Back to South Africa

It’s been close to forty years since I last set foot in the country of my birth, and we’re undertaking a combination trip:  an animal viewing carnival in the Kruger National Park in the northeastern part of the country with my parents, and a driving trip through the southern coast and inland areas between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town—the famed Garden Route-- on our own. 

The flight from Sao Paulo to Johannesburg is comfortable and uneventful.  We fly on to the tiny bush airport at Hoedspruit, spend the night in a small B&B, visit the nearby rehabilitation/breeding center for cheetahs and  wild dogs(one of the country’s most endangered species), and the following morning drive to Phalaborwa, one of the central gates to the Kruger Park.  The terrain is hilly, rocky, scarred with rough thorny bushes and the occasional taller tree.  At first sight it appears void of all signs of life, and the bone dry landscape spreads into deserts of sand that line the largely dry river beds.  It is the tail end of South Africa’s winter, but it’s abnormally warm during the day, although the evening brings a distinct chill.  The night skies are awash with brilliant stars, and the moon is waxing. 

Our week in the Kruger Park is divided between two its camps: first Letaba, and later Satara.  We rise early, and join others in the constant pursuit of wildlife viewing.  Each camp—really a small fenced-in area comprising of bungalows(rondavels), a reception/restaurant/shop, and campground—opens its gates at 6am, and one must return to camp by 6pm, as no visitors are permitted to drive throughout the park at night.  There are a number of paved roads that bisect the park and more dirt roads that make loops and connections through lesser travelled areas.  There are a few spots where one can get out of one’s car and have a picnic or venture into a “hide” from which to observe animals safely.  By noon we try to be back in camp, or visiting one so we can get out and have a snack or a drink, and then later in the afternoon, we pile back into the car and continue our neverending pursuit. 
Luck is essential, and timing critical, but we are fortunate to see lots of animals. 

Highlights include a pride of nine lionesses that come stalking over a hilltop and pad quietly along the road before disappearing into the tall grasses and dipping landscape.  We delight in the frolicking of very young elephants, watch giraffes play-fight, buffalo roam across the road in hordes, warthogs dash off with tails held high.  There are herds of elegant antelopes, gorgeous birds, monkeys, zebra, and even a litter of hyena pups.  One evening we take the “night drive”—an outing organized by the camp—and are stunned(albeit thrilled) to find two huge male lions keeping warm on the asphalt.  They are close enough to touch, and completely ignore the 20-odd onlookers on the “bus”.  They amble, then sit and roar back and forth for us, stopping to play at the side of the road, finally choosing a new spot to rest further up the road.  In the background the hippos grunt and breathe at a waterhole we cannot honestly see in the dark.  Magical.  Check below for the visuals—far more effective than words.  I'm still hopeful of finding a way to include video at a future date.  No promises, though!

		Kruger National Park VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL