Blogs from Mpumalanga , South Africa, Africa - page 3

We had a rude awakening this morning with a 5am wake up call. Game drive started at 5.30am after coffee and biscuits on the main deck. Game drives are early morning and late afternoon because that is when the animals are most active. Back into the jeep, just daylight and pretty cold. We didn't have to go too far before we saw hyenas, and the two lions we had seen yesterday (don't know how, but the driver seems to be able to identify the animals individually). And an amazing African sunrise. Then a couple more elephants, but then we drove around for quite some time, hoping to spot a rhino. No luck, seemed a bit like driving aimlessly around waiting for animals to appear (and sometimes they did), but the driver had a plan, and took ... read more

Zuid-Afrika===Botswana===Zimbabwe (een dagje)===Botswana===Zuid-Afri Vrijdag 13-09-2019 1e Vakantiedag Vandaag is het dan zover. We gaan op reis. We staan op tijd op, ontbijtje, de laatste spullen in de backpack, laatste dingetjes opruimen en dan staat onze wegbrenger Willem al voor de deur. Gisteren hebben we al via internet ingecheckt, eenmaal op Schiphol kunnen we de bagage afgeven en dan op naar alle “security checks”. Controle handbagage, paspoort controle…..het gaat allemaal snel en dan mogen we ons een beetje zien te vermaken. Eerst wat euro’s omzetten naar Afrikaanse randen en wat US dollars, dan wat wandelen langs de winkeltjes en op tijd richting gate F3. Het vliegtuig “de Iguaçu” staat al te wachten en er wordt snel begonnen met instappen. We vertrekken aardig op tijd en hebben een vlucht van 10.10 ... read more

Our day started early at 7:30am, heading back to Victoria Falls to see the natural wonder in the daylight. We walked around all the viewpoints, of course taking photos at each one. We saw a beautiful rainbow in the mist. The kids looked like butterflies when the sun shone through their ponchos. There’s not much to write about the Falls. They are a true sight to behold. One must see it with their own eyes to appreciate them. We saw the area where our raft ride started. We really had to climb a long, steep way down (and up). We needed to head back to the house and leave for the airport but not before buying a few memorabilia. If you need help bargaining down a price, take Shaya with you on your trips. The African ... read more

We started today at 4:30 for our final morning safari into Kruger National Park. Today's goal: rhinoceros and leopard. Today's actual hits included: elephants, hyena, cape turtle doves, emerald-spotted wood doves, duiker grey antelope, tawny eagle, battaliers, vultures, wild dogs, RHINOS on 3 occasions(!), vereaux eagle owl, warthogs, and LIONS(!). We saw so many impala (antelopes) they felt like part of the family. Though we never found the elusive leopard, today's "hunt" was very successful. The highlights were the rhinos and the pack of wild dogs. Our guide, Mary-Anne, was super excited to have found these two species for us. Though many attempts have been made to tame/domesticate the wild dogs, even those reared from birth, none have been successful. We should also mention that during our breakfast break at a picnic area, we were being ... read more

Picking up from where we left off... After finishing last night's blog, everyone put a few more logs and pieces of coal on their respective fires and made their way to bed. Just as he was about to fall asleep, Jake moved his leg and felt a soft, warm thing by his foot. Panicking that there was some sort of animal in his bed, he gave it a good kicking, only to find out it was a hot water bottle that someone on the hotel staff had put in as a warm-up. It was a moment of panic and a water bottle, not a wild beast. Today we started early, with breakfast at six and on the road to Kruger National Park around seven. The drive took roughly three hours including one pit stop along the ... read more