Kruger National Park Safari

 

Welcome to Kruger National Park in South Africa where we about to embark on a game drive.

(Is a safari the same as a game drive? Interesting question that I still do not have the definitive answer for, but no matter what the correct term is…we are off to see the wild animals of Africa in their native habitat.) Will we see all of the Big Five? Not everyone does! Our driver says his wife will not go with him on a game drive any more because “you just drive and drive with no guarantee of seeing any animals”. Maybe we will get lucky today.

 

As we arrive at the park gates the sun is just starting to wake and spread its glorious brilliant red colour over the lowveld (savanna) landscape. The air is nippy so keep that blanket handy as Vusi, our driver, is about to unroll the sides of the van so we get better views.

Hint: Click on any photo to enlarge it.

Look, there is our first animal walking down the road towards us. Not one of the Big Five but “our” first animal so that makes it special, right? He/she is returning from a night of hunting and now probably will head off for a nap. Know what it is?

It’s a hyena, one of the “Ugly 5″ (I did not know what it was…reminded me of a dog. I want to see the Big Five!)

We stop beside a pool of water. Why? I do not see any animals. Oh, look. What are those two little things sticking up out of the water? A hippo? No way! Vusi explains that a hippo can stay under water for 3 or 4 minutes (and a fellow traveler from Johannesburg adds “or 20 minutes”.

 

Hippo ears are all we see this time, but later in the day we drive by again and see the hippo. He is big but is not classified as one of the Big 5.

 

 

 

 

Elephants. Now that is one of the Big 5.

(Learn how the Big 5 got this classification by going to Big 5 and Little 5 of Africa )

 

Throughout the day we see many, many elephants. This mother and baby are part of a herd traveling together. Bull elephants are “not allowed” by the alpha female in charge of the herd so when you see a large solitary elephant you are pretty sure it is a male.

 

 

One out of five. Only four more to go!

 

 

Zebra…many zebra. (Not one of the Big 5)

 

 

 

 

White rhino. They are part of the Big 5…so that’s 2 out of 5.

 

More grey than white aren’t they. Despite their huge size they are rather difficult to spot. Our van had driven by this area only a few minutes before when one of the other drivers radioed that two white rhino had been spotted. We returned…and sure enough there they were.

 

 

Wart hog bolts when Vusi backs up to get a better view (so no photo).

Leopard stretched out on a tree branch about half a mile away. With binoculars we can see it well but our camera does not have a strong enough lens to make a decent picture…so you are going to have to take my word that we saw a leopard. Leopard is one of the Big 5 so that is 3 out of 5 so far.

 

Whenever there is a traffic jam such as this you know there must be an animal nearby. What is it? Where is it? There…look over there!

 

 

Lions are one of the Big 5 so that means we have now seen four of the five.

 

 

 

 

One of the ladies in our group sees a buffalo (the last of our Big 5) way off in the distance. Vusi confirms the spotting but I have to be honest and say that I only saw a black dot on the horizon. So that makes 4 out of 5 definite. 1 out of 5 a possibility.

But we did see some other animals…

 

 

Kudu… a member of the antelope family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Impala…herds of impala!

They are quite small, delicate looking deer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Giraffe…so graceful.

It seemed as if a gorgeous model was crossing the road.

 

 

 

 

Many, many birds were spotted throughout the day… including the lilac breasted roller.

 

 

Isn’t she beautiful!

 

 

 

 

Well, it is mid afternoon. We have been out on safari ( on a game drive) since five this morning so I would say it is time to call it a day.

 

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Happy travels!