Following a long day of travel, we were finally rested and prepared to venture into Kruger National Park. Before dawn, most of the guys were up and ready to go. We were split into two safari groups and with some stragglers packed into large cars. My group was led by Delight. He had been born in the park and knew it like the back of his hand. We neared the entrance, and the cold breeze bit at our faces as we sped down the highway. Delight filled up car with gas, and we were off. Those of us that were awake could barely see the road in front of us.
We were cold, miserably cold, and at first it seemed the animals felt the same. We kept driving but our eyes only met the tall savanna grass. But lucky for us, a small spotted hyena crossed the road and laid perfectly still in the grass. We then came across a large bull elephant knocking down large trees. Delight told us that male elephants behave this way in order to eat the leaves on the trees or just flex their muscles. As Delight said, “Elephants do what elephants do.” We all took photos and kept going through the park. We then came across a herd of impala or what Delight called “the McDonalds” of Kruger. These guys were everywhere and became an eye sore after a while. Then we encountered this massive herd of elephants. We watched as the babies played and the older members ate at the Earth. We kept on through the park when we came within five feet of a giraffe. It’s hard to appreciate the size of a giraffe until you’re right below it, but it was huge. It was definitely my favorite animal we saw.
Driving further we were met with more elephants, impalas, waterbuck, kudus, wildebeest, water-buffalo, zebras, and giraffes, but my group was determined to find a lion. Venturing toward the back of the park we found a lone lion sitting underneath a tree. He sat there and basked in the shade. He began to sleep during the hot afternoon. Delight explained that the lion was a bachelor of sorts. He needed to mature a little more before he would have his own pride. We were all star struck by seeing a lion. It was so cool to see the actual king of beasts in the wild. Driving further we eventually ran into a water hole where 10 hippos all basked in the sun. Delight explained how hippos were actually fast animals being able to swim 15 km/h and run 45 km/h. We then went to a lookout where we looked over a dried river and could see across the park. The view was breathtaking and gave us a nice break in the day.
Tired, we returned to the lodge after the safari. There, we were treated with a delicious steak broth for dinner. Later that night, we were all shocked to see a group of Zebras in our campsite, and they got very close; so close that from my door I could take three steps and touch them. For me, it was a little scary to have such a big animal right outside your bedroom, but I bet people here get used to it. Overall, it was an experience I will never forget and cherish for a lifetime.
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