Day 13, August 6: Mana Pools National Park

Early morning departure to see some of the Mana Pools. The pools are caused by flooding of the Zambesi during the wet season. However, because of the drought in 2024, many of the pools were dry. Our morning drive featured several of them.

Day 26, August 19: Cape Town

 A much better day. Sue at the Grovesvenor hotel cooked us a delicious breakfast, and then we walked across the Simon's Town cemetery to the Boulders Beach penguin reserve. And penguins there were a plenty. One was waddling around the entrance booth. Others were walking around the reserve, making huge amounts of noise, and posing photogenically. 

They were completely comfortable with humans, and even with my 75 -300 mm lens I could take really close shots.

They showed very convincingly why they were once called jackass penguins.

Some were actually in the water, fishing.

Delightful little birds. Other lifers: Kelp Gulls...

...a Karoo Privia...

and, not new, but a nice shot of a Helmeted Guineafowl, in the front garden of a house adjacent to the cemetery. .