Timbavati Reserve

After a restful night, a morning walk, and a well-balanced self-prepared breakfast, we continued our journey towards the 'Timbavati Game Reserve'. This is a private reserve adjacent to the Kruger National Park. After a approximately 2.5 hour drive, we arrived at our camp in the middle of the bush. Immediately, we were briefed by our tour guide Wiann and taken to our tent. The camp is unfenced and regularly visited by elephants or buffalos, as we later witnessed. After lunch, we went on a safari in the late afternoon. Our guide drove us through the wilderness, while Raymond, our tracker, sat at the front of the vehicle and interpreted various tracks on the sandy road. Many animals crossed our path and our tracker eventually did an excellent job when he led us to two lionesses dozing in a riverbed. On the way back to camp, we were offered an aperitif in the middle of the wilderness. Back at camp, we were cooked a meal over an open fire under the starry sky, while we could hear buffalo and elephant grazing not far away.

The next day started early, we were awakened at 04:30 am. After a coffee or tea, we embarked on a morning safari. The lions had moved on and Raymond tried to track them again. A male lion had joined them, but the tracks did not lead to a specific destination and they crisscrossed the whole reserve. Nevertheless, the guide showed us new interesting animals and told us fascinating facts. After another coffee in the bush, we returned to the camp, where we could help ourselves to the breakfast buffet. Then, our stay was already over, we left the camp and drove the long way back to Johannesburg. After about 6.5 hours, we reached our hotel, where we will spend the night, to fly to Maun in Botswana tomorrow, where the next highlight awaits us.