Day 109 - We got on the road right at 7:00 am although that did mean we set the alarm for 5:50 am. We met Shelldon right out front and headed north.
The highway was pretty clear from Durban and we travelled quickly up the N2 and then R237 right into St. Lucia, South Africa. It was about 240 km.
We had a great two-hour boat tour from 10:00 am to noon. Our goals were to view crocodiles and hippopotamuses. Our captain could scan the horizon far ahead and spot pods of hippos. We meandered within the reeds and had encounters right up close. It was a nice experience with around seven other tourists. We saw a larger boat with many dozens of passengers.
Shelldon dropped us off at a restaurant and we ordered too much to eat.
After, we headed back out towards the Bonamanzi Game Park as that was the location of tonight's accommodation.
We had just under an hour to throw our belongings into our room and head out to catch our personal afternoon drive through the park. Although tomorrow morning we will visit another park with Africa's Big Five, we had a perfect time with just our guide/driver in this extensive game reserve.
We started our tour at around 3:30 pm and got back to the lodge at around 7:00 pm. We were the only guests in the whole Landcruiser that was specially modified for safaris. Our guide Siya was knowledgeable and friendly. A reserve is not like a zoo. The animals stick to their own schedules and a good guide knows their habits and preferences.
This part of South Africa gets most of its annual rains in the summer. Over the last week a lot of rain fell on the area, so we had to carefully find open trails and pathways. Some were quite muddy.
Jay and I felt honoured to be able to see the land and animals. Nearing the end of our afternoon adventure, we stopped near a lake and Siya put out some snacks and water bottles for us to enjoy.
Our lodge had a great dining hall and we ate more than was necessary at the large buffet. There may have been around 25 other guests eating dinner. Some, we heard, were local students learning about tourism administration. As we walked back to the room at about 8:00 pm, we could hardly help from tripping over impalas.
We will be in bed before 9:15 pm, because tomorrow will have an even earlier start than today. We certainly did a lot today and I am ready for some deep sleep!