Tuesday August 20, 2019
This morning was another early wake up at 5:30 am – our guide Victor knocked on our door. We rolled out of bed and got dressed and met down in the common area at 5:45 am, where coffee was being served, and we were off on our morning game drive at 6 am.
This time, it was just the 4 of us plus Victor.
Right away, Victor got a message over the radio that there was a lion kill nearby, and we took off to go see that.
When we arrived, we found 9 female lions eating a cape buffalo that had been killed just a short time earlier.
There were also hyenas and jackals lurking about looking to take a share. The kill was close to the Imbali lodge watering hole, and a herd of elephants came down to drink – and then got into an altercation with the lions and scared some of them off as they passed through. It was pretty fun to watch. Imbali is a sister property to Hoyo Hoyo, and is also located on the Mluwati Concession within Kruger National Park.
We also saw a honey badger this morning.
Returning to Hoyo Hoyo, an enormous breakfast spread was waiting for us – far too much food, including a large continental offering followed up with a hot food order. We ate as much as we could before crying uncle. Then we went back to our rondavels to have showers (outdoors, watching the wildlife) and pack up.
We were on our way shortly after 11 am, headed to Hamilton’s Tented Camp. When booking our trip, we couldn’t decide whether we liked the aesthetic of Hoyo Hoyo or Hamilton’s better. They are sister properties, both located on the Mluwati Concession, a short drive apart. So we decided to do a split stay and try both.
We thought we were taking some wrong turns, as the roads were all unmarked, and we had difficulty differentiating between the true park roads, and the bush trails that the safari vehicles follow. But we made it without (we think) any wrong turns, less than an hour later, including some time stopped for game viewing. The staff were expecting us, and helped us settle in before lunch.
This is another excellent choice for accommodations in the bush.
The daily schedule is identical to Hoyo Hoyo’s, food is over the top, game drives operate in a similar manner, etc. There are currently 11 guests at Hamilton’s, compared to the 8 we had at Hoyo Hoyo.
We had an enormous lunch, and soon thereafter it was time for our evening game drive.
We went out with an older British couple. Luckily, we were all interested in finding cheetahs, and we also requested a specific hunt for rhinos.
We returned to the site of the morning lion kill to find the lions still feasting and the hyena still waiting for his turn.
We also found many of the usual suspects before our sundowner, but no cheetahs or rhinos.
Getting back into the vehicle after dark, we did find a genet. After it was pitch dark, the radio started buzzing with news of a sighting, and our guide Darryl told us to hold on tight. We raced at breakneck speed down the dark road, lit only by Darryl’s spotlight. At one point we nearly hit an impala that refused to move.
But we made it to the sighting before it ended – there was a leopard stalking some impala. We left before the leopard decided whether or not to strike, and will perhaps return in the morning to see if he attempted anything.
Right before returning to Hamilton’s we saw a civet, but again it was only by spotlight , and it quickly moved away.
We had dinner back at the lodge – multiple courses, all of them delicious, but way too much food!
We were told that there is normally a braai at Hamilton’s on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but that there would be no braai tonight because of high winds.
And then it was time for bed, as quickly as we could get ourselves ready. Tomorrow will be another early wake up call.
Cook Family Travels 