March 31 & April 1, 2024 – Thornybush Game Reserve

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Each day here consisted of two drives into the bush, the first started at 7:00AM and returned to the Lodge somewhere around 10:00AM. The second started at 4:00PM and we returned to the Lodge around 7:00PM. With each drive we would search for various animals, sometime going off road following the tracks of Rinos, Leopards or whatever the tracker was able to spot. We would drive around for a couple of hours and then stop for a brief repast, the mornings were coffee and biscuits, the afternoon was wine or G&T with various snacks. We would then pack up and continue the drive.

It was incredible and I don’t mind saying, sometimes, fearful, that the animals would at time seem to approach our vehicle, though never in a threatening way. But when a Lion saunters up not three feet away, or a bull Elephant gives you the eye from just a few meters, I defy anyone to not be a bit apprehensive.

To catch up and to avoid repetitive narrative or pictures, I am going to post representative pictures of the two days and four drives we did here.

March 31, 2024 AM drive

This morning we started out to see the Hipos and also to return to see how the Lions were doing with their kill.

On Sunday, Easter, the Lodge hosted a Mad Hatter Tea Party for all the guests. It was great fun.

March 31, 2024 PM drive

Our afternoon drive we saw several heard of Zebra. Also, I was able to capture a couple of good pictures of Impala. They are hard to catch because unlike many of the animals that seem not to care about us, the Impala run away as soon as we approach. I also got a good picture of a Warthog. They also are generally camera shy. We also saw some beautiful birds, a deep blue African Starling and an Orange Hornbill.

We were going to head to find the White Rinos, but Ishmael, our guide and driver, got word that a Leopard had been spotted, so we headed to find it. And we did.

When we returned to our room, some Elephants were passing by, stopping for a drink from our pool.

April 1, 2024 AM drive

This morning, Ishmael and Shadrick were determined to find the Rinos. Up until now I had assumed that they just followed the tracks on the road, and we came upon what we came upon. But this morning they clearly disabused me of this notion.

As we started out, we first came upon a heard of about 20 Elephants. They were blocking the road, so we stopped and watched for a while. At one point a momma seemed to get between us and her baby and gave us the eye, like, don’t get any closer. But others had no fear or concern of walking right by the vehicle. Eventually they all moved to one side of the road or the other, munching on the shrubs and grasses as they went, and we moved on in search of Rino! Along the way we passed some Zebra and more Impala. 

We headed to the northern boundaries of the park. Shadrick said the Rino had been spotted up here and he did see signs that he had headed into the bush to the side of the road. We drove around a while, backtracking at some points in search of recent indications of the Rino. At one point, both Ishmeal and Shadrick got out of the vehicle to search in the brush, with Ishmeal taking the long gun with him. After about 20 minutes they came back with no better luck. We continued to circle the area and again about 30 minutes later, Ishmael and Shadrick, exited the vehicle, leaving Cathy and I alone for about 15 minutes. Ishmael returned and we went in search of Shadrick. We found him coming out of the bush saying he had located the Rino. Shadrick got back in his chair to direct Ishmeal offroad, through the brush. We knocked down trees and went over bushes until we saw THEM! There were three White Rinos, with a baby! We noted the horns had been cut to discourage poachers.

April 1, 2024 PM drive

Our final drive here at Thorneybush Game Reserve. We did not have any real objective of any animals to see, but it turned out to be a very exciting drive. Ishmael had word of a Leopard up a tree. We drove through a bog to where the leopard was and sure enough there, he was chewing on something unrecognizable. We watched for a while, until the Leopard decided to come down from the tree. We followed along, Ishmael anticipating the direction to try to stay in front of the Leopard. At times I was nervous he would antagonize the animal. But he knew his business. The Leopard eventually settled under a bush where he had stashed an Impala leg.

2 thoughts on “March 31 & April 1, 2024 – Thornybush Game Reserve”

  1. Sue

    what a fantastic adventure, thank you for sharing the stories & the fotos. There is only one word in my mind: amazing!

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