Who would believe that we would have rain in Addo Elephant Park in November! It was so hot on our arrival day but now it is cold and wet! But this has not dampened our enjoyment of being in the bush. We are not diehards but we certainly make a plan to make things more comfortable. Thank Goodness I thought to pack some warm clothes.
It rained throughout last night and was still raining this morning so we stayed in bed a little later – no point rushing out in the cool of the day as the whole day would be cool! It let up enough to make a hearty breakfast and while Earl was preparing he had a demanding visitor.
This cheeky fork-tailed drongo asked to share our breakfast
It seems that butter is a delicacy enjoyed both by the drongo and the weavers. Before Earl could stop the drongo he’d taken off with the butter from the egg pan!
After rescuing our breakfast from the birds we sat down to eat and then set off to explore. It rained on and off the entire day!
Mr Kudu was the first to greet us
We saw elephants frequently and I will just show a few of the special ones here
King of the road was this bull leisurely strolling towards us and not given a damn about the cars. This is taken through the windscreen
Don’t worry he was really friendly
He could have put his trunk right through the window but he was more interested in eating his lunch
He uses his trunk with such skill
Of course the warthogs have the run of the park and we saw plenty of them.
We also got up close and personal with red hartebeest and zebra.
The babies are adorable
In spite of the rain the plains were full of game
The zebra were in playful mood
And quite affectionate toward each other
The birding was most rewarding – they did not seem to mind the rain.
Glossy starlings made many appearances
Two beautiful spotted thick-knees
An orange throated longclaw posed like a model
Of course he is a handsome chap!
A red-necked spurfowl showed off her chicks
The hyperactive stonechat was hard to get but finally he sat still and obliged me with a half decent photograph
The resident Jackal Buzzard shows he’s just as handsome as the visiting steppe buzzard
We exited the south gate and went to the little village of Colchester just outside the park to do a bit of shopping and had lunch at Taste of Africa – a chicken salad that lacked imagination!
We arrived back at camp at 4 o’clock. We had every intention of doing a braai for supper as the rain had stopped but by 5 it was raining again so we opted for dinner at the restaurant. Our venison hotpot was served with mash, butternut and spinach and was to die for!
Early looking surprised at the excellent food
We’re having trouble with our portable wireless devise so might not be able to do a blog post tomorrow but hopefully I’ll be able to use my phone or Earl’s tablet as a hotspot – depends on how much data is left!
But now I will be going to sleep with the sound of rain on canvas – I do so love my offroad caravan!
Diary of an Adventurous Retiree 
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I agree with you the weather was TERRIBLE. I have not seen so much rain and it felt as if the snow had fallen as well. We left for Plett with not one jacket so froze. You did well despite the rain and the animals are lovely. I do not like those BIG Ellies at all and was very nervous when I was there and saw them so close. Enjoy the rest of your stay.
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