Breaking Free from Lockdown. Day 32 Satara to Pretoriuskop

Thursday 26 August 2021

Today was moving day. The distance between Satara and our next destination was 140 kilometres so we were up bright and early and had the caravan hitched and ready for departure by 07:15. We only travel on the main roads when towing and travelling between camps. The rule is that we try to get to the next camp as quickly as possible but Murphy always ensures that something will delay our progress. Today was no exception. Why, when we are towing a caravan, do we invariably have exceptional sightings!

Early into our trip we spotted two stationary cars up ahead. When we drew closer I spotted a cheetah on the move.

Cathy and Alec were just behind us and called on the walkie-talkie, “What do you see?” “Two cheetah,” I replied having spotted a second one. ” They’re on the move, try to get a photo. We can’t reverse.”

Cathy did better than get just one!

Female cheetahs are usually solitary unless they have cubs with them. Some males are solitary while others form coalitions with their brothers. These two cheetahs were probably brothers hunting together.

Not fifteen minutes later we had another interruption.

King of the road

Why are these canned people following me?

I will just ignore them

Oh well, I’ll get off the road and hopefully they will drinve on!

Next we stopped to photograph three very handsome buffalo boys. “Take the photo quickly,” said the Earl. “They’re going to cross the road. I will move on so Cathy can get her photo.”

The tough guys having an early morning stroll

Cathy got them crossing over

As Cathy was snapping her photos of the buffalo on the other side, Alec called out, “Hey, look over there!”

Do you see what he spotted?

Omiword. Where are the women? I want my breakfast.

They’re never around when I need them to hunt.

Buffalo are the lion’s favourite food but it takes more than one to bring one down. As the females do most of the hunting, this male would have no chance of handling three who soon became aware that he was there.

Alec’s walkie talkie battery had gone flat so we were quite unaware of the drama that had taken place when we stopped at Tshokwane for a loo break and to get the chargers out of the caravan. After seeing the buffalo on one side of the road we hadn’t thought to check the other side!

The rest of the trip was quieter. We stopped at Skukuza for breakfast and arrived at Pretoriuskop at 13:00

Of course there were elephants trying to delay us. This baby gave us a wave

As we neared Pretoriuskop, klipspringers appeared

Even the elephants like rock around here

Pretoriuskop for the next four nights