Day 26
5:30am, I was up and ready to go on my first safari. The only thing standing between me and a pride of lions was the bitter cold! I quickly layered-up and headed to the main lodge for some early morning tea and biscuits.
 |
Our ranger, Jabulani, and our tracker, Jubulani (confusing, I know), showed us to the open-air jeep. They handed us some blankets for added warmth and away we went.
Right away we saw a kudu, which is a type of antelope with beautiful warrior-like markings. Then, we stopped when Jubulani spotted a single cheetah. We were certainly off to a good start and it was beginning to warm up. After about 2 hours, it was time for morning coffee. Jabulani drove us to a watering hole where, much to our amazement, we found about 2 dozen elephants drinking. We sipped coffee while watching the elephants drink. Of course, when one curious elephant got a little too close for comfort, we were advised to get back in the jeep for safety.
On our afternoon drive we headed to a pond surrounded by reeds. There, floating lazily in the water, I met our first hippo! We tried to persuade him to come out of the water, but he was not interested in posing for our cameras. After our hippo encounter we drove to a plain filled with Cape buffalo. With our jeep stopped smack in the center of the herd, we sat quietly looking at these animals.
Just as the sun began to set we (very surprisingly) came upon several lions. I sat very still and watched one lion pace before deciding on the best place to sit (the middle of the road). Then, two of his brothers appeared and joined him. Lions are very regal looking – they are my favorite of the safari animals, so I am thrilled to share them with you in their natural setting.
 |
Day two and we continued to search for the Big Five. (Want to know what the Big Five is - watch the video below to find out!) During our morning game drive, we came across a large herd of zebra grazing, nyalas, lots of warthogs, and even more kudu. There was even the odd ostrich wandering about the reserve.
In the afternoon, we spent a lot of time up-close with a group of giraffes. They are absolutely beautiful. Giraffes will come very close to the jeep. We watched them nibble leaves from tree tops with their incredibly long tongues.
Day 28
I learned that some animals are natural friends, like giraffes and zebra. You will almost always find these animals close together in the wild because they get along with one another.
Another cool fact about the zebra is that mother zebras keep newborns away from all other zebras until the baby can recognize her by sight. This takes about 2 to 3 days and is called imprinting. This way a baby can find its mother in the herd.
Day 29On this, our last day on safari, I was sad to be ending our wildlife adventure. This morning, we quickly found ourselves in the middle of four lions who got a little too close for comfort. I am sure that my fellow travellers will agree, this was the most frightening moment on safari. Meredith stood to take a quick photo and one lion was quite frightened by her movement. In the end, of course, we were not harmed, but it was definitely a hairy moment.
And, finally, we spotted a couple of white rhino before calling it a night. Seeing the rhino up close is surreal. They are massive prehistoric looking animals. What a great way to end our time at Mkuze Falls!
|
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
Meet Jabulani, our Ranger |
Tracking the Big Five, and other animals |
|
Go to the Zulu Village >
Copyright © 2007 ProjectExplorer, LTD. All Rights Reserved.
