I was invited to go on a herping trip in the Blyde River Canyon area in Mpumalanga during early October 2021. I jumped at the opportunity to find some reptiles I would not be able to find on my own.
Thursday
I left on Thursday afternoon at about lunch time. The N12 and N4 was surprisingly busy, and I was relived when I turned off the N4 towards Dullstroom. I had hoped to find some raptors while driving through Dullstroom and was happy to find my first Common Buzzard of the summer as well as a Long-crested Eagle. Just outside Lydenburg I spotted a Southern Bald Ibis. The last few kilometers before the resort was a fairly stressfull drive as the fog was so thick I could barely see more than a couple of car lengths in front of me. Having a few helping hands meant that my tent was set up quite quickly, and I was able to join the guys on a road cruise outing.
Not long after arriving at or first stop, one of the guys spotted a Variegated Wolf Snake. This guy was high on my wish list for the trip, and I was extremely happy that we found one so quickly.
We also found a Turner’s gecko, another new species for my list. I love the gecko’s eye. 
One of the smaller snakes that we found was a Stiletto Snake. For some reason this snake freaked me out more than any of the other venomous snakes we would find.
Next up was a Red Toad that was feeding on some ants.
This snake-like little creature was another cool find. It was a Giant Legless Skink.
This East African Shovel Snout was the cutest little snake I had seen in a long time. It was only a baby and was absolutely adorable.
While the boys were mostly interested in finding reptiles and amphibians, I was also on the lookout for bugs. I found this Whip Scorpion on the rock face.
Friday
On Friday morning a Red-chested Cuckoo woke me up early. The weather was not great. It was overcast and misty, but I went for a birding walk around the resort anyway. I saw a number of birds, and quite a few of them were on my wish list for the weekend. These include a Scarlet-chested Sunbird, a small flock of Southern Bald Ibises that flew past and an Alpine Swift. I also saw y first Paradise Flycatcher of the summer.
The misty weather conditions continued into the morning and we decided to stay in camp to photograph some of the finds of the trip so we could release them during our drive later. Most of them were lifers for me.
Van Son’s Gecko
Herald Snake 
Slug Eater
Abel Erasmus Gecko 
Snake-eyed Skink
Rainbow Skink.
The Sekukunene Flat Lizard was the most colourful find of the trip. The blue and orange were electric. But he is a fast little guy, and we had our hands full trying to photograph him.
Another bird that I haven’t seen in a long time is the Swee Waxbill. There was a little family that visited every day. I also found where they had a little nest.
Once the weather cleared up we headed out to the bottom of the canyon and the Blyderivierspoort Dam.
The scenery from the lookout point was very pretty.
This Lesser Baboon Spider was hiding on a log near the car.
We stopped at a little walking trail. The route next to the little stream was very pretty. I added a new butterfly to my life list in the form of a Mother of Pearl Butterfly. Unfortunately I only had my cell phone with me, but I have the record shot!
There were also a few Squinting Bush Brown Butterflies around. I also managed to see a Red-chested Cuckoo, my first for the summer. And then I heard the call of an African Fish Eagle. The iconic call makes me smile every time I hear it.
On the way to Hoedspruit we found my first ever Black Mamba. Unfortunately a vehicle had driven over it shortly before we came across it. It was still worth an inspection. We estimated that it was at least 2m long. Such a pity that it was dead. The number of road-killed snakes we found was one of the depressing aspects of what was an amazing weekend.
We drove the road to the Orpen gate and found one of the really great snakes of the weekend – a Snouted Night Adder.
You can clearly see how it got its name.
Saturday
Saturday started hot and sunny. The weather made a complete 180 degree turn around from the previous morning. The Red-chested Cuckoo woke me again just after 05h00. After a quick shower I went on another birding walk. It seems the warm morning was just what the birds needed as they were out in numbers.
In the dense vegetation behind our camp I found both White-throated Robin-chat and Red-capped Robin-chat. The latter was a real highlight as I’ve only seen one once before.
