Blogs from Limpopo, South Africa, Africa

This morning we once again embarked on a game drive at the local reserve to see who was out and about. Before leaving, however, we once again heard the monkeys behind the tent. This time I caught them in action as they climbed over the roof of the building behind us. One was a mom carrying her baby. Along the way we found the dependable hippos, along with elands and Sable antelope. We also found some new birds. After lunch we boarded the big bus to travel to Entabeni Game Reserve to continue our hunt for the Big 5. Our goal was the find the lions or the leopards. We found the lions resting elusively behind a stand of trees only knowing of their presence by occasional movement behind the trees. We did not find a ... read more

Our morning started at 7 am as we headed out for our first game drive. Today will be drives through the local game preserve. As we climbed aboard our truck with Shaun, our guide, we were ready to photograph the nearby residents. The first large animals we encountered were impalas, wildebeests, and warthogs. The warthogs however did not hang around long. The impalas were all sizes and included a black impala. At one point we were hoping for two males to engage in a dispute over the females but they greeted each other and moved along. Farther along we stopped by a lake where two hippos were lazily residing along with several different kinds of kingfishers. We returned to camp for breakfast and an afternoon of leisure before the evening drive and an African style barbeque. ... read more

We took off at 8:30am this morning in an 8-seater Quest Kodiak, a new plane manufactured in Idaho. We had a 30 minute flight to Hoedspruit Airport where we are awaiting our next flight to Joburg (Johannesburg). Its a very small rural airport and the waiting room is filling up as our flight time nears. Kevin is air dropping photos to me for this blog and twice now, he’s airdropped to someone else in the waiting room, not me. They don’t seem to mind. We are boarding soon. Until our next stop.... read more

“I never knew of a morning in Africa when I woke up that I was not happy” – Ernest Hemingway Somewhere we read the words below and it gave us pause about the life in South Africa, “On these grounds, the plains of Africa we come in search of animal sightings. We are not at the zoo and these animals are predators. The life in their clan or their pride is a life of survival, eat or be eaten.” Poignant……and very sobering. We are writing to you from the Simbavati River Lodge which is located in the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, which forms part of the Greater Kruger National Park. We are on “the hunt” for all animals big and small that inhabit this rustic and sparse part of the world. Most refer to it as ... read more

Going on a safari in Africa is one of those remarkable once in a lifetime experiences that really brings everything into perspective. This is how life is meant to be; free, wild, and untamed, with an indescribable beauty. A balance of thunder and silence. From the slithering centipede, to the towering giraffe. From the lightning fast cheetah, to the patient tortoise. All living in a simple balance. Out here on this wildlife reserve, we could actually sense the peace. If only everywhere on earth was this idyllic and unspoiled. I couldn't help feeling a range of emotions here, from excitement to sometimes sorrow... wishing all animals could live this safely and freely without the fear of poaching and destruction of their habitat. We learned so much on our safaris, now seeing animals will never be the ... read more