Day 184: Mountain Zebra National Park

5 degrees Celsius at night. That's pretty cold and reminds us of Lesotho last year.

But what a fantastic day.

The air is pure after the rain. It's clear and sunny. We drive north from the camp, taking the Jurisdam Trail, a truly hilly and rocky 4x4 route. Then we drive along the Link Road on a vast plateau with fantastic views of the surrounding mountains and then all the way south, where the views are more like valleys.

In addition to the enchanting landscape, the park also offers a great deal of wildlife, something we hadn't expected at all.

First and foremost, of course, are the eponymous mountain zebras. Almost threatened with extinction when the park was founded in 1937, there is now a sizable population. The animals are small and stocky, rather dark with a touch of brown on their faces and short hair.

We also finally see a black-backed jackal, ostriches, blue cranes, and a tortoise about 30 cm long. And lots of antelope: springbok, blesbok, kudu, red hardebeast, white-tailed wildebeest, and oryx.

And then there's a really powerful, old, scarred lion lying around. It lifts its head every now and then, changes position, turns around here and there. It licks its small wounds. An impressive animal.

A truly beautiful day in a surprisingly beautiful place!