I looked up and was just in time to see an Alpine Swift swoop past, another trip bird that I had only seen once before.
A pair of Southern Black Tits had a nest in the hollow of a tree. This little one hung upside down while it looked for breakfast for the little ones.
A Brown-headed Kingfisher enjoyed breakfast in the form of a little amphibian.
These two Lesser Striped Swallows made a pretty picture against the blue sky.
I just love spring as so many birds are breeding, as was the case with the pair of Familiar Chats.
I saw the little family of Swee Waxbills near our tents on the Friday, but in the sunny conditions I was able to get some photos.
The plans for the day were to stay in camp as it was way too hot to go herping.I joined one of the .guys on a quick walk to the open grasslands on the northern end of the resort. I saw a Jackal Buzzard soaring overhead. A quartet of Southern Bald Ibises flew past as well. I heard a Klaas’ Cuckoo, but sadly could not spot the bird.
One of the beautiful creatures we found was a stunning Yellow-throated Plated lizard.
Another of my favourite finds of the trip was this adorable little Flap-necked Chameleon. He was such a cute little thing, and it was another of the highlights of the trip for me. I’ve only seen them when they were green or yellowish-green, and this colour was very interesting.
But the coolest little reptile was this Van Dam’s Girdled Lizard. And it had a scientific name to match – Smaug Vandami.
We also found a few more frog and toad species. I have to admit, it felt quite weird to hold them! This Guttural Toad was quite pretty.
One of the guys arrived at camp with one of the finds of the trip – a Western Natal green Snake.
While the guys prepared a fire for a lunch time braai, I drove to the public viewpoint to see the Three Rondawels. I did not stay too long as it was extremely hot, there were a lot of people and many people seemed to be in competition to see who could play the music in their cars the loudest.But despite this the view was absolutely breathtaking. I had never been to the Three Rondawels before, and I was quite impressed with the scenery and the Blyde River Canyon.
On the way back to the resort I saw an African Harrier Hawk and a White-necked Raven. The Ravens have massive beaks.
I decided not to join the guys on their night time road cruise and rather do a night time walk around the resort.
Just before sunset I went to one of the look out points in camp. I had almost the exact same view of the Three Rondawels as earlier, but without the crowds. I enjoined a sundowner as I took in the wonderful view.
My night time walk started on a high note. I found three Thick-tailed Bush Babies near our tents. It looked like it could be an adult and two youngsters.
The adult disappeared quickly, but the younger ones were very inquisitive and interested in what I was doing. They are the cutest little fur balls!
The rest of the walk was fairly quiet with only a few spiders and this Painted Reed Frog.
I could hear thunder approaching and see the lightning in the distance and decided to all it a night. I zipped up my tent just as the thunder, lightning and rain started.
Sunday
The day started grey, overcast and very windy. I just went on a small birding walk. New birds for my trip list included a Grey-tit Flycatcher, a White-browed Scrub Robin and my first Yellow-billed Kite of the summer.
We packed up our tents quickly and then went to an open grassy area for the last photographs of the trip.
The first model was a Mozambique Spitting Cobra. He was not a happy chap, and I made sure I kept my distance. But what a magnificent snake!
We had found three Puff Adders, and they all had different coloration. Two were fairly relaxed, but the smallest one was the most aggressive.
This Egg Eater had really beautiful colours.
We found a few Brown House Snakes dead on the road during the trip. It was a nice change to find this pretty one.
Velvet Gecko
Another toad species we found was a brightly coloured Eastern Olive Toad.
The last 2 frog species we found were a Foam Nest Frog and a Cape Sand Frog.
This beautiful Southern African Python was not yet fully grown, but it was really relaxed. I was so happy we were able to save him from the road.
After releasing all the snakes and reptiles in appropriate habitats, we finally headed home.
It had been an absolutely fabulous trip. thanks to the expert herpers, I had seen some really fantastic reptiles with a lot of lifers. It was a trip that I will remember for a long, long time!