I got up early so that I could join Janette in checking the cage trap they’d set in the hope of catching a hyena (alas, it was empty for now!)
We then went on to check out the sleepout spot used by volunteers – I wished I was staying to join them on that too, I love the idea of a campout in Africa! Under the stars and next to a fire, I have yet to do it, but it’s definitely on my bucket list.
After breakfast we flew out to Kanaan, where there were even more stunning views, in any and every direction!
The volunteer co-ordinator there gave us a tour; of the cheetah food prep area, the new enclosure built by himself and volunteers out of entirely recycled materials, camera traps around the grounds (Kanaan is a massive 35,000 hectares!), trap cages surrounding some marking trees, drove by a sand dune area, and we spotted a few animals along the way such as bat-eared foxes, birds, and a number of Oryx.
We came back to join the cheetah feed and manage to get a few photos for ourselves from within the enclosure, and then headed in for dinner – my favourite, Braii! With drinks available from the honesty bar, and we went on to play charades together (great fun, until you’re put on the spot having to awkwardly act out “mating Oryx” to a group you’ve known for only a few hours! – I later learnt that this had been caught on one of the camera traps, and so was already a bit of an in joke with the volunteers present.) Fantastic.
For those of us who still had the energy and were keen to, a night drive was offered, so I ran and grabbed my sleeping bag for extra warmth in the car! After catching a few nocturnal animals, our energy ran out, and we drove back for bed.
