Game Drives 3 & 4 - Stuff gets more intense

Game Drive 3 started off with a bang with us finding this awesome male Leopard out and about remarking his territory after the last few days of drizzle.

Shortly after we hunted down some Cape Buffalo and our first Rhinos.

This guy was big, awesome and stoic

This shot pretty much sums it up. Or I thought it did until we stopped for sundowners....

Taking a break in the bush with style!

Our awesome guides, bartenders, waiters, and so much more. Alfred our experienced ranger (right) and Judas (left) a tracker like no other. Cool story about Judas. After helping his family escape from Mozambique during the violence in the 80s across over a hundred miles of predator infested bush. Judas returned over the next few years to help guide 174 other people away from the violence, through the uncertainty of Kruger national park and into new lives in South Africa. Amazing to just have a chance to hear his story let alone spend days on end with him.... And Alfred has been doing conservation and ranger work in this part of South Africa for over 30 years. Starting with Dave Varty (architect of Londolozi) 30 years ago.

The beginning of the end of another amazing day. At one point we were in amongst Rhino, Elephant and Cape Buffalo all at the same time. Was just too amazed at being there to think of trying to digitally capture it.

Our trusted stallion.

Goodnight Londolozi. We will see you again at 5:30am.

Game Drive 4 started out with some intentions to immerse ourselves in a herd of Elephants since it was the last drive for our new friends Dan and Lauren from Australia (via England and South Africa respectively). Little did we know what carnage was in store for us.

After an innocent enough start watching some young Zebra kick up their hooves, word soon came across the radio of a Leopard one of the trackers saw dragging its fresh Impala kill up a tree. Judas and Alfred were quick to get us on site to see this female Leopard protecting its kill and having a little breakfast.

Leopards are solo hunters and as such they have to be very cunning to keep what they kill. Vultures, Lions and mostly Hyenas would be quick to steal their hard earned kill if given a chance. In fact their was a solo male Hyena wandering around under this tree as mama leopard dug in.

So yeah, a little gruesome, but that was pretty cool to watch nature at work. Little did we know that shortly after our sun-upper near a pond with a hippo, a giant croc and a ton of different birds from cranes to Eagles that the Impala was only the beginning of a rough night in the bush for the grazers.

After a heads up from another ranger on the radio we soon came across this pride of Lions with a Wildebeest kill from some time the evening before.

Two males and three females were picking the remaining meat off the bones as we kept close vigil.

One of the brothers getting ready to roll to somewhere cooler after a short nap.

One of the females (maybe pregnant) following.

And the last male taking a close prowl-by before following the rest.

wow.

We reflected a little while after at breakfast - yes we were able to eat breakfast :) - that we thought going out this morning, what more could there be to see? In three drives we had seen big 5 already. Little did we know.... Now I can only imagine what is in store for us tonight.