May Mornings

The crackle of a fire, the crisp dawn air and the sound of boiling water pouring into your basin - these are the sounds that wake you as the sun slowly ignites the horizon on a Pafuri walking trail. You eat breakfast accompanied by the dawn chorus and then head out on foot to explore the wonders of the northern Kruger.

Animals

General game has been prolific this month with fantastic nyala, impala, kudu, zebra and warthog sightings permeating the trails. The impala are so numerous that they can make one feel completely surrounded as they begin their exaggerated prancing. Apparently they do this to show their strength and health - perhaps they just enjoy it.

One group of May trails guests had an exciting morning with two herds of buffalo. They encountered the first herd early one morning and as conditions were not good for viewing, the guide decided to move away. As they were backing away, they came across a second herd moving towards the first. This herd became quite inquisitive and moved towards the walkers who wisely retreated. The first herd then joined up with the second as the guide and guests found a suitable extraction route and moved away.

On another trail, we were privileged to be visited by two young lionesses in camp. The lion approached the outskirts of the camp while we were eating dinner. They probably remained on the perimeter because of a combination of the fire, our voices, laughter and our smell. Perhaps, like hyaena, they were waiting for some scraps. Sean and Dani, having completed the washing up, threw the bucket of dirty water into the bush behind the makeshift kitchen. As luck would have it, the two lion were lying directly in the path of the water. The unexpected shower gave them a huge fright and they ran off. We quickly made our way to the vehicle and, with the aid of the spotlight, found the lion - now dripping in dirty water. With the camp vacated, the two cats saw fit to visit. They walked through the middle of the tents and then investigated the chemical loo before heading out into the night.

Other unusual sightings have included four feeding bushpig and an African civet. The civet made a hasty retreat to some vegetation with a banded mongoose in its jaws. This is a surprising delicacy for the civet, who normally specialises on millipedes, but does feed on small mammals, birds, eggs and reptiles, and sometimes fruit.