For many people, myself included, the idea of going on an African safari seems far-fetched. When I first brought the idea up to Matt he quickly dismissed me saying, “we can’t afford that!” The thing is, we can afford that, though it certainly required some sacrifice. I put in many hours at a second job to help convince him that we could. When I had enough money to buy our plane tickets into Johannesburg, I presented him with the idea again and this time he agreed. He doesn’t normally like to concede to me, but where rhinos and leopards are concerned, there isn’t much argument. Luckily for our generation, travel has become so much more accessible and commonplace than in the past. Thanks to budget airlines and stiff competition among tour companies and hotels, if you do a bit of research and planning, you too can make this happen.
At this point, making the decision to go on safari was the easy part. The hard part came with filling in the details. Up until now I had not considered this was a reality of my immediate future and had no idea where to begin. After a little research, we landed on Kruger National Park as our destination. After we decided I made the mistake of searching, “animal attacks in Kruger” on YouTube. You should not do that. Most, of the very few, incidents that do occur are at the expense of misbehaving humans engaging in what can only be described as deserving behavior. At any rate, as long as you are with knowledgeable guides and listen to their directions your time should be nothing short of incredible. In fact, most of the animals we encountered didn’t even acknowledge our existence. Speaking of knowledgeable guides, we must have had one of the best there is. I know, I know, as my first safari experience there is not much comparison, but ours exceeded all expectations. We spent our days in Kruger on the private game reserve, Sabi Sand with Tydon Bush Camp. I really can’t say enough great things about this place. Worth mentioning, because this was a private game reserve, our guide was allowed to drive off road. We never went to the public parts of Kruger, but from what I have heard there are all paved roads and because people have the option to self-drive, you must stay on the pavement and many vehicles tend to crowd around any sightings. In our experience at Sabi Sand, the vehicles were always limited to three and we were able to track down animals that we would not have been able to see in public Kruger.
Initially, Matt and I thought we were going budget by staying in a tent, but in hindsight I wouldn’t want to do it any other way. Luxury lodges have their place but something about being in the tent, hearing the sounds of the wild just beyond the vinyl made falling asleep at night a thrill and our experience that much more authentic. These “tents” have their own bathroom facilities and beds with a mattress as well as a place to charge your electronics so it was actually quite comfortable too. We were also treated to some of the best meals here and by our last day my pants didn’t fit quite right!
Onto the animals! I cannot fully convey the level of excitement I felt as we drove through the rough terrain to our campsite on the first day and a zebra peered into my window. Our driver drove past faster than I would have liked but reassured me we’d get many encounters once we got into the safari vehicle. Was he ever right.
Our guide took us on two game drives a day, one in the morning and one in the evening. In the middle of the day we returned for lunch and the opportunity to grab a nap or explore the property. On one of our midday breaks, I was walking the property with my camera when I encountered a group of monkeys at play. Some of our camp mates had gathered around to watch in awe but Matt, back at the tent, missed the commotion. Luckily I snapped a few pictures for him (and you!) to enjoy. The best part of this location is you never know what is lurking just around the corner. Our guide told us not too many weeks prior a leopard made his way through the campsite. This little guy below (or maybe one of his buddies) took off a few minutes later with a can of condensed milk he surely pilfered from the kitchen.
Before going to Africa, I had this idea in my head of capturing the perfect sunset. Can you envision it, bright hues of oranges and reds lighting up the sky creating silhouettes of the barren African trees along the landscape? I try not to do this before travel because expectations lead to disappointment, but in this case the sky did not let me down. Nearing the end of our first night’s game drive, we were spotting three male lions who were a bit in the distance. Our guide parked the vehicle as we waited patiently for the lions to migrate a bit closer. They never really budged so this picture below was the best I could do but the ambiance of the moment, soaking in the views of the lions in their natural habitat, the sun slowly fading behind the trees, it was just, just too much greatness! Together our group shared a sundowner before heading back to camp for dinner around the fire.
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I was delighted that the exploration continued once the sun went down. Our guide pulled out his search lamp and began scanning the bush as we slowly made our return. A hyena sighting among a few others. Seeing the hyenas in person it is hard to believe they got such a negative rep in The Lion King. They don’t look at all ferocious, though looks can sometimes be deceiving, so don’t pet! We were fortunate enough during our stay that we stumbled upon a den of pups.
Around every turn in Kruger National Park there is some new treasure to be found. From the abundance of impala, over 500 species of birds (our guide seemed to know each one), the impressively large anthills, the much sought-after Big Five, to the graceful giraffes. No two safari experiences are likely to be the same, but surely if you create the opportunity to take this adventure I highly recommend it. Worth every penny.
If you’ve already been on a safari, what were some of your favorite sightings? If you haven’t, what are you most looking forward to seeing? Let us know in the comments!
