Tag: africa

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First Dangerous Game Encounter

Walks 2, 3, 4 and 5 – Trails Guiding Course – Africa Nature Training on Sabi Sands Game Reserve

Well, so far it was a wonderful experience. I enjoyed all the walks very much, even if I ended up very tired and with a few blisters 🙂

In the last three days we walked almost 29 km (~ 18 miles) in approximately 15 hours. We had four dangerous game encounters (1x Elephant and 3x Rhino) and saw some animals I had never seen before (e.g. Lesser Spotted Eagle and Giant Plated Lizard) or which I had never gotten close to (e.g. Dwarf Mongoose)

This afternoon I did my first walk as Backup Guide. This means carrying a rifle and being in charge of the group of walkers when the Lead Guide is busy tracking and/or dealing with a dangerous game approach/extraction. I got a good review from our trainer Andre 🙂

The picture shows the first dangerous game encounter during this course. This White Rhino female is quite the unfriendly type, so we kept our distance (around 60 meters = 150 feet). She knew something/someone was there but we extracted before she decided to follow-up!

PS: All pictures on the walks are being taken with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS-10. I do not carry an SLR on the walks. Also, if you like to know more about the Trails Guiding Course go to http://www.africanaturetraining.co.za. A great experience, even if you do it for fun and not for professional reasons.

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Trails Guiding Course – Walk No.1

Well, I did it!

Everyone – that knows me – knows that walking is not my forte. But I enjoyed my first Trails Guiding Course walk and I not even too tired. We tried to find Rhino or Buffalo but were not successful tonight. Nevertheless we saw a beautiful small flower (Impala Lily) and a group of the smallest predator on the Sabi Sands Game Reserve (Dwarf Mongoose).

PS: All pictures on the walks are being taken with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS-10. I do not carry an SLR on the walks. Also, if you like to know more about the Trails Guiding Course go to http://www.africanaturetraining.co.za. A great experience, even if you do it for fun and not for professional reasons.

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Large and Small

This morning we had two visitors in the camp. A breeding herd of Elephant and a Chameleon.

The herd walked around the camp and then they took dust baths on the road nearby.

The Flap-necked Chameleon spent its time sunning next to the road.

Enjoy the pictures!

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Bush Accommodation!

Well, after a nine-hour car ride from Kwazulu Natal to Mpumalanga I have arrived at the Nkombe Camp on Sabi Sabi.

This is a picture of my home for the next seven days. The camp is in a big five area, so I expect quite a few nightly visitors around the camp. I will set up a trap camera (with motion sensor) in front of my tent to capture all wildlife that passes through at night.

Here are also three pictures I took from the car while I was driving. The first gives an impression of the scenery, the second of the special road condition (You are not supposed to stop, so speeding is no problem 🙂 and the third of bovine road blocks!

 

It was an interesting and enjoyable, but very long, trip. Now I am tired. A quick bucket shower, then dinner and an early night!

PS: My 3G USB internet modem works great around the camp. Modern times in the bush 🙂

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Crossing fast!

I usually do not post more than once a day, but I had such a great game drive tonight, that I wanted to share one of my favorite pictures with you.

The drive started with two male Cheetahs greeting us on the savanna, then two Elephant bulls made their appearance and had a good meal on some acacias. And while we were watching them the breeding herd crossed the savanna very quickly (Elephants with young ones do not like to be in the open). We then viewed a Lioness sleeping while Wildebeest were feeding near by. And on the way home we viewed a herd of Buffalo resting near a waterhole.

What an afternoon!

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Rifles, Trails, Landis and Snakes

End of this week I will be leaving Thanda for almost a month to attend four different educational courses.

I will attend a Advanced Rifle Handling Course (to learn how to handle a rifle in a dangerous game encounter) and a Trails Guiding Course. Both course are held by Africa Nature Training (ANT – http://www.africanaturetraining.co.za). The aim of the Trails Guiding Course is to learn – in many contact sessions – how to guide and view dangerous game on foot (Lions, Elephants, Buffalo, Leopards, Rhinos, Hyenas and Hippos).

A Land Rover Experience is also on the program. The goal is to learn how to better handle a Land Rover in off-road situations. And last but not least I will attend a Reptile and Snake Handling Course.

The Advanced Rifle Handling and the Land Rover courses will be held around Pretoria, the Trails Guiding course will be held at Sabi Sabi Game Reserve and the snake handling course will be near Hoedspruit. So will be getting around a bit 🙂

During this time I will have limited internet access, so my blogs may be not as frequent as usual, but I will try to keep you updated on my trails guiding adventures!

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Silent Night!

 

What a night!

After I finished my evening game drive and after a quick meal at Intebane camp I was ready to go home. It was a dark, warm night with many stars overhead.

Just when I left the camp I heard a Lion’s roar nearby. Just a few hundred meters (yards 🙂 up the road a large male Lion walked towards me in the dark. Once he appeared in my headlights I switched them off, stopped the engine and watched him passing my vehicle just within a few meters (using my red-filtered spotlight).

I turned my car around and started following him. He made his way around the camp and moved to a dried-up waterhole in the valley below. On his way he stopped a few times to listen to the voices from the camp and to scent-mark along the road. He finally settled down in the middle of the waterhole. I switched off my car and my lights and I did let me eyes get used to the dark.

I stay with him for a while – looking at the stars in total silence – just a few meters away from one of the most magnificent creatures on earth.

That is why I love Africa!

 

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Massive, Flight and Almost!

On today’s game drive we had an encounter with the massive bulk of seven White Rhinos …

… and some Zebras took flight when we approached a waterhole.

At the end of the day two male Cheetah almost caught an Impala.

We also saw an Elephant bull and a group of Wildebeest at the waterhole.

Not a bad Monday.

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