To celebrate the day before Independence Day, H Squad was privileged to experience the African safari at Kruger National Park, the largest game preserve in S. Africa.. from north to south, it stretches over 200 miles, from east to west, it stretches nearly 40 miles! The park also has 8 main gates to different camps. *facts courtesy of Wikipedia*
We were told that the earlier a safari starts, the higher the chance you’ll see the Big 5 (top 5 most difficult animals to hunt – lion, elephant, rhino, leopard and cape buffalo) and other rare animals. Thus, the day started with 52 slightly bleary eyed racers awake and ready to go at 4:30 am. By 5 am we were on the road in our fancy open-air safari vehicles (each vehicle held 9-10 ppl). 5 am + winter in S. Africa = freezing!! But our driver came prepared with fleece blankets for each row.. I got the passenger seat, so I got my own blanket, and more importantly, the first look at the wild things. Since we only had a few hrs, we entered thru the Numbi Gate and stayed around the southern tip of Kruger. I wish I had a fancy camera w/ mega zoom lens, but I still got some decent shots.. We managed to spot all 5 of the Big 5, altho my group doesn’t count the buffalo, which were brown specks in the distance. The highlight was probably seeing a lion parked on the edge of the road early on in the day, at 7 am. He was completely basking in not just the beginnings of the warm sun, but also in the attention, as lines of cars stopped dead in our tracks and gasped at the majestic sight. Lions truly are kings, and he knew it. He was soo close to us – it took every ounce of energy and sanity NOT to jump out and pet him (like Viv had requested – sorry Gah tseh!). We also saw a cheetah (rare) and later, a family of lions, lionesses and lion cubs. Our driver was entertaining, saying “Have a good day!” after we saw an animal, before moving onto the next “hunt”. He also kept saying we were “really lucky, very lucky” whenever we saw something, making us wonder if we were supposed to spot any animals at ALL (other than the impala, which he said not to waste film on cuz there were millions of them, too common). It was a fun day – great to escape to the “wild” (altho since Kruger’s a national park, you can’t stray off the paved road) and be among God’s other smelly creatures, hah. Each one is so unique and adorable, even the ones that are pat of the “Ugly 5” like the warthog and the hyena. It did my heart good!
Below are some of my pictures and commentary, but be sure to check out my teammates and other squadmates’ perspectives.. some saw different animals or more herds, but we all saw creatures nonetheless, so it was a productive day.
man vs wild… wild wins hands down.
He looks hungry..
African elephants are diff than Asian ones – they’re larger, more wrinkled, and both genders have tusks (whereas only males in Asian elephants do). I’m guessing African ones are also more dangerous.. I mean, we did RIDE the ones in Thailand and in Africa, just use the zoom lens, yo.
Pumba in Lion King.. aka a warthog. Despite making it on the Ugly 5 (how mean, would your mom call you one of the Ugly 5?!), I still think he’s cute.
Zebras are gorgeous – the black and white pattern even extends into their manes perfectly. Interestingly, each zebra has a different stripe pattern, their version of fingerprints. Neat-o. God doesn’t miss any detail, does He?
Hippos bein’ lazy and sunbathing… I wish I could’ve seen them opening their enormous jaws and playin in the water… Don’t underestimate their short legs and round shape (hmm… am I still describing the hippos or myself now?) cuz hippos can outrun humans, and are considered one of the most aggressive animals in the world.
We saw around 10 lions in this area, including cubs and their guardians.. again, wow.
A male kudu (type of antelope) with the distinct white stripes.. just crossin the road, minding his business.
the “unimpressive” impalas.. later that night, back at the Betor House, we had a pre-July 4 bbq, and guess what was served? yep, Impala burgers. yum. thank goodness there are plenty of em to spare!
Our last animal sighting was this white rhino and its baby.. the horn was blocked from view, but we were lucky to see one w/ its baby pretty up close… I wouldn’t wanna get that mama pissed, that’s for sure.
Are we scarier than the wild creatures? Probably… Me, Liz and our funny driver (forgot his name, but he’s been doing safaris for 17 years). When taking this pic, he asked if we were married or not, before he got the ok to pose w/ us. 
Renee and I on our Echo Safari vehicle… all we’re missing are the camouflage or khaki vests, hats and binoculars.
