This post is part two of a series about our visit to Kirkman's Kamp in South Africa. Be sure to read part one!
Day Three - A Cheetah Surprise
It was another beautiful morning in the Sabi Sands at 4am. We woke up much earlier than we wanted, but we weren't too upset about it. At the main lodge, we sipped coffee as usual and waited for our guides to meet up with us.
The game drive started off like all the others. It was chilly, but sunny. A gorgeous morning to be out and about!
This time, we came upon a herd of elephants who didn't mind us being around. It was fun to watch them have breakfast!
Once the elephants were safely past our vehicle, we made our way towards the Sabi River, another major river on the reserve. The goal was to see some hippos.
When we arrived at the river, we were able to get out of the vehicle and walk down to the river bank. We got pretty close to the hippos, but were only able to see their ears and eyes. Nonetheless, it was a really cool experience!
There were some really cool geologic formations on the river bank, with signs of lava once flowing down into the river.
Once we returned from our small walk, we treated ourselves to more tea and coffee!
The drive back towards the lodge from the Sabi River was a long one. There were hardly any new animals to see along the way. We simply enjoyed the ride.
When we got close to our camp, Jono took a sharp turn into a shaded area overlooking the river. To our pleasant surprise, there were dining tables set up for a very special breakfast-in-the-bush!
We had mimosas with our breakfast, a tangy change to the usual.
We finished up our breakfast-in-the-bush and made the quick drive back to the camp. Since we had woken up so early, we were ready for a nice long nap, especially after such a filling breakfast!
Afternoon
We ended up sleeping a bit later than we expected, but we made it just in time for lunch. Friday served us a hefty serving of grilled ostrich, a dish we've had before. When we were all done, we met up with Jono and Victor for our last afternoon game drive!
The drive started with a quick trip to the open river bank of the Sand River, right behind the lodge. Here, we spotted the leopard cub we had seen before. However, this time, mother was with her!
We followed the two as they made their way up the road to a shaded area where the mother leopard had stowed a kill.
After watching the mother and her cub lay around for a bit, we made our way further up along the river bank towards the grassy open area.
Along the way, we spotted an out-of-place hippo. It looked like it had been in a fight, with many scratches on its back.
We also stumbled upon a white rhino without a horn. Victor told us he was born this way, not a victim of poachers.
When we finally arrived at our destination, it was sight to behold! There were giraffes, an old sycamore, and an elephant parade. The view was breathtaking!
We spent lots of time here, just gazing out at the view. Obviously, photos don't do it justice.
From this point, the drive was rather uneventful. We saw more giraffes and hyenas along the way, but we were mostly impressed by the quick change of scenery. We went from grassy and green to dry and orange, all within the same drive.
After more driving, we finally pulled over to stretch our legs out. Victor served us some cold drinks while we watched the African sunset off in the distance.
The drive started with a quick trip to the open river bank of the Sand River, right behind the lodge. Here, we spotted the leopard cub we had seen before. However, this time, mother was with her!
We followed the two as they made their way up the road to a shaded area where the mother leopard had stowed a kill.
After watching the mother and her cub lay around for a bit, we made our way further up along the river bank towards the grassy open area.
Along the way, we spotted an out-of-place hippo. It looked like it had been in a fight, with many scratches on its back.
We also stumbled upon a white rhino without a horn. Victor told us he was born this way, not a victim of poachers.
When we finally arrived at our destination, it was sight to behold! There were giraffes, an old sycamore, and an elephant parade. The view was breathtaking!
We spent lots of time here, just gazing out at the view. Obviously, photos don't do it justice.
From this point, the drive was rather uneventful. We saw more giraffes and hyenas along the way, but we were mostly impressed by the quick change of scenery. We went from grassy and green to dry and orange, all within the same drive.
After more driving, we finally pulled over to stretch our legs out. Victor served us some cold drinks while we watched the African sunset off in the distance.
It was a bittersweet moment...
Just as we were settling into our drinks, Victor noticed the sound of squirrels alarming in the distance. He quickly grabbed the binoculars and spotted two male cheetahs sitting on a termite mound! We quickly hopped in the vehicle, drinks in hand, and drove right over.
These are extremely rare to see and we just so happen to find them on our last afternoon drive!
They are really gorgeous animals! We followed them around the open grassy area until they wandered off into the bush.
Jono and Victor were ecstatic! It was the first cheetah sighting in about eight months. We finished up our drinks, packed up, and drove back to the camp.
When we arrived back at the main lodge, we had dinner and drinks. The staff was excited to hear that we had seen cheetahs! After dinner, we went back to our rooms and drifted off to sleep.
Day Four - One Final Drive and Farewells
Our last day at Kirkman's Kamp was a sad one. We didn't want to leave the bush! It was a warm morning, one of the warmest we've felt. There was almost no need for the blankets we usually wore on the morning drives.
A male lion had been spotted on another nearby game reserve. We weren't allowed to get close, but we pulled over looked at it with binoculars. The male lions are much larger than the lionesses we had seen so far!
The rest of the drive was pretty uneventful. We were looking for the elusive black rhino, but we had no such luck. We drove around for hours and ended up empty handed. Eventually, we pulled over for tea and coffee for the last time!
Jono took us on a quick walk around to show us some plants. He showed us a tree that looked like a cactus called the tree euphorbia.
He also showed us some other flowers and unpalatable plants. We even got to chew on some unpalatable bushes to see why animals couldn't eat them. It made our mouths extremely dry!
All of a sudden, Jono heard the alarming call of the impala. We hopped quickly hopped in the vehicle and drove around to look for the suspected predator. Unfortunately, we never found it.
Once we finished our last bit of tea and coffee, we drove back to the lodge for a final breakfast before we were taken back to the Skukuza airport to make our flight to Cape Town.
Final Thoughts
The sheer size of the African bush makes you feel extremely vulnerable. There are no hospitals, grocery stores, or paved roads nearby. You feel insignificant, just another animal living among the many, many other wild animals out there. The fear, vulnerability, vast landscape, as far as the eye can see, makes you feel really small.
It was oddly liberating, the feeling of insignificance. I felt unimportant, insignificant, inferior while out in Kirkman's Kamp. And yet, I felt more free than I’d ever been.
Special thanks to my good friend, John Ocampo, for sharing his photos with us!
Special thanks to my good friend, John Ocampo, for sharing his photos with us!
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