5 October 2024
We are now in the midst of doing what we came for, namely seeing African animals in the wild. Three nights at a private game park that abuts Kruger National Park should give us a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the Big Five.
The drive north from Johannesburg covered wide open farming country dotted with coal mines and power stations. We visited landscapes of massive canyons and towering mountains. Our journey included freeways, toll roads and country roads with potholes very similar to home.
The old hatched roof huts of mud brick have gone and people are now building brick homes with steel roofs and driveways for their cars. This change has happened in just the last 20 years.
South Africa has a population twice the size of Australia and yet a land area smaller than Queensland. The things Australia lacks and South Africa enjoys however are some seriously big native animals and apex predators.
We have now done two, 3 hour safari tours of the game park and have seen so many animals. We have covered pretty much the cast from the Lion King.
On board our 4WD vehicle we have a tracker and a guide. What our tracker can spot in the bush is impressive. He will suddenly point in a direction into the thick bush and exclaim ‘rhino’ to which we all respond ‘where!’. After some intense peering we will see the slightest movement at a 100 meters whereupon a rhino will quietly amble towards us. For the leopard the only hint was the movement of the white tip of her tail 50 metres into the scrub. The tracker’s ability to spot these animals is a wonder in itself.
We have now seen and photographed rhino, hippo, leopard, giraffe, warthog, kudu, a pride of lions, baboons, gazelle, crocodile and wildebeest. We have three more safaris to go so maybe we will hit the Big Five.
Maybe this evening we will see cape buffalo and elephant.
A Traveller's Tale 
Keep a sharp eye out for Dr Livingstone.
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