that a lot of animals had babies, which was too cute!!!  So I'd like to leave you with some of the cutest pictures ever.