Wednesday

We drove out through Durban Northeast up the highway along the coast through pulpwood forests and sugar cane plantations.  Our destination was the Hluhluwe Umfolozi game park, which we reached after several hours.  We drove around inside it and visited the Centennary Center, which had been constructed since Tom was here.  We were able to walk with a guide through an area of cages (bohmas) built to hold rhino, giraffe and Nyala they were preparing to auction off the following weekend.  We got really close to the rhino.

On the way to Hilltop Camp we saw more wildlife and went to the Thiyeni Hide.  We checked in and had a few beers at the bar before going to our hut.  This hut was a completed furnished vacation home - two bedrooms, two full baths, a living room, porch, kitchen, dining area, the works.  We had dinner (braai) in the restaurant and walked home to finish off all the free beer and champagne we had collected.

Thursday

After breakfast and some photo shooting around the camp, we got in the car and headed for the northeast corner of South Africa, where there used to be an unguarded border with Mozambique that lead to the ocean.  We did not want to enter Mozambique officially, but we thought we might be able to see the ocean.

A water buffalo near dark.

Hilltop Camp:

Our "hut"