After a VERY early alarm clock chimed, we were off to the airport to experience the crown jewel of South Africa--Kruger National Park. Situated in the northeast corner of the country, Kruger borders Mozambique and is absolutely immense. The territory the animals have to roam is incredibly vast and I would say the size of some small US states.
We have heard numerous stories regarding safety in Johannesburg and were not too keen on spending 1 minute on our own in this city. We were quite fortunate in respect that some friends of my Dad were available and willing to play "tour guide" for us for 5 days in the park. We were picked up by Eugene Tondolo and his girlfriend Laura, and after briefly meeting with Fritz and Neil (Eugene's bosses) at the airport, it was off to Kruger with a loaded gun in the front seat and beers in hand. The rules are a bit different in South Africa, Jo'Burg especially. Crime is not just a scary inconvenience. It's literally a daily aspect of life. Anyway, I'm here to tell you about the animals, so here goes.
After a 5 mile drive to the park at terminal speed, we hit the gates of "The Kruger," as the locals like to call it. Kruger National is home to the Big 5, the most dangerous and elusive hunting animals of Africa. They include, the rhino, elephant, water buffalo, lion, and leopard. To see 3 or more of these animals on a given visit to Kruger is special. To see them all is actually quite rare. Kruger has the same rules as most national parks you'd visit. Don't feed the animals, no littering, all that. The major difference is that under any circumstances, you ARE NOT to get out of your car. There are documented cases of gentlemen using the "bush" toilets or trying to get a better photo, only for a big cat to get a nice morsel of food. These animals are wild and we are on their home turf. In particular, hippos, elephants, buffalo, rhinos, and big cats will take a human out--no problem. If one comes after you, you'd better hope you're near a REAL big tree and that your full time job is a gymnast. The other rule is that you must be into camp (barbed wire and electric fenced area) before 6pm, when those big cats get out and fancy a meal...
Once hitting the park, we had just a couple hours to drive the paved and sometimes dirt roads to see what was out there. It didn't take long before we spotted impala. This is the "cow" of Kruger Park, with literally 250,000 roaming the bush. By the end of the 4 day stay in Kruger, we would see one and say, "Oh. Just a stinkin' impala."
Due to the large amount of animals, I'll break what we say into 3 classes: Birds, Antelope, and Other animals.
Today we saw:
Birds: Falcon, Hornbill
Antelope: Impala, Steenbock, Kudu
Animals: 8 Rhinos, 3 Elephants, Water Buffalo, Zebra
Not bad for just a few hours work. Three of the Big 5 were seen within an hour, and to view this game in their own habitat was fascinating. No steel bars in a zoo to give you full security. Eugene had the car in drive at all times, and let me tell you, when you get 50 feet from an Africa Elephant staring at you, you REALLY watch the elephant...
Our accommodations was in Skukuzu Camp tonight, with each couple having their own grass roofed hut. Dinner was buffet, including some interesting wild game. While Terri stuck to the basics, I had kudu (toughest meat I've ever tried to cut with a butter knife), and a really nice lamb. We enjoyed our meals/beers outside, under the stars, and listening to the "nightlife" stir. This is an amazing place.
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