Day 277 May 9 2015 Bateleur Rest Camp Kruger National Park South Africa

the water hole at Punda Maria

herd of elephants crossing the road

looking down at us

outdoor kitchen at Bateleur

making dessert

Day 277  May 9  2015 Bateleur Rest Camp  Kruger National Park  South Africa

The kids started the day by visiting the blind overlooking the waterhole where the saw elephants, impala and wart hog as well as many water buffalo.  We left Punda Maria at 10 am and arrived at Bateleur at 4:45 pm.  The only stop was a 45 minute lunch stop at a picnic spot about half way to Bateleur.  We only drove a distance of 107 km but it took all day as we were driving very slow looking for animals.  We saw over 50 elephants, over 20 giraffes, lots of water bucks, african buffalo, impalas, a sharps grysbok, a dwarf mongoose as well as other animals and many colorful birds.  When we got to the camp we went to the waterhole and witnessed a baby elephant chasing after impala.  The speed at which the impala ran away from the baby elephant gave the impression that they did not want to play.  The cabin we rented is nice but not a good as last nights.  It has 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms but the kitchen is outside and as I writing this I am watching a little mouse clean up our crumbs and little bits of carrot that we dropped on the floor.  We also had to move a frog from the dish draining rack before we could use it.  I love this place as it is an amazing experience to see all the animals in their natural habitat.  It is just depicted on all the documentaries I have watched over the years.  There is very little light pollution and unlike most of the other places we have visited there is no smog so the starts are bright and beautiful.