Call of Africa - Cape Town, Babylonstoren and Okavango

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Of course I can never get enough lions. Most of them were trying to sleep but one of the cubs was being seriously annoying

 

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We stayed for ages watching the interaction

 

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Then the lionesses got a whiff of warthogs and went hunting. Most of them stayed waiting while one tried to circle behind to drive them towards the waiting lionesses. Fortunately the warthogs realised what was happening and veered in a different direction to live another day.

 

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Time for some birds - Mr FM loves them and this is an area rich in bird life.

 

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More birds

 

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Just brilliant pics, so jealous !! Geniet

 

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Just time for some Mongeese, Elephants and Baboons before heading back for lunch

 

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Brunch followed a format of salad, soup, choice of a hot dish and then ice cream or fruit or cheese. Accompanied by South African wines of course.

 

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A combination of no air conditioning, mid 30 temperatures and a big meal made a siesta quite acceptable. The rooms are totally open with only fly screens, so the airy feel was very refreshing. Everything is as sustainable as possible with all water filtered and materials used in buildings as natural as possible. These are pictures of the communal bar and dining areas.

 

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Time for tea and then off in search of wild dogs. Vumbara has a large pack of around 22, including 10 puppies. Initially very sleepy and it was terrific to see them wake up and start the greeting ritual. Afterward we followed them until dark and saw them have a few attempts at hunting.

 

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Sundowners with sunset and then off for dinner

 

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Next morning we were hunting leopards - they were proving very elusive. Eventually we found a lovely cub -probably around 7 months old. En route we saw a honey badger - very hard to get close as they are extremely skittish and move very fast. We also saw some Sable antelope. Wilderness have introduced a number to the concession. They seem an excellent company and are contributing to the community and to the environment as well as funding research.

 

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Another lunch - everything was varied each day, so not boring, even though the format stayed the same. No pictures as Mr FM was starting to get forgetful. However a picture of afternoon tea, one of the many squirrels and some of the blossoms just opening. I would imagine once it gets further into spring the blossoms will be beautiful.

 

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In the BA F lounge at the moment, drinking lots of bubbly - report will continue on our return .

 

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Our final night at Vumbura was the Mokoro trip. We had been given a choice of Mokoro or motor boat and we had elected Mokoro of course. I did have a few doubts when I saw them, as my legs tend to stiffen and I had visions of struggling to get up again. However all was well - perhaps because it was so warm.

There were 6 Mokoro taken out, with our guide Chris in the leading one - probably as a sacrifice to any crocs or hippos. He seemed to enjoy relaxing and being poled around. It was an amazing experience - so quiet after rushing around in land rovers, with the only noise from birds and frogs and the soft voices of the polers, as they explained things.

We had an interesting chat to our poler, Casper. He was from a nearby community and had a wealth of history and information on the delta. The Mokoro are now made from Fibreglass - it takes 50 years to grow a tree suitable for a Mokoro and they only last 5 years, so a bit of no-brainer. Apart from the tranquility the water was crystal clear.

 

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I had been enjoying going to sleep listening to the Bell frogs, just like wind chimes, so I asked Casper if he could find one. We also liked the Day lilies that were just closing.

 

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Because we were a larger group than normal the staff set up a more formal sundowner table.

We were pleased to have some visitors - you can just see a hyena at the edge under the trees in the second photo. After awhile two hyenas circled around and did a run quite close to the table. No photo unfortunately as they were moving too fast for Mr FM. They are quite big animals when up close and personal! One of the staff said a hyena once stole a Malva pudding off the table.

 

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We were nearly back at the camp when a leopard crossed in front of us. Chris said she was the mother of the cub we had seen earlier, so we had to follow for awhile. Next day Chris said he saw Leopard tracks next to our room, so she must have come back to visit the camp (which of course is why you don't go and sit outside at night- enticing as it would be!)

 

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Last dinner at Vumbara

 

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We had to leave as 10:30ish for the airstrip, so decided to do a bush walk with Chris as our final activity. We did one at Mala Mala last year and I really enjoy them. Nice to get some exercise and be at peace in the bush. Chris explained many things to us about bush medicines and herbs and termites. (which are not the destructive ones we get here). He did become a bit twitchy at the end as the wind had really picked up and he became a little concerned about our scent getting to some elephants.

Then it was back home for a shower, finish packing and a sad goodbye to the lovely staff.