Londolozi, Tuesday, August 16th, 2016

Today was terrific. I can’t begin to remember and write down everything we’ve seen and experienced, although I’m trying to do so. Out guides and trackers are extremely knowledgeable and besides spotting and pointing out animals, birds and plants, they provide a fabulous narrative for us on our drives.
I wanted to give you an idea of of what our day is like. We are woken up at 5:45 with coffee and tea. By 6:15 we are on the vehicle and off for the morning drive. It’s been chilly, but not cold enough for even a heavy jacket. About 2 hours into the drive we stop for tea and coffee in the bush. We stay out for about 3 to 3½ hours. When we get back there is a breakfast buffet set out with fruit, cold meats and cheeses. Along with that you can order a hot breakfast. We eat on a beautiful deck surrounded by trees full of monkeys that would like nothing better than to run over to the buffet table for a muffin, which they try to do on a regular basis. The staff have become experts at using a sling shot to try to keep them off the tables. We watched one jump on the table next to us and eat the butter when the steward had walked away from clearing the table.

We then have several hours to do what we want- nap, take a walk, etc. We’ve been coming back to our cottage and catching up on email, snoozing and just sitting out on our deck enjoying the scenery.

At 2:45 they serve “afternoon tea,” which is essentially lunch – salads, sandwiches, quiche, and fruit. Then we’re off again at 3:15 for our evening drive. About 20 minutes before sunset we stop for sundowners and snacks. A mini-bar is set up on a table at the front of the vehicle. Right about sunset everything is packed up and we drive back to the camp as the stars are appearing in the sky and night is falling. Our tracker constantly sweeps the horizon with a strong light to look for small any nocturnal animals that might be out.