BootsnAll Travel Blogs

OK an update: i DID pass the Gmae Ranger course…in fact I got top marks with 83% (I think) WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!

The course was set in the Garonga reserve just outside Hoedspruit in the Limpopo province of RSA, they have 4 of the big 5 (no Buffalo). as previously noted, we had a GREAT sighting of 2 male cheetah which were firstly walking along the road as we approached them, then they walked into the bush at the side of the road and lay around for quite a while and then moved along further scent marking as they went.

We also saw a few lions – both male and female – including one which was following a group of 5 Giraffe as they passed just behind the farmhouse we stayed in. We also had nice views of ellies and a group (raft) of hippos which were sleeping in a river section…these were my first hippo -MAN theyre big!

We also got to see a group of 3 lions hunting a blue Wildebeest on the airstrip out the front of the farmhouse…it got away due to the complete stoopidness of the lions! We saw a couple of hyena with a jackal – which was a bit unusual (HEY! its all blinking unusual to a guy from South Shields!!!!)

We had a change of course leader on the 2nd week of the course: Johan’s wife Natalie appeared to go into labour which meant they had to leave pronto to get to Jo’burg (I think) for medical assistance, meantime Martin stood in for the rest of the course (and helped get the course back on track (sic) as we seemed to be doing less than we thought we should at that point)

warthogs!…they are all over Garonga – and sooo used to being around people that they come thru the eectric fence surrounding the house and graze on the lawn..which means we have to chase them out again (have you seen the size of the tusks on them things??!! )

The rifle shooting was a hoot too: I did well as did just about everyone, I think..particular mention must go to one of the ladies on the course who accidentally fired the weapon before she had it at her shoulder..gave her, Johann and the rest of us quite a shock (luckily it was pointing in the right direction) anyhoo, all praise to Pam for completing the shoot and then going back for more once her nerves had settled

I promise I’ll get photos asap are…

well, I left Tuli after a total of 20 weeks there!…FABULOUS weeks too!

As a thank you for my persistence in hanging on ;^) I was taken to the Molemane project run by Brett and his ozzie sidekick Clint. I arrived after an 11 hour drive! with Theo and Rob (Theo is doing a DVD for ACE….Rob is another student)

Molemane is VERY different to Tuli: its a plains reserve so comnpletely different animals including: Hartebeest, Blesbok, Buffalo …oh and Rhino (the white flavour)

we’ve done drives every day to check on animal numbers, fence condition etc and had a superb time in general (I wish I had more time to write about them…hopefully I’ll get some time in the near future to redo this post

anyhoo, most memorable times include: walking Buffalo (which means walking thru known Buffalo territory) which may not sound like owt special till you understand that Buffs are now THE most dangerous anuimal to humans in RSA !!! we had at least 2 close calls on one walk: we found “number 42” Buff in some bushes which we almost walked onto (she’s dying so VERY dangerous) then later Brett left us by a few metres to recover an old fence rod…..as he got back to us he realised that there were 3 buffs stood just behind us in another thicket!!!!

Fun with Rhino: we walked thru a thicket and found ourselves maybe 25m from 2 rhino lying half asleep!!!…a quick about face and we walked away…this time!

we also did a sleep out in a thicket (overnight, obviously) we had 3 (plus 2 distant) rhino only 20m away and approachingto 10m from us….just inquisitive, Brett said!…shows how odd humans are tho: we went to sleep with them stood only 10m away…it was ‘old hat’ by then!

more to add later (hopefully)