This morning the plan was for the camp staff to wake us up at 04:15 and leave by 05:00 in an attempt to do our walk in cooler conditions. However, the wake up call did not materialize, and we didn't leave until nearly 06:00. Gus is annoyed.

We make a long drive to another area, kilometers past where we stopped yesterday, in hopes of finding lions. Eventually, Gus spots lion tracks crossing the road and decides this is a likely spot to try our luck. He believes they are only a few hours old.

We start out walking down a narrow creek bed with scattered small pools of water. Passing an small herd of impala, we spot a female elephant accompanied by two juveniles. One is crippled, it's front legs grotesquely distorted below the knees. It is very thin, and hobbles slowly, just keeping up with it's mother. To my eyes, there seems little chance this elephant will reach adulthood. I cannot summon the will to take a picture of this pitiful animal. Gus says it is probably seven or eight years old. How much longer can it go on?

We see more lion sign but no lions. Graeme spots a Martial Eagle high up in a tree. These are one of the largest eagles, standing up to 80cm high, and sporting heavily feathered legs, giving it a very bulky appearance for a bird.

On the drive back we sight four Klipspringer, the second smallest antelope species, leaping gracefully from rock to rock across a burnt hillside. Back at camp, I note the thermometer reads 99F (37C) and it isn't even 11am. After lunch, it is too hot to sleep.

It was a relief to get in the boat for our afternoon cruise. Not far away is "The Gorge", a steep-walled canyon inlet off the lake. The scene is gorgeous, the temperature tolerable. We spot a few bushbuck on a hillside and several rock hyrax, a small rodent that along with manatees and dugongs are one of the closest living relatives to the elephant (really).

Gliding back into a side canyon, we drift close to a large croc asleep on the bank, approaching to within 8 meters before it awoke and plunged into the water. A hippo surfaces noisily behind us as the sun disappears behind the hills.

That night we sleep well, until just after midnight...