Camp 3: Hluhluwe and Goodbye

 Day 11

We had an early rise this morning to help take the cattle from the farmstead to their grazing area on the other side of the village, we didn’t do much as the cattle know exactly where they’re going. We then had breakfast and whilst doing so shared our scrapbooks from home containing pictures of my family and hometown – Pilile asked “how is that your mum?!” – I am mixed race haha. We took some lovely photos together and had an emotional goodbye before being picked up by Zama in the minibus.

Our journey to our final camp at Hluhluwe-Imfozoli reserve. This was the largest reserve and the oldest in the whole of Africa, covering a huge 96,000 hectares. On the way we stopped at a restaurant for lunch before continuing our journey. Upon entering the gates of the reserve, we were greeted by our first sighting of a white rhino, then to everyone’s surprise we were stopped by two lions sat in the road, one male and one female. To see wild lions metres in front of us left everyone speechless – we were told people stay there for days and never see a lion, so we were very lucky. Only one more of the Big Five to go – the elephant. The Big Five consists of lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo and elephant and are categorised this way as the most difficult animals to hunt. The drive was spectacular, with views of the savannah that looked like they were out of a painting, as we rose through the hills, Zama pointed out our campsite on the top of one of the highest peaks. We all started to get very excited.

When we arrived, we were greeted by monkeys in the trees, this was all very different to the previous reserves where hunting is allowed, meaning the animals were cautious of humans. This reserve is state run and hunting is forbidden, so the animals are not concerned by your presence, which was a completely different environment to be in. The facilities here were excellent and made us all happy to see proper beds, sinks, and showers. The rest of the day was spent exploring the facilities and swimming in the pool.

 

Day 12

Today we had a visit to the rhino boma, an enclosed area within the reserve where rhinos are protected and held before translocation to other areas to sustain the population. This reserve is where the last few rhinos survived when they were critically endangered, so is an important site for their survival.

On our way there, we saw our first elephants!! The Big Five was now complete! And there would be many more elephants to be seen over the next couple of days. Our first sighting was a family of 7 or 8 walking along the hillside very close to the camp, this felt like a collective moment of solidarity for the whole group.

We were given a tour of the rhino boma and a talk about the history of rhino conservation. We then went to the market that was on the site, known as the women’s cooperative. Everything is made by local women and 100% of the proceeds go directly to them, so a worthy place to buy our souvenirs. There was so much to see and buy that I thought I’d never be able to pick anything out – in the end I came out with an excellent haul that I was very proud of, from a spear to some amazing elephant tapestries. I could have spent days in there.

We had dinner later that evening back at the camp – they had a lovely restaurant where we had lamb curry. England were playing their first game in the World Cup this evening do everyone got together in my room to watch the game – England won 4-2 and made a good ending to a brilliant day.

 

Day 13

Our last day at the reserve ☹. We all took a sunrise drive at 6am where we had some of the most incredible elephant sightings we could have possibly hoped for. Including one massive bull rushing the back of the truck – cool but pretty scary. In the afternoon, we took our final game drive out to the edge of the reserve to swap out of the trucks and get back in the minibuses ready for a departure tomorrow. We had a shop in the souvenir shop and returned in the minibus. Some friends and I then went for a sunset walk along the woodland trail, which felt like an ending moment for the group.

At dinner, Mike and Zama said some heartfelt words and handed us all certificates for completing the programme. This was unexpected but a really nice moment for everyone to share together. We then had a debrief of everything that had happened and packed up to leave tomorrow.

 

Day 14

There is not much to discuss today, apart from the fact that we were stopped by lions on our way out of the reserve – feeling like a real full circle moment. We spent our last day completing an 8 hour drive to Johannesburg airport before an 11 hour flight back the England. It was nice to spend this time together before the group was split up for good – an emotional moment for everyone.

I have made friends and memories that I will never forget on this trip – it has been one of the most incredible and rewarding experiences of my life so far. We have been treated to a conservation and wildlife trip that not many people get to experience in their life but also a cultural experience that even less will ever get the privilege. I can confidently say that I have come through this journey with new knowledge, skills, passion and growth beyond what I could have expected. Thank you to Mike and Zama for being the best guides, teachers and role models; to Nokubonga and her family; and all the friends I have made along the way.