Sanbona Wildlife Reserve

Today, it was an early wake-up call at 4:45 am, the mobile phone rang and at 5:00 am the lodge called to wake us up. After a quick wash and getting dressed (layers of clothing), at 5:15 am we had coffee or tea in the main house. Jordan was already there and just before 5:30 am, we set off on the morning safari drive. However, apart from a few hares and a brown hyena that quickly disappeared, the first two hours were not very productive. We followed a cheetah, but it skillfully evaded our sight and unfortunately, we didn't get to see it.

But that's just nature. However, we were rewarded in the second part of the drive. In addition to ostriches and white rhinos, we also saw African buffalos (which, by the way, are the second most dangerous animal in Africa, with hippos being number one, who would have thought).

Afterwards, we had a hearty breakfast (shortly after 9:00 am), as we had been out for over 3.5 hours.

Now it's time to relax and prepare for the afternoon drive.

Shortly before 4:00 pm, we met Jordan and our Swiss fellow passengers in the main house. Just like in the morning, we wanted to find the male cheetah. We passed by the waterhole and saw the buffalos drinking, and there were also giraffes nearby, which also wanted to go to the waterhole. We then went to the spot where we saw the white rhinos in the morning, they were not far away. There was also a giraffe nearby. As we got closer to the rhinos, we spotted 4 more rhinos coming out of the bushes, heading towards the waterhole. We moved and waited for the rhinos at the waterhole. It was a beautiful sight to watch these animals drink from a safe distance.

Afterwards, we set off in search of the cheetah, first by Land Cruiser and then on foot over rocks and inclines (it was quite a challenge, not only because of the steep climb but also because of the terrain). The cheetah, being clever like in the morning, hid above the cliff.

And so ends an eventful safari drive. At the camp, we enjoyed a good brai (South African for BBQ) outside. After that, sleep came easily to us.