Tag Archives: travel

Summer at Midmar

We headed for Midmar Dam Nature Reserve in the Natal Midlands following our amazing time at Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park in December. The serenity of the large expanse of water in front of us sure was a dramatic change in pace from the five days of searching for the “Big-5” that came before.

Midlands greenery

Midmar 29122014

Midmar Dam scenery

Midmar Dam Nature Reserve scenery

Midmar Dam scenery

Early fisherman

Serene sunrise

Midmar

Midmar, December 2014

Natal spurfowl

Speckled mousebird

Cape sparrows pair

We had only one afternoon, one night and one morning to spend at Midmar before heading further inland to celebrate New Year’s at Golden Gate Highlands National Park, but thoroughly enjoyed ourselves walking around the beautifully kept grounds.

Wall

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The spectacular Amphitheatre formation in the Drakensberg range is the focal point of the Royal Natal National Park.

Royal Natal Amphitheatre

“Wall” is the theme for this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge

Summer at Hluhluwe-Imfolozi

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Over the last couple of weeks we’ve shared with you several exciting sightings we enjoyed at Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, during our December holidays in the bush. Time to wrap up that part of our trip now.

We left the cheese farm near Mtubatuba very early in the morning of the 24th of December, and made it to the Memorial Gate just in time for it opening at 05:00AM (it’s a drive of about 75km only). We used Memorial Gate so that we could explore the Hluhluwe-section of the reserve on our way south to Mpila Camp, where we could check in 14:00 in the afternoon.

Buffaloes on the way to Maphumulo Picnic Site

Yellow-throated Longclaw

Red Duiker in Hilltop Camp

Nyala at the Hluhluwe River bridge

Single-striped Grass Mouse at Centenary Centre

Elephant browsing at Imfolozi

Mpila is a favourite camp of ours. It is unfenced, except for a single strand of electric wire strung high enough to only keep out elephants and giraffes. Other wildlife, including large predators, regularly roam among the accommodation units. Visitors should keep a special eye open for raids by vervet monkeys during the day, and for hyenas at night while preparing their evening meals on the barbeque fires.

These impalas considered Mpila a good place to raise their lambs

Hyenas come into camp every night. This one we saw at Masinda Lodge, a short distance from Mpila, one morning

Mpila, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi, December 2014

That afternoon, we went for a quick drive and had some fun with a cute white rhino calf. Hluhluwe-Imfolozi is renowned as a rhinoceros haven, and we pray that the hard work and dedication of the rangers protecting them against a terrible onslaught from armed poachers will not be in vain.

Black rhinos

I’m coming for you!

When we made our December 2014 plans a year before, we specifically wanted to spend Christmas at Mpila. A special day at a special place. We set out for a quick drive on a glorious morning, then went back to camp to prepare and enjoy Christmas lunch. In the afternoon the Park was inundated by a quick cloud burst, luckily the gravel roads are in good condition and we could continue to explore the Park soon after.

Chistmas sunrise over Hluhluwe-Imfolozi

Beautiful Sontuli Picnic Spot on the banks of the Black Umfolozi

Heavy clouds threatening to dampen Christmas

Heavy rain falling over HIP on Christmas Day

Three-Banded Plover at uBhejane Hide

Yellow-billed kite

Elephant and dung beetle

Spotted hyena

Boxing Day brought us our memorable encounter with lions in trees, but Hluhluwe-Imfolozi has much more to offer and our sightings this day was particularly varied. Our day ended with our best ever sighting of a wild African Rock Python, almost as long as the road was wide!

Elephants crossing the White Mfolozi

Not scared of heights!

Wild lilies in bloom

Warthog piglet

Master of all he surveys

Our best ever sighting of a wild python!

Every day at Hluhluwe-Imfolozi brings something special and exciting, and the 27th of December was no different. Our day started with a thrilling wild dog pack on the hunt, but that wasn’t where it ended!

Wild Dog alpha pair

Browsing elephant

Another sighting of this self-confident bull

Warthog family spa treatment

Warthogs

Mocking Cliff-chat (female)

Young buffalo bull

Muddy buffalo cow

Bad tempered buffalo bull

White Stork

Warthog piglets

Steppe Buzzard

Our last full day at Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park seemed to belong to the elephants, with a number of really close-up encounters, but we also had a good laugh at a hyena that bit off more than she could chew.

Hluhluwe-Imfolozi 28122014

The day of the elephants

The story of the (over) ambitious hyena

Buffalo mud-wallow

The day of the elephants

White-fronted bee-eater

All too soon our five night stay at Mpila came to an end. We had collected so many memories, and can’t wait to return. Driving to Nyalazi Gate we tried to postpone our departure as long as we could, even spending half-an-hour looking for a distant pride of lions reported by fellow spotters in the kznsightings group (a group set up so that visitors to the game reserves in Kwazulu-Natal can share what they find while exploring with other visitors).

Zebra in Imfolozi’s misty hills

Spotted hyena sniffing the breeze

Can you spot the lions? 😀

We found the lions and then departed for Midmar in the KZN Midlands.

The (Over) Ambitious Hyena

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While exploring Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park just after Christmas, we encountered a spotted hyena in the west of the reserve. In typical hyena fashion she was walking determinedly and at some speed along the road, and so we followed in the hope that we might see her hunt.

