We started out as usual. Coffee, big breakfast, playing with the kids. Then we went for a drive to see if the Brown Hyenas have cubs. We checked out their den and there were suspicious tracks but couldn’t confirm anything… even with Will using a whistle that sounded like an injured animal to lure them out. We then passed some giraffes, stopped for some pics, and drove on to check the entire western and southern fences.

Will then suggested a night drive at about 6pm. He had stocked the car with beer and champagne (which is almost becoming a daily ritual) and we set off, with Jack wielding the spotlight from the front seat. These drives can go through the night. Will ends up fairly smashed telling us the history of South Africa and his dreams for a future in which the whole of Africa is a game park. Buffalo, jackal and the usual antelope were about all we saw until we pulled up at the lodge (below) and were told we were eating there.

This was an exciting prospect because we eat pretty simple food all the time knowing that only a few k away the guests are enjoying 5 star luxury. So we sat with the guests, a couple from Berlin, a couple from Sydney and a couple from Holland, and enjoyed 4 courses of delicious food. Safari life, for the guests at least, involves two game drives a day and constant pampering the rest of the time. At the end of the night, Nat and I returned to our humble accommodation to sleep… although we were woken at 5am by Will knocking on our door asking us to go with him to look again for Hyena. We declined.