Day 5 Tuesday 28th Satara to Letaba

Early Morning Drive from Satara

 We got up around 4 am and joined the early morning game drive before breakfast 

Drive from Satara to Timbavatti Picnic Spot

We then packed up the car and drove out along the H7 and S40 to Timbavatti Picnic stop. 

Drive from Timbuvatti Picnic Spot to Letaba

We then headed up the S39, following the dry Timbavatti river stopping at the hide at Ratelpan and the waterholes of ***  And Palm Springs, which were all very dry. We then joined the H1-4 before heading along the H8 to Olifants, then returning to the H5 and heading for Letaba. 

Our early drive started in the dark but the sky soon became lighter as the sun rose. We didn't see a great deal but shortly after sunrise we did find a male lion resting on the road. He eventually got up and started walking leisurely along the road before we headed off and left him to his rest.

Further along the road we came across a group of Hyenas which pottered along the road and ran around the bushes before heading off further into the bush. Further along the road were a couple of Giraffe and we had great views of a Black-bellied Bustard preening. Later we saw a Woolly-necked Stork in a narrow water pool.

As the truck negotiated through some bumpy tracks the driver called the one bird I was really hoping to see, a Southern Ground Hornbill which was climbing around in a tree. The truck didn't stop but we managed to get good views and hopefully, we would see more. It seemed much shorter than three hours before we were heading back to camp, stopping for a Blue Wildebeest, or Gnu, and being greeted by the ever present Woodland Kingfisher back at camp.

The drive to the Timbavatti Picnic