Bush, Beach and Tumbleweeds

Picking up from my last post, we had just arrived in Addo and had the most difficult, albeit entertaining camp set up.

Being our first time at Addo Elephant park we weren’t entirely sure what to expect. I had been told it is not a particularly large park and that you can fairly much drive from one end of the park to the other in about half a day, despite its small size, it is home to the Big Seven. I didn’t know there was a big seven so had to do some research to fill in the 2 additional species, the southern right whale and great white shark. Additionally, it is also home to the flightless dung beetle which has right of way on the road, although sadly, there were many that had been squashed.

When we first arrived, Julia was somewhat terrified of the flightless dung beetle but by the end of our trip she had found them rather fascinating and would actively try “shu” them off the road in the camping area to avoid them getting squashed. At one stage she called me to help turn one over that had somehow landed on its back…oh! How times have changed from a few years ago where I was held hostage in my kitchen by a praying mantis – yes, I was that person who was terrified of all things creepy crawly!

I thought I’d share some facts about the rare flightless dung beetle (source www.shamwari.com):

• It is the largest species of dung beetles and can roll up to 50 times their weight – talk about super strength.

• Being flightless makes them unique in that their sealed wing case provides a convective cooling system which draws heat away from their bodies

• Their survival is dependent on animal dung, predominantly elephant, rhino and buffalo. Not only is it a source of nourishment but also an ideal breeding den – so please don’t drive over dung and keep your eyes peeled for these little guys.

• They use the milky way to navigate their way around at night and move in a line reflecting this – how awesome is this??

• The flightless dung beetle is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN red list. The usual culprits – habitat loss and human interference as well as low breeding capacity.

Addo is a very different park in that it was very green and very dense, conserving 5 of South Africa’s seven biomes / vegetation zones, Subtopical thicket, Fynbos, Grassland, Nama-Karoo and Forest. Our first sighting for the morning was a beautiful scrub hare in the morning light as the sun was rising which provided the most exquisite light.

Scrub Hare in the morning light

We continued our drive and found a herd of buffalo and zebra grazing with the morning light behind them. The herd of buffalo was probably around 80-100 strong and were not overly phased by us. In the distance we saw a few pied crows as well as some black backed jackal. So, we edged closer thinking there would be some remnants of a carcass – but this was not the case. We soon discovered that the pied crows were not a reliable indicator of potential kills as they were everywhere.

We stopped for breakfast at Jack’s picnic site. We were the only ones at the site for quite some time which allowed us to enjoy the morning bird song. We had a very brave / habituated scrub robin which thought it had been invited to share our breakfast. A clear indication that this guy was accustomed to being fed by park visitors.

The facilities at Jack’s picnic site are well maintained, ample shade to hide from the hot sun as well as clean rest rooms.

Bar Throated Apalis

I was in my element as there were so many birds in and around the picnic site, I didn’t know where to look. I added the Bar Throated Apalis to my bird list and managed to get it on camera – did not sit still for too long so it was a quick snap and pray it was in focus.

We wrapped up breakfast and made our way to the south of the park. It was fascinating to see the vegetation change and the herds of ellies were so incredibly relaxed – and red!

Well, not red, but they looked red due to the colour of the sand they would roll in. I am usually quite nervous around ellies, but the ellies of Addo elephant park appear to be super mellow – or we just got them on a mellow day. We parked and watched a herd feeding in the distance when two youngsters caught my attention. They were so comical as they wrestled with one another. The one was trying its very best to get away from its very persistent friend who was doing everything possible to mount or push it over. The end result - one elephant was pushed down a small embankment while the other landed squarely on top of it.

We came to a point in the park where you could see the ocean – I did not realise that Addo was so close to the ocean – hence the big seven! I was again reminded of how diverse and beautiful our country is, despite its challenges, I consider myself extremely privileged to live in South Africa.

Sadly we did not see any cats on our trip through the park, but it was a beautiful scenic drive. We made our way back north as the storm clouds were rolling in.

We came across a lone elephant bull who was uncharacteristically grey/white. He came down through the dense trees towards us, stopping to feed as he went. Picture perfect stormy skies in the background produced what is undoubtedly my favourite elephant picture to date.

