Day 17 Sunday: This is the end

We wake again in the pitch dark and want to make quick use of the shower. Sadly there's no water running. I have mixed opinions. The idea of missing a wash this morning and then a long flight is troubling. We make do with wipes. We pack up all our things one last time and while I'll be glad to get home comforts it's a real sadness to say goodbye to this adventure. It's been something so special.

We load our bodies with the luggage, huge packs on our backs, another on our front and bags in our hands. I feel like a mule. And in the dark we make the walk past our neighbouring tents and to the breakfast area where we dump our bags and eat. All the while we can hear a lion roar in the distance. It's in an enclosure (like all animals here) and the sounds reverberates throughout the camp. It's incessant and dominates the air. Eventually it dies down.

As we wait for the final bit of admin and our taxi to arrive to the airport we catch a last glimpse of wildlife. Unlike our previous camps where the few enclosure were large and the rest were all free roaming, this is a wildlife sanctuary where the animals are all captive, after being saved. The top photo shows the local cheetahs and then the baboon enclosure. Baboons are vermin here so it's probably not difficult to pick up an injured orphan.