Let’s go on SAFARI!
If I am honest, Africa was some place I NEVER thought I would travel to. Not that I didn’t want to, it was more of a far off dream than ever a potential reality. There were so many places on my list that I wanted to check off. However, when the chance came up to join one of my girlfriends on a whirlwind trip to South Africa to check out luxury hotels, it was a very quick YES. Safari for me was all about the animals. Here are some of our close encounters of the Big Five - Elephants, Rhino, Lion, Leopard, and Cape Buffalo. Sadly we didn’t see any leopards or buffalo, but we got to see tons of Zebra, Kudu, Giraffes, Wild Dogs, and more…
Rhinos!
Sadly this incredible and prehistoric looking powerhouse is under the threat of extinction and under strict protection. We were unable to photograph them with our cell phones to prevent geotracking. There has been a history of “guests” visiting the reserve and sending tracking locations via photos to poachers who swoop in on helicopters to remove the tusks from the rhinos them leave them to die. It’s absolutely disgusting!
Elephants!
Wow, they sure make you feel small. When we were driving from one lodge to another, we drove through a heard which scared the shit out of me of I am being honest. We had a tiny little VW Polo in RED! Not exactly an appropriate safari car, but we had a good laugh about our clown car the whole trip. Oh and saw some really cute babies elephants.
Giraffes!
There was a giant giraffe waiting for us upon our arrival into the reserve. He was cruising down the road and bent his head down to say hello. We got to see quite a few and they were so beautiful and unique.
Zebras! They truly are dazzling! We saw them throughout our stay and each time it was so cool. They are completely unique and truly one of a kind.
The Lioness!
I’m not going to lie, when we spotted the lioness, I felt the most uneasy out of all the drives we took. This beautiful and giant cat was so comfortable with the trucks that she got up, after a really good stretch, and sauntere right towards us. I thought she was going to pounce for a minute. We were able to follow her for about an hour through the reserve while she stalked her prey. There were no cubs or males in sight, but getting to be so close to her was one of the coolest experiences of my life.
Here are some other fun animals we were able to see along the way!
