SA1227 from J’burg to Hoedspruit is quick and uneventful. South African Express runs a fleet of Dash-8’s that serve the provinces of South Africa, the major cities, and some international ports. Getting to the plane requires an airport shuttle to the plane, and a quick gallop up the steps of the 70 seater. Anyone who has managed to get their wheeled bag as far as the aircraft steps has it removed and placed in the hold – there is no way they fit in the overhead locker or under the seat. The guy seated in front of me seems to have been compelled to carry his drysuit, flippers and other assorted bits and pieces onto the plane and can’t find space for them. The flight to Hoedspruit is marketed as 65 minutes, however the poor crew barely have time to toss a box with a bag of crisps and a bag of nuts at the passengers before we start descent 25 minutes into the flight. We are on the ground in Hoedspruit in 35 minutes. Hoedspruit is one of those airports where your luggage arrives by tractor :-).
The drive from Hoedspruit airport to Ngala Tented Camp takes about 1 hour, and has me there in time for the afternoon/evening game drive. It turns out to be a magic afternoon drive – a slow start, but we manage to see the wild dog pups that are now about 5 months old and almost indistinguishable from adults, and the proverbial cat up a tree – a young male leopard trying to take a nap. He’s not old enough to hunt for himself yet, although he looks close to full size. Instead, he’s lazing away a sunny afternoon in a tree waiting for his mother to return with dinner. It’s all a bit of a yawn really….
