Kruger National Park, one of South Africa’s main attractions and one of Africa’s biggest game reserves has been one of the best parts of the course, thus far. Kruger was founded in 1889 and named for Paul Kruger. Kruger Park was our second destination during The Call of South Africa and we were all extremely excited to reach our destination. Upon arrival, as we were driving through the park, we were delighted to see a giraffe less than twenty feet from our bus, that sighting made us even more energized for what was to come. During our stay at the park, we lodged at the Skukuza Camp, which was a treat to everyone. We stayed in small three person huts that made the experience that more authentic and enjoyable.
The park itself is approximately 37 miles wide and 220 miles long and is home to hundreds of species of birds, plants, mammals and reptiles. Many of us were most excited to see the ‘Big Five’, which consists of the elephant, lion, leopard, rhino and buffalo. The park is obviously quite extensive and during our short stay we were unable to cover too much ground but still managed to see a great variety of what the park has to offer.
Our first safari experience at Kruger National Park was so widely anticipated that college students willingly hopped out of bed at 3:00 in the morning in order to begin our first morning tour. We had been told that the morning safari cannot be surpassed and we were not let down. Our class split into two safari vehicles that consisted of completely exposed sides so we could really see and enjoy what we were viewing. Despite the darkness at the time, everyone on our bus kept their eyes fixed on their surroundings in order to catch a first glimpse at something. About thirty minutes into the safari we lucked out and saw one of the “big five” right away. This came in the form of a leopard that was curled up not too far from the road we were traveling on. It was still very early and dark but we clearly saw this beautiful creature.
After our amazing leopard sighting, we saw another member of the “big five” which was personally, one of my favorite parts of the whole safari experience. We viewed three male lions resting in the grass not far from us. At this point, it had become lighter and the lions were much easier to see. They are extremely beautiful creatures and it was fascinating to see them in their natural habitat. We then saw an impala, which are very common creatures at Kruger but were still amazing to see. The next sighting was definitely my favorite of the trip. We finally saw an elephant eating by the side of the road. It was truly a magical experience, in being such close contact with such a gigantic yet gentle seeming animal. We then passed one zebra crossing the road and were very impressed until we saw about four more following the leader. It resembled a scene from the Disney classic, The Lion King. After that, we saw more impalas, which were not too exciting until a wildebeest appeared behind. Seeing these animas coexist was truly a significant sight. The last animal we saw on the morning safari was a group of roaming wild dogs. These scary creatures were wandering around in a little pack in search of food. Our tour guide informed us that this is a rare sight, which added to our excitement. This safari was truly excellent in that all of our expectations were definitely fulfilled and the best part was that we had an evening safari to look forward to.
Our next safari began in the late afternoon and began while it was still light out and lasted until darkness fell. This safari was more conducive for plant and bird viewing than the morning. We saw many interesting species of plant life and birds that were truly a spectacular site. The birds of Kruger are very bright creatures and I did not care for birds too much until I saw some truly magnificent ones on this outing. The one animal that we saw at night that we did not get to see in the morning was a giraffe. We were able to spot a group of giraffes enjoying some of the plant life as well which was another astounding sight.
All of these animal sightings together made for a truly exciting trip and one of the definite highlights of South Africa for our winter term course.