September 30, 1998 - Umfolozi/Hluhluwe and Phinda Game Reserves, S. Africa

Another early rise (5:00am) and we packed some overnight things to head to Phinda for the night. Last night I heard lions roaring. They started a ways off, but ended up this morning sounding quite close. Such a beautiful noise they make. I believe there was a younger male that was answering the older one, as there were two and they had a distinctly different sound.

To make our way to Phinda, we drove north through Umfolozi and then into Hluhluwe on the way. We saw all the great wildlife: kudu, impala, wildebeest, nyala, warthogs, zebra, waterbuck, giraffe, vervet monkeys, chacma baboon, many birds, and of course many white rhino (what the park is famous for). No elephant or cats, neither of which I've ever seen in these parks yet. That's why we decided to add a short stay at Phinda. They have a higher frequency of seeing cats, however it's a very upscale location and we can only afford one night there.

Driving between the parks, the group got to see the African villages and homes along the way. Their little beehive rondavels and kraals were quite interesting to the group. Upon arrival at Phinda, we were catered to like royalty. Greeted with drinks and welcomed with enthusiasm. We stayed at the Mountain Lodge in two-person chalets. These chalets are sprinkled along the rocky hillside and it's a bit of a hike to them. The Lodge is not fenced and a woman was killed by a lion one night walking to her chalet, so now they require guests to phone for a security guard to escort them back and forth. The accommodation is beautiful. A large bedroom/living area, bar, two bathrooms, a large deck. They have thatch roofs, mosquito netting on the bed, stonework in the bathrooms, decorated with lots of Zulu artifacts, very elegant.

Once we were settled in, we had an outstanding lunch on the Lodge's deck overlooking the Reserve. We then rested shortly and met for our afternoon/night game drive. Our ranger's name is Anton Louw and our tracker is Sibu. We drove in a large open top Land Rover. I was invited to sit up front with Anton, which was a real treat. Sibu sits on the front left fender in a jumpseat so that he can locate spoor more easily. Anton had been briefed that we wanted to see cats primarily, so that's what we set out to track. What a exhilarating feeling it is to be in a Landy with the "windscreen" down, your face in the warm breeze, trekking through the bush under the open sky. Especially as the sun sets, the golden hour is even more golden in Africa.

We spotted the usual hoofstock wildlife, but were finding no cats. So after a short bit, before the sun set completely, Anton and Sibu took their rifles (.375 H&H Magnums) and went out on foot to attempt finding tracks. We felt a bit vulnerable at prime feline hunting time all alone without our protectors. We had our guide from Far & Wild Safaris, Jeremy, with us though. We had confidence in him and if it came to it, he surely could defend us with his bare hands! Anton and Sibu came back and had no luck, however, they did find a warthog kill. Anton removed the four tusks for me so that we can use them in our educational programs at home. What a great score that was! I had been looking for some for a long time.

Off we went into the night, searching and searching. Everyone was enjoying the search so thoroughly that I don't think anyone would have been disappointed if we hadn't found anything at all. We were coming around a bend chatting happily and suddenly staring back at us was a large elephant. We hit the brakes and it startled her as much as us, I believe. There was a second adult and a very small baby, which I'm sure she was protective of, and she became rather agitated. Anton shut off the engine and whispered for us to be absolutely silent. She flared out her ears and walked slowly sideways, facing us, to the side of the road. She was only within about 50 feet of us. She walked around a tree and came out behind it and had circled us, approaching us from behind. Anton wanted to move and he started the engine. I looked back over my shoulder to see her and she was coming at us like a steam train. I freaked at that point, having been charged at Pilanesburg by a young bull that was responsible for killing many rhino and was very aggressive. It all came back to me and what a terrifying feeling to see an elephant coming at you while in an open vehicle. She halted short and went off through the forest rumbling with her family. We all breathed a sigh of relief and were then quite thrilled with the whole experience, now that we knew we would survive it.

