Ndumo and Umkuze are two parks administered by Kwazulz Natal, a semi-autonomous region of eastern South Africa. We spent two days in each place. There were far fewer people in these parks, than at Kruger.
This is the quintissential image of birding in Africa. They are ignoring the giraffes and peering into the brush, hoping to spot some obscure bird. Tom is on the left, our guide Santo in the middle, and I forget the name of the woman. Her husband, and herself joined Tom and I on a wildlife walk in Ndumo with an expert guide.
One of the many interesting birds we spotted in Ndumo was the Crowned Hornbill.
One of the highlights of the whole trip was the morning Tom and I spent in a hide built over a mud wallow in Umkuze. The wildlife that approached the rapidly drying mud were very wary at first. They would approach, then panic and run off, only to come right back. Eventually these wildebeest came in trying to lap up a little moisture from the surface of the mud.
Eventually the Wildebeests relaxed enough to lay down.
Even a Leopard Tortoise ambled past.
These Ring-necked Doves sip a bit of water from an animal footprint in the mud.
The poor Impala were near the bottom of the pecking order when it came to getting a drink.
The male Nyala is an impressive beast.
I assume this behavior has something to do with scent marking.
A mother Warthog escorts her young to the mud.
The impressive male Warthog.
Everyone makes way for the big boys, White Rhinos.
Mother and baby. We saw 6 Black Rhinos, and at least double that many White Rhinos on our trip.
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