As we stepped out of our cottage for an early-morning drive, we saw a buffalo just outside the fence, likely a member of the massive herd moving through the Pretoriuskop area. Just beyond the Pretoriuskop gate, we saw a few impala and more buffalo.
Later, we came upon boulders among which an elephant was climbing for food. From a distance, the elephant looked like another rock! On the other side of the bounders, we found a rhino atop other rocks. Seems like this was the morning of the massive, rock-climbing, gray mammals.
As we were heading back to Pretoriuskop, Catherine spotted a herd of zebra, and we went for a closer look. They were eating grasses, moving slowly through the bush. We saw another foal, and Catherine memorialized the primary food source for so many herbivores. On the two-and-a-half hour drive, we saw playful vervet monkeys, giraffe, wildebeest, warthog, kudu, and yet another elephant. At two different dams, we saw waterbuck, two crocodiles, kudu, and several hippos.
Shortly after lunch, we arrived at Skukuza and checked in to our cottage. Skukuza is the oldest and largest camp in Kruger Park. They have a “museum” of sorts comprised of an original hut with beds. Old bottles and tableware can be found inside. I wish we were paying the tariffs from 1932!
Because of our coming night drive, we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing. Tracy read while Catherine worked on a craft. She climbed a few trees. Before taking dinner at the rest camp’s take-away, we strolled the Sabie River boardwalk where we saw a stunning sunset, a juvenile hippo, several giraffe, a crocodile, and a leopard! It was patrolling on the opposite river bank from us, visible in clearings amidst the grass. (The leopard was spotted by someone who works at the restaurant.) This was the first leopard that Tracy and I have ever seen. Sadly, I didn’t have my good camera with telephoto lens, so there are no photos to share. Besides, it was pretty far away.
At this point, we had seen four of the so-called “big five” animals (elephant, rhino, buffalo, and leopard). Only lion remained.
Our Kruger Park reservations include two night drives and a morning drive. Our first night drive started at 8 PM. As we boarded the bus, Catherine said “I can’t smile as big as I am happy!” The ranger asked Mark to hold a spotlight, and he found our fist animal, a civet. We saw an elephant, bush babies, untold numbers of antelope, and a genet.
At about 9:45, on the home stretch of the two-hour drive, we heard the roar of a very-close lion. After searching the bush with the spotlights, we found it, a very healthy male. After a short bath, it got up to walk along the road, marking its territory as it went. We drove beside it for about 10 minutes before it moved back into the bush. The beast clearly had no fear of us and paid very little mind to us. We kept a wide-enough berth and were treated to a wonderful sighting.
Big five? Done!
—Matt
