Vhembe District Municipality

Pete opted for a sleep in and the kids and I were up and ready for our 5am departure. Just as we were about to leave the lodge I was looking out beyond the pool and noticed movement. I thought it was a lion, but I had actually spotted a male leopard. We all crept to the outside area and watched this elusive creature as it stealthily made its way across the plain and into the bushes. We jumped in to the vehicle and went in search of it. Eddie went on foot with another guide to track it and we searched by car. It disappeared. Such an elusive animal. We were so lucky to have seen it at all. Timing is everything. We drove past 3 Cape buffalo that were right near the track we had walked on yesterday. We were relieved that we hadn’t seen them by foot!
We then headed off and saw wildebeest on the tar road, their coats glistening in the morning sun. Then to the hyena den where we saw the 5 cubs playing out of the den, and we only caught a glimpse of the mother as we were leaving.

We decided to go in search of the lions in the south. On our drive there we were amazed to see a lion in the distance sitting beside the road and then astonishingly finding an entire pride on both sides of the road with their cubs. Eddie then spotted the two male lions, off road. After observing the lionesses and cubs we went off the track and spent a long time watching the two male lions who were so close and looking extremely majestic. They were awake, alert and relaxed watching us. Liv got some great shots of the lions. Incredible we had seen the 3 different prides in this vast wilderness. On the drive back to the lodge we had close encounters with giraffe and zebras. We saw a leopard tortoise, elephants and vultures. We agreed it was one of the best safari trips, and such a great way to end.

We had breaky in the lodge and met Pete to share our stories, the kids happy to rub in what he missed, and he claims to have been happy with the extra 3 hours of sleep… We exchanged details with the Mitchells and got ready to pack up. Just as I was about to head to the chalet, Nicole advised me my room has been invaded by a baboon, breaking the glass jar where the nuts were held. It was probably the one time we had not locked the door and it was all in the space of an hour. They must observe and try each time.

We said fond farewells to all the RockFig team and were so grateful to have Frank and Eddie as our guide and tracker.
Flight from Hoedspruit to Joburg and then on to Sydney. Ted has already started plotting the next trip. We had the most amazing trip and created memories of a lifetime.Read more