Snore of the jungle
won’t attack a safari truck, so we could gawp all we liked from just a few yards away.
On we drove, buzzing from our buffalo encounter. Over the next hour we saw giraffe, impala and elephants, and locked eyes with an evil-looking vulture perched on a branch right in front of us.
I wasn’t expecting to see so much in such a short amount of time but Ulusaba’s 21 sumptuous rooms are spread over two amazing lodges – one on a hill with a fantastic views of the savannah (where Mr Branson prefers to stay) and the other (where I was staying) on the banks of a dry riverbed, right in the heart of the bush. I had to cross a series
the wildlife kept coming. We stopped by the river for a gin and tonic and biltong and watched the sun go down as dancing fireflies lit up the opposite bank. Then out of the dark, aiming straight for us at speed were two piercing white lights – the eyes of a hyena.
Startled by a passing truck, it headed at ours. When it got to just a few yards away I took evasive action but it veered away and disappeared into the bush. Phew! It was of swing bridges from the main dining area to reach my exquisite room – which was a bit of a challenge after a few glasses of South African red!
Not that I ever really wanted to leave the bijou bar where we downed local beers and listened to the rangers’ “war stories”.
time to go back to base but on the way an eagle-eyed companion spotted a leopard resting high up in the crook of an ebony tree.
Minutes later we stumbled across the unforgettable Dark Mane.
To say I was looking forward to Day Two was an understatement, although not the 5am alarm call.
We set off before breakfast with hopes high for another incredible day in the wild. We weren’t disappointed. That morning we saw