Thursday PM and Friday AM-- August 14, 2015 Ivory Lodge @ Lion Sands-Last day

After our 3p tea we headed out for the afternoon game drive. It would be a short one as we need to get to the Kingston Treehouse before sundown.

We saw a nice herd of 5 elephants by the river. We love the baby elephants. By the way, some of the juveniles do hang onto the mom’s tail with their trunks but it is not that common to see.






Our last stop was also by the Sabi River to watch hippos and see the beautiful views and take some family photos.

Dumay has been an amazing Ranger (guide) and the bush has been very kind to us for the wonderful sightings we have witnessed. He had to study for 3 years to become a licensed guide. He has been doing this for 8 years. As he took the gun down to the water to look at the Hippos, which most consider the most dangerous to humans of the Big 5, I asked if the certification for guides included accuracy of the gun. Dumay explained the complicated process to test for guns under duress. He has only had a gun pointed and cocked at an animal one time. Fortunately he did not have to fire.

Ivory Sands claims to have started the Tree House concept and the Kingston treehouse did not disappoint. The sunset was amazing along with our Veuve Cliquot. We had a great picnic dinner and told stories and read and watched more stars than I have every see before. We had two visitors. A small mouse and frog on the sink. We hit the bed early and all slept well except for an occasional growl or bark.

Hayes rated the toilet a 5 star shit.

Friday August 14^th 2015-Last full day at Ivory Sands

We woke to a beautiful sunrise. No need for an alarm in the tree house. We had coffee and a few snacks and at 7, Dumay and Terrance arrived to collect us. Right outside our place (it has a drawbridge so no animals can sneak up on us) we spotted fresh lion and leopard tracks.

And as we start the day I am thinking, “how much better can this get? The bush has been very-very good to us. The guides have so much to do:

1.      They are driving a stick shift through rough terrain

2.      They are taking questions form their guests

3.      They are watching for signals form the tracker

4.      They are listening to their radios

5.      They are speaking on the radio

Dumay was listening well as we received a call for what one guide called, "the sighting of the year.” We saw two leopards in a tree with their kill of an Impala! It was a mother Leopard and the daughter of Eddie Money (Split Lip Leopard). It was gruesome and beautiful. The daughter climbed down and then after a while a Hyena came along to try and get some juicy bits.

Just as we leave, we spot the same mom lion and her two male cubs walking down the  road. We track them in the RR for a while and then the mom spots a kudu and takes off for a kill. She did not get it Then a few minutes later she spots a baby Bushbok.  She did not get it but we also suspected that she was wary of leaving her cubs alone.

Oh well, we stop by Warthog Hollow for a tea and coffee then head back to Ivory Lodge for breakfast and a break. As Tigger says, TTFN! Oh yea..no Tigers in Africa!