Our journey took us to St Lucia this particular morning:. Our agenda was the local butterfly house where we would discover the indigenous butterflies followed by the Isimangaliso Wetland Park in hope of sighting hippos.
Within the Isiphapalazi Butterfly House, the delicate beauties fluttered in the heat of the morning, only resting for a millisecond of time.
Once upon the boat that would take us through the wetlands,
feelings of immense awe swept through us upon sighting the waterhorse.
Herd upon herd of these giant creatures abounded within the small stretch of waterway the boat traversed. On outward appearance these creatures presented an illusion of gentle placidness as they wallowed in the shallows.
The loving interaction between mother and calf was enough to melt our insides.
Youngsters stood upon adults backs for a breath of fresh air.
Too lazy to behold, this fella popped his nose above the surface for a second of time.
A waggle and rotation of the ears.
A massive ‘roar’ enabled us to catch sight of those skin mangling canines and incisors.
A gentle ripple and he was gone.
This hippo emerged from between the shoreline grasses as we returned to the dock.
Besides hippos, birds were in abundance:
These little fellas built their nests upon the reeds.
Heron a hunting….
Not the best of images, but this giant kingfisher had captured a fish.
Another kingfisher:
Our day wasn’t over yet. Just before the township was the Dukuduku entrance to the wetlands (http://isimangaliso.com/) via road.
Birds….
Zebras trotting in front of the vehicle…….
and yet more……
Giraffes……….
Deer……….
A wonderful end to the day!
