Not everyone went on the morning drive. Some didn't want to anti-climax the previous day, others simply decided to sleep. We took off in a totally different direction and coincidentally came upon the pride we had seen ravaging the night before. They were sated and sleepy but made a beautiful composition stretched out under the trees at the edge of a water hole. Steve, who responsibly had seen the last of us to bed, bounced off the trail, circled a thicket and found five giraffe. Somehow the sight of those tall creatures seemed to make me feel more in Africa than yesterday's adventure. We passed herds of Blue wildebeest, impala, several groups of waterbuck and a few handfuls of zebra. But that drive's greatest moment was stumbling upon a bunch of randy Cape buffalo bulls, very dangerous indeed, who were cavorting up and down the high banks of a river locking horns with as many of each other they could. We realized that it wasn't all in fun when we spied one older and slower one with a wide, deep, dripping wound in his side. We whispered away in low gear, surprised a couple of steenboks, warthogs and Vervet monkeys on the way home and settled down to a hearty breakfast of whatever anyone wanted.

The final tally from my scorecard's mammal list: 20 Blue Wildbeest, 80 impala, 200 Cape buffalo, 3 Grey duiker, 2 Chacma baboon, 1 Vervet monkey, 1 African elephant, 20 Burchell's zebra, 3 leopard, 8 lion, 1 Lesser galago, 5 giraffe, 1 Scrub hare, 1 steenbok, 7 waterbuck, 3 White rhino, 1 Tellow-footed bush squirrel, 5 warthog, 30 greater kudo, 1 Slender mongoose, plus lots of birds and… 11 Vuitton-carrying stuffed-shirts.

As Enoch put my bags in the Land Rover, Steve came out with my Big Five Certificate. Through my pride, I had to ask: 75% of MalaMala's guests see the Big Five over a two-night stay. We were chuffed to have seen them on our first drive. Terrific stuff!