Our Favourite Watering Hole

A number of guests had left yesterday so on our last morning at the lodge there were only 9 of us left. As the other 7 were setting off for their trip to the Kruger, it meant that Tess, I and our guide, Mornay, had the reserve to ourselves on our 6 am safari.

We stopped for an early coffee at this watering hole just as the sun was breaking through an early mist and the white lions were roaring in the distance. The trees in the water here have drowned. The atmosphere was just magical, especially as the hole's main resident, an apparently irascible old hippo they have nicknamed Zulu, was keeping a watchful eye on us a couple of cricket pitch lengths away (see extras).

Once again, we were lucky to see all sorts of animals, some of which we hadn't seen before.

When we got back, as we were the only guests for breakfast, a table had been set out for us by the swimming pool in front of the lake and we enjoyed the view of the birds going about their early morning business.

After breakfast, Mornay drove us back to the airport for our flight to Johannesburg, where we were holed up for the night before the next stage of our journey in the morning. A chance to relax, sunbathe by the pool and catch up with some reading