Group Tour-Eastern Coastal Plains to the Drakensberg

After finally finding our guests at the airport we headed to a guest house nearby for a good nights sleep. The next morning we embarked on our journey to Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve, making a few stops on the road to do some shopping, try local pineapples and gave our guest the opportunity to see the ever changing landscape and to see how the local people live in Zululand! 
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Enjoying pineapples on the highway

Arriving in Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve late afternoon we were greeted by small herds of Zebra, Impala and Kudu. In the distance we spotted some Rhino and an Elephant crossing the Black Imfolozi River. 
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What a view

In this park we had some amazing game viewing of Spotted Hyena coming up to our braai, White Rhino and a Black Rhino lying in a dry riverbed fifty meters from each other,  Cheetah lying at a vantage point scanning the Acacia Plains and Wild Dogs on an afternoon hunt! We also had a guided walk that took us through some open wilderness and down into the Black Imfolozi where we met a White Rhino that was very curious to find out what we were. 
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Hyena at the braai

Black Rhino & White Rhino lying down in dry riverbed

African Wild Dog

St. Lucia gave our guest a chance to rest their eyes from game spotting and to wonder around town, see the estuary with all its fauna and flora by boat and to explore the beach. They also had a guided safari into the iSimangaliso Wetland Park where they saw a couple of Rhino, Wildebeest, Bushbuck, Kudu and Red Duikers. The lunch spot was good and we were soon surrounded by a group of Banded Mongoose and Skye’s Monkeys waiting for a gap to steal something off our table!
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St. Lucia beach with Mapelane dune in the background

Lunch in Cape Vidal

Our guests also visited Bayete Zulu Elephant Interaction and Emdoneni Cheetah Project where they met Rambo, Rachel and Jabulani and interacted with Rehabilitated Cheetahs, Serval and African Wild Cats!
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Rambo!

Ria and Ruud with a Cheetah

Our next stop was Tembe Elephant Park! This is where we had the rare opportunity of watching a Lioness stalk and kill a Nyala. It was remarkable to see how patient and focused this large cat was to take down its prey, knowing she had three cubs to feed! Our guest also had great sightings of Elephants dust bathing, drinking, walking in the road and playing close to our vehicle.
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Drinks Stop!

Ele dust bathing

Lioness hunting

Kosi Bay was as always a treat, allowing our guest to discover the Kosi Lake System’s by boat, travelling through a tight channel from one lake to the other, appreciating the diversity in bird life, sheer beauty of Ancient Sand Dunes covered by thick Dune Forests and Thulani, our local guide giving great information about the traditional Tonga Fish Kraals.
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Kosi Bay Lake

All smiles!

Although the devastating effects of the current drought that Mkuze Game Reserve is experiencing was evident, this Park once again surprised our guests with exceptional sightings of the Pel’s Fishing Owl at a very good viewing distance, Elephants drinking and bathing at arms length away from us in Kumasinga Hide and a Lion crossing the road to lie down and watch us watching him! Amazing photographic opportunity and great luck with exceptional timing!
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Kumasinga Hide

Fig Forest walk

Roel and Marja watching a lion

Pel's Fishing Owl taking off

The lodge at Thendele Camp gave our guest a great view of the Amphitheatre and we did two walks along paths with an amazing landscape of mountains, green hills and forests. Although there wasn’t an abundance of water we walked to Gudu Falls through well shaded Afromontane Forests.
Didima Camp was our last stop. This is where our guest had some time to relax and did a hike into the mountains to Rainbow Gorge. 

Amphitheatre walk

Gudu Falls- pis straaltje

Rainbow Gorge

With the tour wrapped up our guests were satisfied with the diversity in animal and plant life, differences in landscapes and the exceptional sightings they experienced! 
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Goodbye at the airport