As I left the cabin to head back to the main lodge I was confronted by the most incredible sight. Several elephants had walked up past our cabin and were standing right beside the walkway. I was just stunned by how close these magnificent animals were. Staying as still as possible, I took a bunch of pictures. I then wanted to go back to the room to let my sister know what was just outside. There was on elephant who got a little close to the walkway and did not seem pleased with me trying to slip by.
When I managed to safely get back to the room I opened the door and was quietly calling for my sister to come see. Eventually I realized I was hearing her equally firm calls to come in the room. She was at the balcony door watching another elephant just outside snacking on a tree! It was just amazing that several elephants just decided to explore the foliage around our cabin while we were there. To my sister’s consternation I slipped on to the balcony for some more pictures. If I had been dumb enough to try it, I probably could have touched her!
It was becoming one of those trips where just when you think it can’t get any better, the universe throws a surprise at you! Well after that amazing morning, a delicious lunch, we still had another safari. We had another wonderful trip with just the three of us in our vehicle. We saw more of the same animals, and such beautiful birds. There was another G&T watching the sunset, and a fabulous dinner. One of those evenings where I don’t recalling anything that stands out, but that everything was simply wonderful.
Another early morning was our last at the camp. Our new friend had an early flight and had decided to skip the morning safari so she wouldn’t risk being late to the airport. So it was just my sister and I for the morning safari. And it was beyond amazing. Early on we were alerted to a pack of Wild Dogs (also known as Painted Dogs) in the area. There were a few adults and a whole mess of young pups just playing and bouncing around. The Wild Dogs are endangered in Africa, so it was pretty special to see a big pack with so many young. Then after watching them play for a while we continue on seeing what we could see.
With amazing timing, we rounded a corner to see a group of male cheetahs crossing the road way. A few minutes earlier or later and we might have never seen them! Our eagle eyed guide spotted them, and then we followed them through the landscape for awhile. All four of them had large bellies, they had just eaten and were looking for a quiet place to nap. One safari vehicle, quickly followed by two more, seemed to be a minor annoyance to the boys. They eventually settled for a nap under some trees, allowing us to admire them before it was time to head back for breakfast.
After breakfast it was time for us to pack up. We weren’t quite done with Kruger, but had decided to spend one night at the luxurious Shalati Lodge in the southern part of the park. So after another short drive to our new hotel we had time to settle in before another safari. Shalati is absolutely incredible. It’s in a fairly busy part of the park called Skukuza, the hotel itself is built from old train cars and parked on a disused rail bridge over a river. The railroad used to be the main way through the park, and for tourists to arrive. Since it was shut down the whole thing was repurposed for a luxury hotel. The car in the middle was also the bar area, with a huge pool over looking the wild river below.
The lunch at the hotel was lovely. Thought we had a bit of a laugh. As food was included it was a fairly set menu. About to order the dish with venison, we realized that the North American definition of the word might not apply! When we asked, venison can really mean any game meat sometimes. I don’t think we figured out exactly what it was, but it was tasty.
No comments:
Post a Comment