Not long after, she picked up a herd of zebra standing in the road ahead, and made a run at them. The tables were quickly turned however, as the dominant stallion of the zebra family sent our over-ambitious hyena running for cover…

(Click on any of the photos to enjoy the sighting with us in a carousel gallery)

The story of the (over) ambitious hyena

Wild dogs on the hunt

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Early one morning during our December visit to Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, we were travelling slowly along one of our favourite game viewing drives, the Sontuli Loop, on our way to a picnic breakfast.

Around a corner, we encountered a pack of African Wild Dogs running down the road in the opposite direction, passing our vehicle at speed. There was at least thirteen dogs in the pack (it is very difficult trying to count them as they duck and dive through the bush and into and out of the road). We made a U-turn and followed them; it is not every day you get to see wild dogs on the hunt! Every now and then they’d stop and scan the area around them for prey, giving us an opportunity to take some photos, before setting of again.

(Click on any of the photos to enjoy the sighting with us in a carousel gallery)

Wild Dog pack on the move

Wild Dog on the hunt

Wild dogs on the hunt

Wild Dog pack on the move

Wild dogs on the hunt

Wild dog profile

African Wild Dog

Wild dogs on the hunt

Wild dogs on the hunt (Hluhluwe-Imfolozi 27122014)

Wild Dog alpha pair

Wild Dog pack on the move

The kill was over in a blur. My eye caught a flash of dogs chasing an impala lamb into a thicket. In between the excited yelping of the dogs the impala lamb gave one of two feeble bleats, and then it went quiet. Suddenly the dogs burst out of the thicket, scattering in every direction, each with a small morsel of impala in their jaws to enjoy away from the rest of their hungry pack mates. A baby impala does not go far when it has to be shared between so many mouths.

Leg of lamb, wild dog style…

Just as unexpectedly as they first appeared, the dogs were up again, heading towards the Black Umfolozi River and out of sight. All that remained on the scene was a lonely hyena lucky enough to have found some entrails, and a bunch of vultures descending from above…

Hyena cleaning up after the wild dog kill

Reward

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The reward for a long day in the bush; a tranquil sunset scene.

This photo was taken near Berg-en-Dal, in the Kruger National Park.

Reward

“Reward” is the theme for this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge

Remembering the Mphongolo Buffaloes

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This herd of African buffalo, making their way out of the dry, dusty bed of the Mphongolo River in the Kruger National Park, during a visit in September 2014, is another sighting we’ll not forget in a hurry.

This is our fourth entry into the 5 Day Black-and-White Photo Challenge. There are only two rules for this challenge:

1. On 5 consecutive days, create a post using either a past or recent photo in B&W.

2. Each day invite another blog friend to join in the fun.

Today we’re inviting Sreejith Nair, author of “Santiago the Shepherd” and another long-standing friend of de Wets Wild, to join the 5 Day Black and White Photo Challenge. Sreejith, you’ve shared some amazing photos of India’s people and places and we hope you’ll consider joining in!

Remembering Isilo

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Isilo was, towards the end of his life, the biggest tusker in South Africa, and our encounter with him at Tembe Elephant Park in May 2013 will forever be one of our most memorable wildlife experiences.

This is our third installment for the 5 Day Black-and-White Photo Challenge. Today we’d like to invite Dina of Perdebytjie se Nes, to join the challenge. She blogs in Afrikaans, our mother tongue, but you’ll need no translation to enjoy the fantastic photographs she shares on her blog! Dina, ons hoop jy sien jou weg oop om deel te neem maar dis geen probleem as jy nie kan nie, solank jy weet hoe baie ons jou blog geniet!

There are only two rules for this challenge:

1. On 5 consecutive days, create a post using either a past or recent photo in B&W.

2. Each day invite another blog friend to join in the fun.

Remembering the Marula Leopard

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Today, we flash back all the way to July 2012 to remember this spectacular leopard encounter near Skukuza in the Kruger National Park

This is our second entry into the 5 Day Black-and-White Photo Challenge. There are only two rules for this challenge:

1. On 5 consecutive days, create a post using either a past or recent photo in B&W.

2. Each day invite another blog friend to join in the fun.

“i AM Safari” is the brilliant blog of another of de Wets Wild’s long standing friends, Maurice Hovens. Like us, Maurice and his family loves exploring earth’s wild places. Maurice, we hope you’ll accept our invitation to join the 5 Day Black-and-White Photo Challenge? If not, at least please see this as a token of how much we appreciate your friendship and support!

Hluhluwe-Imfolozi’s tree climbing lions

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Lions are not generally known for their tree-climbing abilities, and there’s only a handful of prides on the African continent that seem to have this skill and regularly use it. We’ve often heard of Hluhluwe-Imfolozi‘s lions‘ tree-climbing tendencies, but we never saw this for ourselves, despite visiting the Park frequently and enjoying many sightings of these regal cats there.

That is until early morning on Boxing Day 2014, and what an unbelievable sight! We found a lioness (on the ground) with two rather large cubs in a small thorn tree. I did not think that something as big as a lion could get so high up in a flimsy-looking thorn tree, and then be so well camouflaged at that!