We left the campsite on foot at the first hint of the coming dawn. I would have enjoyed the ambience more had I not kept thinking about the early morning hunting habits of the big cats in the area. The two ‘poler’ brothers doubled as our camp guides…but their instructions about how to handle large animal encounters was not exactly reassuring; and I quote: “If you come across a rhino or a buffalo- run zigzag and hide behind a bush; if a lion comes, don’t run & try to make yourself look big …or climb a tree.”. As I took a look around, climbable trees were few & far between. Well, there was that one tall palm we had passed a while ago. Hmmmm!
But once the colorful rays of rosy dawn spread across the horizon, all our qualms settled and we stood there, once again, in shared appreciation of the awesome beauty of Nature! With the sun up, we soon spotted some the animals – all herbivores that kept a respectable distance- mostly wildebeest, zebra and some scuffling warthogs. In between wildlife sightings, our guides entertained us in other ways…posing atop a large termite mound and hoisting a big buffalo skull over-head !
After two hours of trekking, our empty stomachs prompted us to return to camp for a last meal on the island …for we had a plane to catch that afternoon!
IMG_5186.jpg
Dab's Travelogue 