The Beginning of a New Journey
We woke up early, as always. Kruger National Park vacations are always linked to getting up early in the morning. We had some precious memories already, getting ourselves locked out of our room as I discussed in my previous post. But this was just part of the fun, leading to a host of other stories and memories we were about to make.
The sun was barely visible on the horizon as we entered the Kruger National Park. It was our, my fiance and I, second or third visit to the Kruger as a couple. It always will have a special place in our hearts.
As we drove through the gates, we almost immediately saw our first animal. A wildebeest!
The first animal always feels like a win, even though you do not know what lies ahead. And this was exactly the case. As soon as we left the wildebeest alone, we saw a giraffe on the horizon (left), and even more wildebeest with their babies (right)!
Kruger Sunrises
This all happened even before the sun rose above the horizon. Even though it was light, as you can see from the photographs above, the sun was only beginning to break open on the horizon. There is something special about Kruger sunrises, just see the photograph below. It is something to experience. (Photographs, sadly, never do justice to just how magical it is...)
And so, our journey began. On the road, toward a special place: Tshokwane Trading Post & Picnic Site. This has become a staple, where you will find some of the best food in the middle of the Kruger. We looked forward to no just this drive to Tshokwane, but also the animals we will see on the road. For we were hopeful that we will see many animals!
The First Encounter: A Sick and Lonely Lion
Life in the wild is not easy. As we slowly drove on some of the back gravel roads, we saw a bunch of cars. Lucky for us, the lion was walking away from these cars, straight toward us! But as soon as I began taking photographs, I could see that there was something wrong with the lion. It did not look happy. In fact, it was alone (a first bad sign because male lions are usually cast out of the pack, left to die), and there was froth coming its mouth.
Later, we heard that these lions get sick from various issues (males coupling each other, and other diseases that attack the weaker males). This was some unsettling news...
Horizon: Littered with Spiders
As we moved on from the lion, I was as always amazed at the views of the plants and the horizon. But here I found many things, from the beauty of dead trees, to alive trees, to dozens if not hundreds of spiders. It was just amazing to see how many spiders made their homes in these trees. Recently, I shared photographs of one such a spider close to our home. Imagine finding yourself in the bushveld with hundreds of these around you...
More Sightings: Elephants, Hippos, and All the Rest
As always with these drives, the first animals feel like a win, but as you drive, especially when you continually see the same animals, they feel like reoccurring dreams.
Even though they remain amazing creatures, you get used to them. This can sometimes be a problem, because you cannot just drive past an elephant that stands next to the road. You need to drive slowly, carefully, sometimes coming to a complete stop just so that the elephant remains calm.
There is also always the clouds on the horizon, always overlooked by those that only search for bigger animals.
A First Sightseeing Point
Even though you are not allowed to exit your car in the Kruger, there are designated sightseeing spots. These are probably safe, but you still exit your car in the middle of the Kruger with no clear gates that will keep wild animals at bay.
But I am sure that nothing has ever really happened at these points... Or so I hope.
This first lookout point was beautiful because it looked over a big rivier. In it, we saw some elephants taking a bath, and to the side, we saw various people running...
At first we did not know why, or what was happening, but soon we saw what was going on. A crocodile and a vulture and a fresh carcass... But more on that in other posts.
Always More Elephants But also some Buffalo and Hippos
It was striking just how many elephants we saw on this Kruger visit. But luckily, there were also some other big animal sightings, like this buffalo (below-right). Even though it was not next to the car, it still made for a nice photograph. Along with all of the elephants, we saw so many baby elephants (below-left). This was good (for nature) but for us this was a challenge when they stood close to the road. Mother elephants do not like when you get close to their babies...
A Second Sightseeing Spot
Before we stopped at our food destination, there was a second lookout point. This is a special place for us, because we took our first Kruger photograph of ourselves here. But this one is somewhat scary. You need to walk around a bolder, and there was no-one there. Imagine walking around the corner only to be looking into the eyes of a wild animal?
Finally Arriving At Tshokwane Trading Post & Picnic Site
We finally arrived. We smelled the food, we saw the people, and we could not wait for the treats that awaited us. Sadly, we enjoyed the food so much that I never took the time to take a photograph of it. Sadly, because it was as always delicious, fresh, and in fact some of the best! The standard order for us is "roosterkoek" or a type of bread made on open coals. We always have it with a side of jame and cheese! But I always ordered some "pap en smoor" or porridge and homemade tomato sauce or relish. You will just have to take my word for how delicious this was.
I did, however, take a photograph of a beautiful worm as I walked to the bathroom!
And So, the Journey Ends (Again)...
This was, like all the others, a wonderful journey to our destination. We saw so much, so many beautiful animals and views. From horizon to clouds, to spiders and lions.
The Kruger really has a special place in our hearts. We will always return, even though the journey ends. In fact, we will return because the journey ends!
For now, happy travelling, and keep well.
All of the musings and writings are my own, albeit inspired by these beautiful animals and the kruger. The photographs are my own, taken with my Nikon D300.
