Jan 22 – Imfolozi Day 1

Lioness relaxing under a tree by the river.

Kudu bull...mmm makes great biltong!

Our uninvited dinner guest...the Hyena...licked the braai grill clean!

Breathtaking view.

Entrance gate to Imfolozi/Umfolozi Game Reserve.

Can you spot all the different wildlife in this photo?

Oh look...another Impala stopping for a perfect photo shot.

Ranger Maddie on the lookout for the very rare...double headed white Rhino!

Another one of the big 5...the Cape Buffalo.

We set out mid morning with our trusty guides, Warren and Sam, with much excitement and anticipation. After about 2.5 hours of driving up the north coast, we entered Imfolozi Game Reserve only to be greeted within the first few minutes by one of South Africa’s Big 5…the elephant! Our game sighting luck continued, as we encountered zebra, giraffe, impala (S.A. equivalent to Cdn. Geese…they’re everywhere), wildebeest, and baboons, all before we even made it to our chalet at Mpila camp. We also saw a kill of a large animal, which we could not identify, because the carcass was covered in vultures. We later found out that the kill was from the day before.

The drive to Mpila was absolutely stunning, as Imfolozi is filled with various vegetation, rivers, mountains and valleys. Sam informed us that Imfolozi is one of the oldest reserves in Africa because even before it became a national reserve it was King Shaka’s private hunting realm and therefore closed to all other hunters. Once we checked in at Mpila, we quickly unpacked, grabbed a quick snack and headed out again for a late afternoon drive through the park. While at camp, we sighted vervit monkey and bush buck. It’s important to touch base with park staff and fellow visitors to find out where the most recent sightings of the Big 5 have occurred.

On our afternoon drive, we decided to try the Sontuli Loop, as there had been a sighting of a lone lioness by the river. On the drive to the river, we sighted white rhino, another Big 5 animal at various locations, some quite close to the road…they were the size of our SUV. We also sighted warthog, kudu and nyala. Once we reached the river, we were pleasantly surprised to see another of the Big 5…a Cape buffalo. With the help of our trusty binoculars, we spotted the lioness resting under a tree. We had seen 4 of the Big 5 on our first day.

Once we made it back to camp, it was time for dinner, so Warren sparked the braai. While we were eating, Maddie came up to the table and said, “Mummy, an animal is outside.” We all rushed to the patio door to see a hyena licking the still hot braai grill. They are definitely bigger than I expected. We quickly made sure our windows were closed that night.