Apr 22 -23 Perry’s Bridge

 Apr 22 -   Transfer to Perry’s Bridge

Apt 21 cont’d from yesterday….

Yesterday’s game drive yielded two ‘creatures’ - 

An African Millipede 

A chameleon

And then and a herd of Wildebeast

Apr 22

We had one last Safari this morning and the prize was coming upon a leopard stalking an injured water buffalo that had been left behind by the herd.  We saw him waiting, assessing the risk/reward of taking down the calf,  marking territory, calling out announcing that the calf was his!  Johan told us what a rare and special sighting this was.  Thankfully we would not be there when he went in for the kill.  Johan also said that it was quite likely that the hyenas would get there first, chase off the leopard, and have their meal. 

This all seems so sad and gruesome, but it is nature at work.

A little farther along we found a huge herd of water buffalo (200-300?).  This was probably the herd that the calf belonged to.  Johan explained the structure of the herd where the males’ job is to protect the herd only. It is the females, called pathfinders, who direct the movement of the herd by their body language and standing up and looking in the direction she thinks they should go.  So much to learn!

 

After breakfast we said our good-byes and made our way to our next stop Perry’s Bridge Hollow Hotel.  This stop breaks up our journey to Kruger National Park.  On the way, we stopped at the Nyati Cultural Village where we were entertained by a group of singers and dancers telling the story of some of the tribes of the area.  It was an excellent performance; the performers were energetic and had great voices.  The second half of the show was interactive as they told the story of the life of the people of the tribe.

Dinner was at the hotel, and an early night as we are really tired by the end of the day!

Apr 23 - Day Tour on Scenic Panorama Route and another night at Perry’s Bridge Hollow Hotel

We set out this morning from Hazyview for Blyde River Canyon (lmore homework for you!)

It was so interesting to see the terrain and how different it is from the areas we have visited!  It is sometimes called The Grand Canyon of Africa. Steep walls lead down to the river below creating a lush valley. 

It was astounding to me that this canyon is part of the Rift Valley that begins in Egypt!

We followed the canyon back to Bourke’s Potholes where a short walk allowed us to get closer to a waterfall.

From there we went to Graskop for lunch at  the Graskop Gorge. After lunch we took the lift down to a wooden walkway where we could see the waterfall and explore.

K

Dinner at the hotel again tonight; hopefully the wine will put me to sleep as we have to have our suitcases out by 8:00 AM for our travel to the last Safari Lodge. 🥲

Until next time…

M & D