My last trip into Hwange National Park for 2010 was in September for the annual game count. This is something I have been wanting to do for years and year, and at long last I finally got it together. I enlisted my good friend to come with me .. which for her was "going home" as she had grown up and worked in the area. She also isn't as wary of elephants as I am, and we KNOW there are elephants in Hwange and I knew I would need someone to coax me through ... and THANK GOODNESS she was with me !!! We arrived at Main Camp and checked in to our lodging for the night and found a few friends amongst the other participants. Our Chalet was just a room with our beds, a fan, a wash basin, and a small porch, and we were right next to the ablution block. The wooden cross pole holding up the thatched roof was seriously eaten by white ants, and caused me some concern about whether or not we should put the fan on !!! Our comfortable beds were made with crispy clean and fresh smelling sheets, which made for a good night's sleep. I used a plastic packed to jam in to the plug hole which had to make-do as a plug as there wasn't one to be found, and had a piping hot bath. That evening we had pre-briefing from the Wildlife Society Chairperson, and other knowledgeable people. After that we were entertained by the Ingonyama Dance Group from Dete. This group does perform at the various nearby lodges in the area, and if you ever come across them, they are well worth watching ... they are awesome singers and entertainers.
The next morning we left Main Camp and headed for White Hills Pan where we were to spend the night. The count runs for 24 hours from 12 noon. We arrived there in plenty of time to study the surroundings and choose a spot to base up. We had fortunately been given some advice from a more experienced member about what to look for, and that helped us find the perfect spot to keep out of the elephants way !!! The down side was that we sat in the full sun all day, in 36 degrees, but that was no problem ... rather that than be in the elephants path !!
The hot afternoon was relatively quiet, there was visits from some not-very-often seen Roan, plus giraffe and a couple of quiet elephant bulls who came in quietly on their own. But the quietness was not to last !!!
The sun set on a hot dusty day in front of us, and the moon rose behind us .. it was very peaceful, and I felt priviledged to have this wild piece of Africa to ourselves for the night.
Sunset and Moon rise
From about 6.30 until 11.30, the elephants came in to drink in their droves !! That night we counted nearly 600 of them, of all ages and sizes. At first I was extremely uncomfortable with all these huge creatures milling around, but they were well aware of our presence on a little rise, out of their way, but my dear friend calmly sat there telling me not to worry ... they were not concerned about us !! She had to do quite a lot of that before I settled a little. Late in the night we had just one fellow who came very near to have a good look at us, but he didn't threaten us in any way, and all I can say is Thanks to the Gods that he wasn't on my side of the vehicle !!!
As wary as I am of the elephants, I was to discover in the dead of the night that my good friend is equally unhappy with 8 hyenas running around our vehicle, sniffing us out !! That part did not concern me TOO much, but she was clearly not taking any chances with them, and windows and doors were closed and locked in haste, amid much nervous laughter !! The said hyenas did later provide some entertainment when a lioness and her sub-adult cub arrived to relax alongside the waterhole. The cub explored whilst Mama flopped around, appearing to be totally at ease. Naturally the hyenas were not at ease ... at all !!! They knew she was there and were creeping closer and closer to have a look. She in turn would get up, stretch, look around, cuff her offspring, and move closer to where they hyenas were before lying down again. And so it went on. Before too long, she clearly became totally irritated with being watched by the nervous hyenas and suddenly sprung up and charged them. Well, that was the end of watching the hyenas .. they left in haste never to return !! In time, the lions also casually moved off, in the same direction.
I was also treated to the sighting of a leopard silently moving along in the moonlight. It was one of those occasions that could not be photographed, but which I shall always remember. The leopard appeared to be a good size, and in good condition.
The activity at the waterhole died down in the few hours before sun rise, and in fact, stayed that way for the rest of the morning. No more big game visited us, but we did see warthogs, kudu, and lots of birds.
At noon we left our spot and started to head back to Main Camp, meeting with other counters along the way. Back at camp we caught up on sleep, had a hot bath, handed in our sheets to the organisers, then sought out some friends to cook dinner, have a few drinks and most importantly .. swop stories of our night in the bush !
After a solid night's sleep, we left the Park at leisure, stopping in at Hwange Safari Lodge on the way to have a feast of toasted sandwiches. The hotel was very quiet, but the service for prompt and friendly.
We will be back for the 2011 Count !!
