Submitted by SafariADV on Sat, 2018-11-17
When we wake up this morning it's still dark, we get ready, have a coffee and then, with our Dr. Livingstone, we go to where the central area of the lodge is; from here organized safaris depart.
We are in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, this morning we have a morning drive safari with a Hilltop Camp guide and then, after breakfast, we will leave in the direction of the iMfolozi area.
Last night's sunset safari did not particularly impress us, today we hope to be luckier.
On the safari car there is only us and another couple, the French family that was there yesterday preferred to sleep; better this way, we have more space for our cameras.
As soon as we leave the Hilltop Camp we find several zebras, they are always here, we see that they prefer the grass of this area or feel safer to stay near the lodge at night.
We take the same road that we traveled on last night's safari and that climbs along the ridge of a hill; it is very panoramic in the light of dawn, moreover, unlike yesterday, we can see the animals even from a distance; there are several elephants on the hill in front of us, they are busy eating.
Shortly after we find a large herd of buffaloes, who knows if they are the same as last night, we were not very far from here indeed; some are very close, practically in the street.
While we are taking some pictures of the buffaloes, our guide tells us: "on the radio they say there are lions, are we going?" I would say that the answer is obvious ...
We start at full speed to head to the place that someone indicated to him on the radio, it is not very close but we still reach it in a short time; when we arrive there is already another safari car and the car of the park researchers.
Hidden in the high grass to our right we see unmistakable ears and a curious face that spies on us: they are cubs!
We can see three of them, but the researchers, who have been studying them for some time, tell us that there are a total of five and two different lionesses who probably hid them here to go hunting.
They are beautiful and the boldest of all already looks at us defiantly, despite having a few months and being little more than a domestic cat.
We would stay here all day watching and waiting to see if the two moms come back after a night spent around getting food.
While we enjoy the lions puppies our guide tells us: "They spotted wild African dogs on the road, are we going?" And you ask us? Yes, indeed!
We leave and, at a fast pace, we reach almost the Memorial Gate; it's bizarre how you sometimes go into the parks, go through secondary roads looking for animals and then you find them on the main road a few hundred meters from one of the park's main entrances.
It is a pack of eight African wild dogs, they are walking in the street in our same direction, we follow them at a distance so as not to disturb them too much and giving us the shift with the other two cars that ran here with us.
It is not easy to spot wild dogs during a safari, first of all because in nature there are few because, for different reasons, they succumb in places where other predators are present in large numbers, they also have a very large territory and are always moving; so to find them you need a good dose of luck.
The safari this morning is exciting and is repaying the little luck we had last night.
After the exceptional sighting of wild dogs we go to the Memorial Gate where there is a picnic area and have a coffee break.
Here are some coral trees and sausage trees, the latter are in bloom and attract so many bees that the buzz is almost deafening, we also spot some Burchell coucals and several red-winged starlings they pass by the picnic area in search of biscuit crumbs; while we wait to leave, we take some pictures.
When we leave again we cross another road and sight some giraffes in the middle of some bushes, they are busy to eat; continuing we also see several elephants and four white rhinos, here in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park sightings of rhinos are almost guaranteed.
At about 9:00am we go back to the Hilltop Camp, as first thing we go to have breakfast, then we go and upload our Dr. Livingstone and we leave; today we move to the iMfolozi area, hoping that the fortune of this morning will not abandon us.
