Today was our first full day in Kruger. Kruger National Park is around 2 million hectares of wildlife. It is the home of a variety of species including 336 trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, 507 birds, and 147 mammals. Kruger is the home of Africa’s big five: lions, leopards, buffaloes, rhinos, and elephants.
Upon our arrival, we were fairly surprised to see how populated Kruger appeared to be. Despite the few shopping centers we passed on our journey to our accommodations, our coach bus ride into the park was itself a safari experience. We quickly realized that we were visitors to the animals’ home and habitat. We stayed at the Skukuza Camp which consisted of well-maintained huts, two restaurants, a grocery store, and gift shop. The entire camp was gated in order to protect the travelers from the wildlife on the other side.
Our morning safari ride was at 3:45 am. We piled into two safari cars. The cars were just like anyone would expect, dark green with a canvas roof top. Our drivers were even dressed in the expected uniform. It was then that we realized that we were about to enjoy the real safari experience.
Two people were given the responsibility of the head lights to find the animals because the sun hadn’t risen yet. They were given strict instructions to avoid shining the light in the animal’s eyes because of the possibility of charging. We drove on a long paved road through the bush. The grass was very tall on both sides of the road so our sight was limited. We saw hyenas, impalas, water buffalo, rhinos, giraffes, lions, elephants, and zebras. A lucky few were able to spot a leopard from a far.
It was amazing to see the animals in their environment. It became all very real when the animals approached the car. The morning safari lasted about three hours and next we had another three hour night safari to look forward to. In addition to the beautiful animals, we were able to experience both a sunrise and a sunset.
We were able to enjoy two amazing safari rides in one day. It was hard to not notice the fact that the majority of people we interacted with in Cape Town have never left the area or even their township. South Africa is a beautiful country. We thought the views of Cape Town couldn’t be beat until we saw the vast lands of Kruger’s wildlife. It is hard to imagine that people in this country have never been able to experience the beauty it has to offer. We are forever grateful and look forward to our journey to Johannesburg.
One Response to The Safari Experience by Katie Nolan