Tuesday 8 October - Day in Changa Safari Camp, Mutusadona National Park

Alarm set for 5.15 with tea/coffee arriving at 5.30 as we have booked a walking safari with Bruce.  We started with a drive to the National Park and then Bruce and Jose drove for another 30 minutes checking all the tracks along the road.  Eventually we got out of the truck to walk through some mapane forest tracking an elephant but it proved elusive so Jose was called to get him to meet us and we jumped back into the truck to find another area.  This time we followed some fresher tracks, Bruce kept talking to himself which was a bit disconcerting but suddenly we all heard a crack of wood - the sound of an elephant breaking a branch.  We headed off in the direction of the sound ignoring the tracks and finally came upon 4 male elephants eating mopane.  We had to creep along very slowly and very quietly, Bruce gently moving the leaves with his foot to stop them crunching when we stood on them.  Even tough we had been really close to loads of elephants it was still fascinating to see exactly where they go into the bush, the clear marks of where they have slept against termite mounds and where they actually eat.

We drove to the river front for breakfast of sandwiches and tea/coffee and watched a group of elephants. Returned to the lodge for a lazy day by the pool broken up by lunch and the odd beer.

At 3.30 we headed off for a trip to the Sanyati Gorge.  The lake was like a millpond and stunningly beautiful.  We reached the gorge after 20 minutes.  One side of the gorge is the National Park and the other is community land. Both are mountainous with no road access and as a result is a unique area.  We saw lots of wildlife, elephants, hippos, crocs, baboons, vervet monkeys and klipspringer.

Stopped in the flooded forest for a sundowner and chatted to our guide about the difference in training between Zim guides and other guides in Southern Africa - Zim guides have a reputation for being the most highly trained.

When we got back we were impressed to find a hot bubble bath and bottle of red wine waiting for us - Sarah had listened to a conversation over coffee when I had described this happening for my boirthday in South Africa.  It was a lovely surprise.

Dinner was due to be quiet as there are only 6 guests in the lodge We sat with Emma and Steve whilst the other 2 guests sat by themselves - you got to choose when you arrived if you preferred to eat alone or with other guests. We sat up drinking an chatting til late getting through copious amounts of wine and keeping the poor guide up as he couldn't go to bed until all the guests had gone.