4th Sept. In the morning Ben took us birding in the forests around the Lodge. A superb morning’s birding was had. Just a few of the wonderful array of birds we saw were Yellow-streaked Bulbul, Black-fronted Bush-Shrike, and a pair of very obliging Bat Hawks, watched at close range. All too soon it was time to leave Ben and Lisa and head off for Kruger National Park. We entered the north end of the park by the Punda Maria gate and headed towards the Pafuri region and the Mozambique border. We were due to stay at a lodge close to the border post but as darkness fell and 6pm park curfew was drawing very close, we still hadn’t been able to find it. Driving round in the dusk, we eventually found a lodge in roughly the right place and drove in. By now it was completely dark and the park roads were shut, and we breathed a huge sigh of relief that we’d made it safe and sound. Unfortunately it was the wrong lodge! Initially there was much confusion as the owners had no booking for us and no rooms available. Would we have to sleep in the car, surrounded by lions? Luckily, they did manage to find us a room, and not just any room but a wonderful luxury tent overlooking the river and surrounded by wildlife. Good job we had our credit card handy, but with no other option available, we decided to make the best of it and enjoy this wonderful place to the full. And in the middle of the night, it felt great to be safely inside the lodge as we heard lions roaring not far away.
Bird species total: 3109