Hippos, Crocs, Buffalo, star-gazing ... and Warthog dissection make for exciting times in Africa!

Report received from expedition leader Tom:

Monday: Another fantastic day here in Africa! An early rise this morning was followed by a great boat trip round the St Lucia estuarine system*, hippo, crocs and numerous birds including the pied kingfisher and white pelican. Lunch at a local restaurant was followed by a bit of retail therapy in St. Lucia. The girls found a few necklaces whilst the boys got stuck into the biltong shop! We ventured out on a walking trail for a couple of hours encountering buffalo (the cantankerous old men of the bush due to their grumpy nature!), antelope, water buck and hippo, the whole group behaved flawlessly impressing both Tommy (our guide) and me! The crocodile centre put some 'flesh on the bones' of the croc sightings earlier in the day. Annabel reluctantly held a year old croc ... and enjoyed it! After trying to feed at least a few of the students to the waiting jaws we still left with a full bus.

After supper we took the team out on 'Bush Quiet Time' where each person sat for half an hour - in silence - with time for reflection, star-gazing and listening to the sounds of the African night. There were mixed reactions to this ... but everyone finished the night in high spirits.
 

Tuesday:  Another great day in Africa! Warthog dissection was eventful but all participated and no fainting, a quick dip in the pool before heading to a local market and the cheetah reserve where everyone had the chance to stroke a cheetah and interact with the Caracal Cat.

Wednesday: Early start tomorrow - up at 0530 for what we hope will be a very exciting game drive! - Tom

Note: Tom has tried to send more photos ... but unfortunately the internet connections are not good and we haven't received them yet ... will post new photos if/when we receive them). 

 

St Lucia Wetlands Reserve - Indian Ocean

Hippos in the St Lucia Estuary  as viewed from the boat

Need we say more ... the biggest population of hippos in South Africa is here in the St. Lucia Estuary.

St Lucia Town
- where the hippos have been known to walk down the main street at night on their way to and from the water.

Caracal at Cheetah & Cat Interaction Centre

... the spectacular African Southern Night Sky with the Milky Way clearly visible! 

and finally ... only in Africa! A sign you may find amusing ... or not! 

Tommy, the group's main ranger/guide at the Crocodile Centre

*Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park

South Africa's first Natural World Heritage Site and third largest park. Home to the country’s biggest population of hippopotamus, approximately 1,000 crocodiles and a wealth of plant and animal life. The park has 280km of near pristine coastline and comprises of 328,000 hectares of magnificent scenery. Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park encompasses an immense mosaic of habitats ranging from marine systems (coral reefs and beaches) and coastal forests (from salt and fresh water marshes to the open estuarine waters of Lake St Lucia itself from lush coastal plains to the drier woodland areas. There are over 500 different species of marine, wetland and forest birds.