Before coming to South Africa, I imagined safari was going to be like the movie The Lion King. I dreamt of vast plains, the beating sun, and stampeding herds. Many places in Africa fit this description, but the landscape of the continent is very diverse.

Safari drives begin early in the morning. Animals nap during the heat of the day once the hot African sun rises.

I woke at 5:30am and climbed into an open-topped jeep. With the ranger and tracker on the lookout, I saw: antelope, lots of warthogs, wildebeest, zebra, and cheetah. For me, the best part of safari was seeing several giraffe graze from the tall trees. I never imagined being this close to animals in nature.

The ranger pointed out animal footprints and droppings. This is an easy way to track animals and see what direction they are headed. It was easy to spot the elephant droppings. They were almost the size of my head! Gross, I know.

By the end of my safari, I had spotted four of the Big Five. The leopards stayed hidden.

The Penguins at Boulders Beach. It shocked me to find penguins in South Africa. In the 1980s, a colony of African penguins settled at Boulders Beach near Cape Town. Ever since, visitors come here to observe the almost 3,000 penguins.

Sadly, the African penguin is an endangered species. Overfishing has decreased their supply of food. But, work is being done to protect the penguin population.

I’m in awe of the wildlife I’ve discovered during my South African adventure. I have new appreciation for how amazing our world is. Hopefully, we will protect the Earth so that people can keep exploring the world and its wildlife for many years.

Miss something? You can start your South African journey over again or go behind the scenes!

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