Eric and I are up at the crack of 7:00am and on our way to Kruger National Park – we have been looking forward to this moment for a long time.
Kruger is one of the largest and most famous national parks in the world. It contains 7 different biomes, as well as loads of wildlife, including Africa’s “Big Five” – the lion, the elephant, the rhino, the leopard and the African buffalo.
Eric and I are trying to be realistic about seeing wildlife. We know it’s not a guaranteed thing – wild animals don’t follow schedules – and we’re trying to not to get our hopes up, but we’re really excited about the possibility of seeing something – anything – on our “safari”.
And boy, do we luck out. We’re not even in the park for 5 minutes when we see our first animal – the impala.
It’s unbelievable! And there isn’t just one of them – there’s a whole herd of them chilling out at the side of the road.
We come to realize later on that impalas are like the squirrels of Kruger Park – they are everywhere!!!
After taking nearly a hundred photos of the impalas, we continue driving through the park at around 20km/hour with our eyes peeled for anything that moves.
Eventually we make it to the Skukuza Camp, where we arrange our site for the night and book a “bush walk” for the next morning.
Although the camp is fenced in for our protection, we discover that some wildlife can get through the perimeter… I hope it doesn’t bite.
Amid a sea of RVs pimped out with microwaves, satellite dishes and lounge chairs, Eric and I set up our wee little tent… talk about ghetto camping!
Enjoying a cold meal, while sitting on plastic bags.
Of course none of this matters because in our two days in Kruger we see “the Big 5” and much, much more.
A herd of African buffalo – what a sight!
Why did the elephant cross the road? Because he could.
Throughout most of Kruger Park, you have to stay in your vehicle for safety reasons… well, duh. But there are a few places where you can get out and walk through fenced-in areas, including this “hide” at Lake Panic.
We thought it best not to ask how Lake Panic got its name.
From here we could see across the lake and were lucky enough to see a herd of hippos relaxing in the water.
After a slightly uncomfortable sleep – we bought a tent but forgot to buy sleeping pads – we’re up at 4:30am, ready for our morning bush walk.
We meet our guides and they make sure we’re well protected.
They then take us out into the park…
…where they get us uncomfortably close to a white rhino.
After we return “home” from our walk, we pack up our site and set out to do some more game-viewing.
As of this point, I’m stoked by everything we’ve seen. We came in with no expectations and yet here we are experiencing so much of it in such a short period of time. And to top it off I see a giraffe – the animal I was really hoping to see – up close and personal.
After a long day, Eric and I decide to move on – Kruger has been an amazing experience. We begin making our way out of the park and on towards the town of Nelspruit, but just before we’re out the gates, as luck would have it, we find a lioness prowling along the road.
What an amazing way to finish our time in Kruger!
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