We hadn't expected to see an elephant at all, having heard that they were in another section of the park. We were so happy with that, that it took the pressure off of us finding cats. There had been lions spotted prior to the elephant sighting and Anton radioed to check the location. They spoke in Zulu and I asked what happened. He had a disappointed look on his face and said that they'd moved on and lost them. So we continued to search while heading back to the lodge. The pouty look on my face must have been priceless and I hope that Anton enjoyed every moment, because he was pulling my leg and knew exactly where the lions had parked themselves and that was where he was headed. As we came (slowly this time) around a bend near a small lake, there he was A majestic male lion lounging beside the shore. I gave Anton a playful shove, realizing he had played a trick on me, and just about cried happy tears at the sight of this regal cat in the wild. We then realized that he was laying beside his mate and across the pond were their three one-year-old male cubs. This dynamic setting got interesting when a second, younger adult male approached in the distance. Apparently, the female was coming into estrus and this made her mate quite nervous. He stood and vocalized a bit to the second male, announcing that she was his. It was now dark and we were parked about 75 feet away with a spotlight on the situation as it developed. Across the pond we suddenly heard the loud bark of a lion and a splash. Upon shining the light over there, we just caught sight of a crocodile that had lunged from the water to try to snatch up one of the cubs. The cubs were all on their feet with perplexed, naïve looks on their faces not knowing which way to turn or if to run at all. This was a gutsy reptile as these cubs must weigh about 175 lbs each.

Anton decided to drive the Rover over to that side to watch the cubs. He was able to drive right up to them, within ten feet. After we parked, the adults came over too. They were so close that we could smell them. The younger male lurked in the distance and the older male was constantly snapping at his own cubs and his female. Another Rover with other guests out for a night drive arrived and parked on the other side of the pride. We put red filters over the spotlights so that the bright light would not annoy them. From our vantage point, the other group's red light shining at the large male created the most eerie crimson glow on his mane and sharp red outline on his face, silhouetting his majestic profile. We sat with them for a very long time. What a privilege to be accepted by these dangerous and noble beasts in the darkness, there being no moon out tonight.

We finally decided to leave them for a sundowner before returning to dinner. We parked at a large clearing with lighting flashing in the distance all around us. It was warm and still where we were though and we got out and had sundowners in the African night. Anton got a call on the radio and said that there was something interesting up ahead. More? I thought this night would go forever and we were loving every minute of it. We drove for a while and through the forest we could see firelight glowing. As we arrived closer, there were two large campfires with some people standing around. In the woods, there were flickering golden glows everywhere. My first thought was that this surely must be a fire ignited by the storm. But as we parked, other rangers came up to us smiling and welcoming us. Then it dawned on us all, this was another surprise from Anton--a bush dinner. They had prepared a gourmet meal and open bar in the bush, sprinkled everywhere by luminary candles on the ground. We were surrounded by armed guards on the perimeter. They'd even provided a bush toilet, of which I had to use. I was escorted by the armed ranger to the location in the darkness with a small pot with a toilet seat on it, beside it was a roll of paper and a lantern. He stood aside and looked the other way. I hesitated because as I looked back towards the dinner group, I could see them clearly through the scrub brush. I suppose it wouldn't have been a problem, were it not for the lantern that was beside my seat illuminating me. I tried to move the lantern away, but burned my hand. So, instead I decided to drag the toilet a few feet from the lantern. Satisfied, I finally sat down to do my business when I noticed another Land Rover with a group on a night drive pulling up the road to the dinner. Little did I know that the road drove near this toilet. That's okay, I thought to myself, I'm in the dark, they won't see me. Then, to my horror, they turned on their spotlight and began swinging it from side to side looking for wildlife. I don't think I've ever finished and attempted to pull up my shorts so quickly as that. As it caught me I must have looked like a deer caught in headlights. It brushed past me quickly, evidently they didn't catch my eyes reflecting. Surely if they had, they'd have ground their Rover to a halt to beam in on this animal and everyone would have had a great laugh at my expense. That would have indeed been one of life's most embarrassing moments.

What a feast we had, with a chef in white announcing the offerings, including dessert and coffee. At the end of the meal, it began to rain. A happy memory of mine shall be that of noticing the raindrops in my coffee cup and not minding at all. I was stuffed and have collapsed into my mosquito-netted bed, that has been kindly turned down by the staff. What a thrilling evening, and an early birthday present for me. It's my birthday tomorrow. I must rise at 5:00am for an early game drive. Tonight the wind howls in the thatched roof and I hear bats and other night critters outside as I write.