A Full Day in the South African Bush
We had a very early wakeup call at 6 AM and met with our group for tea and coffee before the first game drive of the day. Because animals are most active at dawn and dusk our 2 hour 30 minute game drives take place each day at 6:45 AM and 4:15PM, Photos just can’t do justice to how spectacular the drives are.
These photos are from our morning game drive. Animals roam wild in the game reserve. There are no fences and animals will often come right up to the game drive vehicles. Watching the two young lions interact not far from our vehicle and then see them practice stalking the giraffe was incredible. Our driver, Azaria told us he could tell the lions were inexperienced your lions because giraffes can kill a lion with one kick and more mature lions would not even attempt to stalk a giraffe unless is was very young.
These photos are from our late afternoon game drive. During our afternoon drive 2 male elephants near us got quite aggressive. You could hear their tusks clashing as the slammed into each other. Our driver quickly drove us away from the interaction. Spending time with our driver Azaria and spotter Bright made us feel very comfortable that they knew how provide a great experience for guests while keeping everyone safe. They did a wonderful job at explaining the habits of the animals and how to keep safe while viewing them up close.
Between the two game drives we had lots more food, and a snake/reptile demonstration. The green snake is a Boomslang snake and is one of the most deadly venomous snakes in the world. The handler brought out a non-venomous African Python for people to hold.
We also had a little time to relax before the late afternoon drive. A number of us took time for a treatment in the beautiful resort spa. After my massage I sat out by the spa pool and watched a hippo resting in the body of water behind the spa. We also saw giraffe and baboons from the spa. Later in the afternoon before the second game drive we were treated to more food - afternoon tea where they served pastry and fruit. The corkscrew doughnuts are called Cook Sisters, a dense and very sweet pastry found all over South Africa.
Adults at dinner in the main dining while the junior adventurer (Charlie) made pizza with Tina, Jameel, the resort chef and some of the nature guides. Afterwards they watched The Lion King.Charlie had a great time.
It was a very full day and another’s planned for tomorrow, our last full day in South Africa.