Two Geckos on a Road Trip – Day 14 – Mountain Zebra National Park

Today is our last full day in the park. It is almost the end of our Road Trip. Tomorrow we will pack up and head to Oudtshoorn for our last overnight stay and then it will be back to Napier and Struisbaai.

It was very cold during the night and we were grateful for a down duvet as well as a fleecy blanket on the bed. The morning dawned with clear skies and the promise of warmth but it was a while before the temperature rose above 15 degrees C!

The Earl cooked breakfast and then we headed out in our own vehicles for our last drive in the park. It was most enjoyable and we saw lots of animals on the plains. There was nothing new though so this will be a short report.

I was delighted to get a snap of this Cinnamon-breasted Bunting

There were quite a number of Common Fiscals all quite willing to be in the photo shoot

Blesbok were gathered in great numbers too – this one was close by but didn’t want to look at me

What a wonderful thing it is to see large gatherings of different species decorating the landscape

The Springbok were out in full force

Exhausted! Playing too much rugby perhaps?

These three were curious creatures

Watch out for the Lions – What do you mean – they’ll never beat the Springboks!

At an otherwise empty pond we spotted a single terrapin catching a few rays

The froggy I saw a day or two ago has found a mate!

No trouble spotting these guys (Scaly-feathered finch)

Monkeys are a pest in the camp but seeing them in the wild where they should be is always entertaining

You don’t want those teeth to get you – so please people when visiting the parks don’t feed the animals. You’re signing their death warrant if you do because if they hurt somebody (think child in particular) they will be shot. If they’re not fed, they won’t come into the camps. Just the sight of a catty (sling-shot) will have them running away.

Yes, you are cute when you’re in your tree

See you next time!

By the time we returned to camp it had warmed up quite a bit and the evening temperature was not nearly as low as last night. It was our turn to cook and The Earl did a lamb curry using the Smart Space Pot on the Snappy Chef induction stove. I made a banana salad and also served some pickled vegetables bottled by my friend Esmarie. Dessert was chocolate chip ice cream.

Being Sunday, the camp was pretty deserted as all the weekenders had left. It will probably be quite full for the Easter Weekend. We did not get to see the cats and it seems nobody else we spoke to did either. This is not a park to visit if all you want to see is the Big 5 or cats. It is, however, awesome for birds and a variety of other creatures. The scenery alone makes it worth the visit.