Rhinos and Hippos, and finally a cat

Friday, March 17, Moved on to Hluhluwe and St. Lucia.  Set up camp after cruising some back roads in search of our place.

Saturday, March 18

Hluhluwe Park tour in the morning.  Saw rhino’s for the first time.  Tough viewing as they always seem to be in the trees.

Sunday, March 19

Walk up to lightning and decided to break camp and head to St. Lucia for a hippo and crocodile tour.  We lucked up with the only two nice straight hours of weather in the day.  Saw lots of hippos and one crocodile.  Hippos can run 45 km on land, and over 20 km under water. Number 1 killer of people in Africa.  Crocs also take a few people down here, as the odd person strays to close to the shoreline and get grabbed by a croc.  Once grabbed, not much of a chance you are coming back.  Determined to head back to our old camp site as it was raining in St. Lucia.  Worked out well as our return to Hluhluwe saw clear skies.

Monday, March 20

Another day at the camp site under sunny skies.  We will head out for an afternoon game drive this afternoon and then will head into Swaziland tomorrow.  Our afternoon safari drive had us finally track a lion.  The smell of a week old poached rhinoasaurus was thick in the air, and it was reported that there were lion laying low in the grass just off the road.  We laughed as the safari vehicles waited a few minutes before the guide apologized because time was limited and they had to move on.  After about ten minutes, the mighty beast stood up, way closer than we were imagining, and had a look around.  An awesome end to our Hluhluwe visit.  It was so good that we ended up missing the food store and our supper ended up being fairly limited.  Great fun as Levi and Nate showered in side by side stalls, and the water pressure is not balanced.  As one would adjust, then the other would, and the angry banter would escalate between the two as then kept adjusting their water temperatures, neither able to stop for a second.

Our first lion, a teenager eating rhino