The Ghost in the Darkness.

The nights are often very noisy in the East African savannah. The worst offenders are the Tree Hyraxes with their rat-a-tat-tat followed by an awful shriek reminiscent of nothing so much as a person being garroted by a particularly insensitive executioner. Following close behind are the Greater Galago or Bushbabies that sound like -you guessed it- wailing babies. Oddly enough, the call of the lion is soothing, or perhaps that’s just us, and we find it so. However the big cats are often followed by Hyenas and Jackals. The Hyenas’ giggle and the sharp yelping of the Jackal can both be quite disturbing.

And then at first light the birds start singing. You have a few minutes before dawn though, when the nocturnal animals have quietened down but the birds haven’t yet woken up. An intense sense of peace defines that brief interregnum.

We normally wake early at the camp and start the day with a steaming cup of coffee. It’s still quite dark as we make our way to the mess tent, by torchlight. The eastern sky is the first to light up with a pre-glow long before sunrise. And it is at that first light that we sometimes see shadowy shapes on the White Rock next to the camp.

Strangely enough, the sight of a browsing elephant close by, is indescribably soothing. How better to begin your day?