Intimidating elephant

After supper we made our way to the underground / eye level hide to see if there was any activity. The previous night Craig had heard jackal and hyena in the night – Of course I slept through it as ear plugs are about the only thing that get me through camping – but when he went to the hide, they were nowhere to be seen.

All was quiet apart from our whispers to one another in the hide. We waited a while in the hope of seeing some nocturnal creatures, however they were nowhere to be seen. Julia was also not loving this being in the dark and wanted to head back to the comfort and warmth of her sleeping bag in the tent.

The next morning, we packed up camp and haphazardly packed the landrover for our next leg of the journey. Time for some sun, sea, and sand.

Addo is a truly beautiful and different park. The bird hide at the main rest camp is lovely for red bishops and the likes.

While we may not have seen any of the cats, the sightings we did have were picture perfect. A highlight was watching a family of blacksmith lapwings. The chicks were running all over the place and eventually went for shelter under mom’s wings. It was a first for me seeing these fluff balls and how they just disappeared under mom’s wings.

Our next stop was St Francis bay for some beach time. The weather however had other plans for us. We managed one morning at the beach when it wasn’t gusting or cold. Julia loved the sea and sand and of course spending time with her bestie.

I find it rather comforting to spend time with like-minded friends who love your kids almost as much as they love their own.

We watched the sunset with sundowners in hand at sunset rock the evening before we started our journey back to Johannesburg. There is something quite special about South African sunsets. Can’t quite pinpoint what exactly but there is an overwhelming beauty and sense of calm in the orange and purple hues.

Our journey home to Johannesburg started the 20th of December and we made our way from St Francis to Graaff Reinet. I loved driving through the Karoo. So picturesque. I was blown away by the views. We have had a very wet summer and the Karoo had also had more rain than usual so it was green and lush. The drive was long and being relatively flat we had to find ways to keep Julia entertained. This resulted in numerous rounds of “I spy”.

Our accommodation in Graaff Reinet was about 20-25km outside of town on a dirt road, far off the beaten track. We stayed at Geco Casetta, a rustic farm cottage on a working sheep farm. Much to my surprise and delight the property had a resident cat, who by feline standards, was incredibly affectionate and cuddly with strangers. Julia also loved this as I think we were both missing our cats back home. Our host, Graham popped through to welcome us and was kind enough to allow Julia to see and touch one of his agora goats.

We popped into town briefly to get a few supplies for dinner, and we came across the stunning church in the middle of Graaff Reinet.

This Dutch Reformed Church is also known as the Grotekerk. It is a Victorian Gothic revival church and has been loosely based on the Salisbury Cathedral in England and deemed a national heritage site. Interestingly, this small town in the Karoo has the highest number of heritage sights in SA (source: sa-venues.com). Sadly, we couldn’t view the inside of the church – a good reason to go back and visit.

We also couldn’t tick the valley of desolation off our list this trip, but we will be back in the Karoo at some point in the not-too-distant future (I hope). I was surprised by the simplicity of the Karoo. I had no preconceived ideas, I lie, I thought the Karoo was just going to be dry and crawling with tumbleweeds and boring. It was anything but.

We splurged the last night of our journey home and spent the night at De Oude Kraal just outside Bloemfontein. What a gem of a place…it was enough to convince me to pack up my home in Johannesburg and move to De Oude Kraal as a squatter.

We were treated to a sunset tractor “game drive” through the farm where we saw springbok, sable, yellow mongoose, tortoise and blesbok. One of the blesbok was leucistic or albino – only saw it in the distance but my guess it was leucistic.

After our sunset cruise around the farm on the tractor we settled in for our 5 course meal. Each course was mouth wateringly delicious. I practically rolled from the dining area to our room.

We were fortunate to have been able to travel and explore our beautiful country.

I am grateful that the trials of 2021 happened, without them I would not have had the push to redefine what is important and take the necessary steps to align and balance my career with my interests more closely.

2022, I see you and yes, we are 6 weeks in, but I think it will be a year of growth and more adventures!

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” – Harriet Tubman.