The Zimbabwe Add-On
Hwange National Park
The Zimbabwe Add-On — Wild Dogs, Elephants, and a Leopard at Sunset
The adventure continued into Zimbabwe. Hwange National Park — a landscape completely different from Botswana and Namibia. Wild dogs, massive elephant herds, lions on a kill, and a leopard sighting at sunset. The perfect ending to a Southern African adventure.
Do you remember a few weeks back when I went to Cape Town? That felt like a lifetime ago. Cape Town was an add-on for a few folks before we continued into Namibia. And here I was, doing the same thing — but in Zimbabwe.
Hwange National Park. A very different landscape to what we'd been traversing over the previous weeks. It was a nice early morning start. We were about to go out on a game drive, and I was excited. It's hot, though. My Irish blood is too thick for this stuff. It feels like gravy in my veins.
But the heat was worth it. Hwange exceeded every expectation I had before arriving.
A Different Landscape
One of the things that's so marvellous about travelling through Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe is seeing all the different landscapes. People sometimes ask, "Isn't it just the same stuff?"
Sure, it's the same animals you could potentially be seeing. But they're all in different landscapes. And that makes for much nicer pictures — or at least a much more diverse portfolio.
In Botswana, it was lush and green. In Namibia, it was desert and dust. In Hwange, it was dense, wooded, and green. The trees here are absolutely gorgeous. They provide such beautiful depth for photographs.
The trees in Hwange are absolutely gorgeous.
Dense, wooded, green — a different kind of African beauty.
The Lions
Word around the campfire was that there was a kill right at one of the viewing platforms. We rushed out to see. And wow — these lions must have just taken it down. It was almost still breathing. So fresh.
It's funny, actually. You sit there thinking, "Oh god, it'd be amazing to see them hunting and killing something." But then when you see them eating something so fresh, you start to think about what it would be like watching them chase it. It's a bit mad.
There was a very clear hierarchy when it came to this particular pride of lions. The big fella ambled in from the back and took charge. They were so beefy looking. It was awesome. Hardcore, but awesome.
Lions on a kill — fresh, raw, and absolutely incredible to witness.
It's amazing how quickly they get through these carcasses. By the following day, it was just skeletons and a rib cage. And then when the vultures land, it's pretty much game over for the kill.
A clear hierarchy — the big fella taking charge.
Vultures arriving — game over for the kill.
Robin's Camp
We were staying at Robin's Camp, a really beautiful place. And I found out just yesterday that it was founded by an Irish fellow. I need to explore who Mr. Robin was.
There's a tower here, and I was told there's a telescope up there. So I went up to have a look. Supposedly, Robin used to use this telescope to survey the land. He had cattle here, so he needed to keep an eye on them so they didn't get eaten. He would pop his head out the window — or at least the telescope — and see what the crack was. And then he'd use his rifle to shoot into the air to scare away the animals.
It's always nice to soak in a little bit of history as well as the wildlife. The view from the top was commanding. On a clear night, you'd get some incredible stars up here.
Robin's Camp — founded by an Irishman, full of history.
The Wild Dogs
This morning was so special. We had seen wild dogs in Botswana, but this encounter in Hwange was absolutely incredible.
A huge pack — about 15 or 16 of them. We were the first car to actually spot them, and we followed them all the way to the watering hole. Watching them interact with each other, chasing ducks around the water, and then the elephants turning up and there being a fair bit of banter between them — it was absolutely awesome.
A huge pack of wild dogs — 15 or 16 of them. Absolutely incredible.
I'm super duper delighted with how everything turned out. It was such an incredible morning.
Elephant Central
One of the things they told us was that Hwange National Park has one of the largest elephant populations in southern Africa. And they weren't joking.
When I say there were a lot of elephants, I really mean it. There must have been well over 300 of them at one point. It was mental. I don't think I've ever seen so many elephants in one place in my entire life.
The driver even said, "I think there's too many." So there you go.
Over 300 elephants — Hwange is elephant central.
A herd that just kept going.
The watering hole — elephant central.
The Leopard
As we embarked on our final game drive of this Southern African adventure, we got treated so beautifully.
I just wanted to see a leopard in a tree. That was the bucket list shot. We didn't get the leopard in a tree, but we got a beautiful sunset, an absolutely huge herd of elephants rolling through the watering hole, and some wonderful birds.
And then — the cherry on top. Right at the very end, on our way back to camp, we spotted a leopard.
The cherry on top — a leopard right at the very end.
The driver absolutely floored it. There were about six cars by the time we turned up, but we had plenty of time. We were actually able to get out of the car, chill out, have snacks, and enjoy the sunset. It was a beautiful, beautiful way to end the adventure.
Seeing that leopard at the end was just really, really special. The piece de resistance. The cherry on top.
Reflections
Bittersweet as it is, that was the end of this African adventure.
To anybody that was on either the Namibia trip or the Botswana trip — it was an absolute pleasure to have met you, and to have seen some familiar faces again. What a wonderful, wonderful adventure this was. It's been truly amazing.
I'm on my way home to Dublin now. A bit of admin to do for the next adventure. I've got about 10 days back home, and I'm looking forward to seeing everybody.
But believe me when I tell you — the next adventure is one I've waited for my entire professional career.
It's going to be good. It's going to be fun.
If you liked the video, give it a like. And if you want to follow along for more adventures, hit that subscribe button.
But for now, I'll leave you to it. Take it easy, everybody. Cheers.
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