WE are drawn to some places, perhaps because of their beauty, tranquility or some other special quality. Often though, these place are special because of a deep, mysterious connection we feel with them. They are the places we visit in our day dreams, the places we most yearn for long after we come back from a road trip, the places we return to with a sense of coming home.
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For want of a better expression, I call them soul places and during our recent trip to Botswana’s Tuli Block, I added another soul place to my list. Bill and I have spent so much time exploring Africa’s wilder corners and have accumulated so many happy memories. However, our memories of our visit to Eagle Rock stand out as very special.
We were up early on our third and final day at Molema Bush Camp in the Tuli Wilderness concession, waiting for guide KB to fetch us for a game drive and a bush walk to Eagle Rock.
When he arrived, a German couple and a family group from Gauteng were already seated in the open game viewing vehicle, all wrapped up warmly as the sun’s pale rays had not yet banished the early morning chill.
Our companions proved to be excellent company, all of them chatty, friendly, knowledgeable about wildlife and interested in everything we saw.
As for KB our guide – we couldn’t have wished for anyone with a wider knowledge of the Tuli’s history, culture, wildlife and environment.
He was also very kind, friendly and thoughtful, patiently answering all questions, offering all sorts of interesting snippets of information and constantly ensuring our comfort, safety and enjoyment of what proved to be an outstanding outing.
We took a meandering route to Eagle Rock, enjoying excellent early morning game viewing along the way. There were quite a few jackal around and some strutting kori bustards, the world’s heaviest flying birds.
We also saw plenty of kudu, zebra, giraffe and impala plus a wonderful assortment of birds including a number of raptors. Most of all, it was the elephants that entranced us.
The Tuli elephants are a bit shy and skittish, so it is best to keep your distance, but we were able to sit for quite a long time watching a breeding herd going about its intricate ellie business.
The highlight of the day, though, was the walk to Eagle Rock and the chance to clamber up and over this striking rock formation with its wind and water sculpted ridges, outcrops, hollows, cliffs and caves.
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KB spoke about the people who had once called Eagle Rock their home, pointing out that its elevation offered views of the surrounding scrubby plain and of the plains animals that could be hunted for food. It was also a natural fortress as hostile parties would be spotted long before they arrived at Eagle Rock and defensive actions could be taken.
The first inhabitants had left their mark in the form of San rock art but the later arrivals had left plenty of signs of their long tenancy, too. KB chatted about the pottery shards left lying around and pointed out where the chief and his deputies would have sited their homes.
Strange round natural depressions in the rocks had once been used to store water, often patiently carried in containers from the river by the hardworking women. It was fascinating how he summonsed echoes of the past and brought the community to life with his stories about how it had once functioned.
Although you had to watch your footing at times the climb, in single file, guarded by an armed KB, wasn’t too strenuous at all and the amazing views of the plains, animals. sandy river beds and surrounding rocky ridges made it well worth while. At one stage KB stopped us and pointed to a cleft in a ridge.
Keeping watch on our progress, with only one ear and one eye visible most of the time, was a shy brown hyena. KB took a quick closer look at it as Tuli Wilderness keeps tabs on its brown hyenas for research purposes.As lovely as that brief sighting had been the best was still to come.
Suddenly we spotted the resident pair of Verreaux eagles that gave the rocky outcrop its name. They gave us a wonderful aerial display, showing off their flying skills as we climbed to the highest point. There we took turns to peer carefully over the cliff edge to view one of the loveliest teenagers you could ever wish to see.
Unlike its black and white plumaged parents the five-month-old juvenile Verreaux eagle was a rich auburn in colour. Perched in its nest on the edge of the rocky shelf, it seemed to be dreaming of its first flight. It would probably be about a month before it was mature enough to take the plunge. In the mean time its parents were keeping close watch over their single, gorgeous chick.
We lingered at the top of Eagle Rock for some time, enjoying the view and watching the eagles fly overhead, then we began our slow leisurely descent and a walk back to the vehicle in the now blazing sun.
By then we were all feeling a little weary after the busy, active morning and, with midday seldom producing much in the way of good game viewing, none of us was being particularly observant. Luckily we had KB with us.
He found us a majestic martial eagle, then he suddenly stopped the vehicle and pointed excitedly to where a sleepy cheetah was lying under a tree, a short distance from us. The big cat sighting was the perfect way to round off what had been an unforgettable morning and one of the best wilderness experiences Bill and I had enjoyed for many years.
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