Sleep in !!!!! 6.30am start today, then off in our Cruiser teams to prepare for the big hat and presentation competition. Nash takes us to a secret location where we ” Team Nashie” build a “special” hat and work up a theatrical presentation, we feel should be good enough to win. We hope.

It involves theatre, dancing girls, African music, poetry, engineering and decorative skills of an extraordinarily high standard. Nash tells us not to “crack the shits” in African terms if we don’t win, we’re not worried about this because we know we’ll win. We hope.

Everyone in our team of 11, which includes Nash, build the hat, decorate it, choreograph the dance, come up with a theatrical theme, a real team effort.

The 3 teams perform so well and build great hats but ours is better, and our theatre wins us the day. 2 bottles of wine come our way for tonight’s dinner. We’re not competitive, not much, and we don’t have to ” crack the shits” . The Navigator is a dancer, matriach= appropriate, The Dancer decorates and choreographs, The Cowboy builds and bleeds (skewered himself building the hat and write a quick bit of crappy poetry for our presentation.

Brunch at a location up in the Park is so good, a bar, champagne, lunch of kudu rissoles and warthog sausages ( all gluten free), followed by a delicious dessert. The Navigator keeps up her remarkable culinary conversion to a broader pallette. Al is eating like a MKR judge.

Afternoon tea then a game drive. Our time at a hide near Christina’s Wallow isn’t successful, our group are not quiet, they are like nasty school children, talking, sneezing, laughing, so we don’t see any animals. Later groups, better behaved,vsee animals.

Back at Lion Lodge at 6.30pm for Guides Cocktails, shots are consumed, happy hour Margherita consumed. Beautiful 3 course dinner is consumed. The group has grown tighter, the conversation flows easily as though we’ve known each other for years.

This place is booked out until 2028, its easy to see why. A great location, fantastic staff, great food and accomodation, and Lion Lodge is the best Lodge, Elephant and Rhino are no where near as good,vin my opinion.

Ciao from Sebatana Private Reserve in Limpopo, South Africa

Pauolo