Safari in Welgevonden-Waterberg

We arrived at the Clearwater lodges 28.12.2008. We spent two days at the Kudu lodge and three days at Thsethsepi lodge. Two good but different lodges. The Kudu lodge were on a large open savanne where Zebras, wildebeest and warthogs were plenty, and were we saw elephants and a jackal. The Thsethsepi lodge were at a stream with lots of shrubs and threes and we experienced baboons and monkeys and klippspringers.

We have been in Madikwe last year, but this was a different experience since the landscape were so different. In Waterberg there were mountains and valleys, and we never knew what would be around the next bend.



For us it was a lot to learn. Neither Olav or I knew how good elephants were at walking in the mountains. At one occacion the ranger stopped his car and sain elephants. We all looked to some trees close by believing that they were hiding there. Instead they were above us, almost at the top of the mountain, a big herd. We could see them moving around, we heard them breaking down threes and saw some of them climbing upwards with ease.

Ever since I was a girl I have wanted to see a dassie. I read about them on some animal-cards I used to collect. And I was facinated by the idea that these small animals were the closest relatives of the elephant! So last year we went looking for dassies on Table mountain were it is said that they were easy to spt. When we did not spot any we were told it was because we were there on such a cold day. The same happened this year so I had given up the hope of seeing one. Then one evening on our way home from a game drive I saw something cat sized move on a cliff. The ranger reversed the car and then I saw this big Guineapig shaped animal that moved around on the rocks! It was a Dassie. And then we all saw more of them. I still can not believe that they are at all related to the elephant. But they were fun to watch, they were active and moved around and seemed to have a good time.