We arrive about 2 pm on Saturday and are shown our thatched roof hut at Ngiri House. Then we are left to our own devices for a day and a half with the keys to a khaki-colored, four wheel drive Toyota Land Cruiser sporting an industrial-sized cattle guard and no instructions other than always close the hut door or the monkeys will get in. Our small semi-circular veranda looks out onto a swamp where we can see large black and white cranes taking off in the distance. The air is filled with the sounds of unfamiliar birds, buzzing insects and monkeys chattering and chasing each other around the lawn and through nearby trees. The place feels deserted and 62,000 hectares stretch out in front of us. What to do?


Find a map, grab the keys and head out into the bush.

Since both of us like to steer and only one of us can drive (and that is invariably John) it takes a little while for us to get our signals straight. “Stop!” means halt immediately, not 100 yards further down the road. “Don’t go any closer” means exactly that, not “let’s see how close we can get.” After a while we figure it out; I give instructions; John engages in selective hearing. We explore.

Our charismatic mega-fauna (CMF) count increases around nearly every corner: giraffe, zebra, élan, impala, sitatunga, buffalo, white rhino, elephant, baboon, grey crested cranes, verreaux eagle owls, eagles, jackals, monkeys and mongoose. No cats or black rhino yet. The grass is too high and we’re inexperienced viewers. It’s something to look forward to.