Sunday, I got picked up for the Kruger Tour and it literally took 8 hours to get to Kruger. We had a night drive and the highlight was getting to see a white rhino in the Balele Game Park Reserve and the African Sunset. Monday morning at 4:45am I headed out for a bushwalk with the tour guide Bongani and Marc who is 67 years old. We went on a 3 ½ bushwalk and Marc kept up for the most part…we had to have another tour guide pick us up as Marc couldn’t continue and the car we started in was pretty far away. I didn’t mind though as the malaria pills had gotten to me and in Bongani’s own words “ have marked my territory in Kruger” haha. On the bushwalk, we say elephant footprints and were trying to catch up to them with no luck. In the search, we did come across a giraffe that was only 3 miles away, it was magnificent to be in the open and see an animal that close! We also came across some hippos in the river. LOVED the bushwalk, it was my favorite out of the whole trip. Had an afternoon safari by myself with the tour guide Wesley. We watched a group of buffalo for a good 10 minutes but nothing else really on that trip. Bongani and I met up later in which he took me to the waterhole behind the lodge and we got to just watch a hippo and crocodile in the hole and talk about life in the bush. The crocodile didn’t care much for the hippo which was interesting. The talk with Bogani was another highlight of the trip for sure! I got transferred that night to the tree house lodge and got to stay in a cabin that was close to the river. That was also the night that I met a beautiful young lady named Pretty. I will discuss her in detail later. Tuesday I basically got a private safari…there were only a couple from the UK and me. We headed into Kruger Park and spent a full 8 hours looking for and at animals. One of the highlights was running into a couple herds of elephants. We were in the middle of the road and there was a herd in front and behind us with their babies. Complete, absolutely silence besides their large feet thumping and ears and tails swaying. It was a site I will never forget. We saw lions in the distance munching on a giraffe that they had killed the night before, a caracal (small cat) which is rare to see and saw a pangolin in the side of the road which is extremely rare. Bongani halted the vehicle and sticks his head out the window yelling, “Pangolin, pangolin…you are so lucky.” This animal is hunted in the tribes and given to the tribe leader as a special prize or used for special ceremonies. On the way back home, I was talking to some tour guides and they were shocked that I got to see a pangolin. One said that she had been a tour guide for 8 years and had yet to see one! It was a treat to get to see more of the rare animals than what you normally see in Safaris. My last day was the drive back to the airport. We drove through Blyde River Canyon which was absolutely incredible…so beautiful that there are no words to describe it…really breathtaking beyond belief. On the way back, got to see secretary birds fly by (another rarity!)
In summary, what made this trip special were the people I met working at Kruger Park, the tour guides and the people who worked at the lodge. Sitting around the table and campfire talking about their lives living in the villages, their challenges, their faith in God, and their joys are things I will take away from this trip. How some of them sacrifice their time with family in order to bring home the bacon….you can see the pain in their eyes, but there is NOTHING in their village, so they HAVE to go, they have to do it so that their kids can have education and that there is food on the table. These people are priceless, these people changed me and I am forever grateful for them…for them just being them, real, open, and amazing. I will also take away how my Father wanted to bless me. He literally gave me 5 private safari tours, 5! My bushwalk, afternoon safari, the waterhole, Kruger Park, and Blyde River Canyon were basically by myself. At first I was disappointed in not having a huge group and wanting to share these experiences with other tourists, I found by the end what a gift that the Lord gave me. I would never be able to afford a private tour and this is something that so many people would wish they could have. I got to know the people who work at this park more intimately and it was the relaxing trip that I needed. Thank you Jesus!
Pictures can be found here
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