Feb 11, Wednesday, Sabal Sands Lodge and Hwange Park

We headed out in our Landcruiser with our guide, MC.  Some of the birds we saw were the red crowned crane, the black chested snake eagle, another striking red beaked ground hornbill, a spur winged goose, three giant eagle owls, a carmine bee eater, a paradise wider or scissor tail bird.  We even saw a pair of ostrichs.  MC said it was bad luck to see owls, but if they are flying in the daytime, it is very good luck, so we were hopeful to see all of the Big Five.

Our new safari vehicle

Vervet monkey

Animal sightings were disappointing.  We had heard a lion roar twice in the night, saw his tracks, but no luck finding him.  We tracked some other lion prints in the Hwange Park, but lost the trail where there were a large number of buffalo tracks.  

We did see the ubiquitous impala, a lone giraffe, and a warthog in the distance.  The payoff, however, was our visit to the platform.  Here there is a large watering hole and a platform with comfortable chairs to view the widlife around the lake.  Three hippos and two crocodiles live in the water.  Gnu, a harem of zebra and some impala move all around.  The water birds were also interesting to watch.  Here we had coffee in the morning, and our sundowner in the evening.  Our first day was disappointing to some of our group who had been to Hwange three years before and apparently it was then teeming with animals.

The platform

Wildabeest, or gnu

Cape buffalo

Crocodile

Leopard turtle

Secretary bird

Secretary bird

MC was feeling like he had let us down, especially since we did not find the lion.  In the middle of dinner, he called Thonmpson and said he had seen the lion on the road back home and he would come get us to see it.  So off we went, without binoculars, and drove off-road through the vledt where he found the male lion resting next to a bush.  He parked 50 feet away and we got to watch him for awhile in the torch light.  The lion yawned, and Thompson said that signaled that he would soon get up.  Indeed, he started to lumber off back towards the road.  We watched this majestic animal slowly make his way to the road.  He has what I can only describe as a regal gait.  We followed at a distance by his side and watched him continue his journed on the road (which is two sandy tracks).  We were all exhilarated and MC must have felt like he redeemed himself.  MC is always saying "happy days".  He gave us our happy day.