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Index
Day 1-2 Day 3-4 Day 5-7 Day 8-10 Day 11 Day 12-15 Day 16-17
Day 12 - 15 (20th-23rd) - Monday to Thursday - Kruger National Park
4:30am and we were bright and chipper and ready to set off on our adventure …. uuuurrrggghhhh. After some major logistical mix-ups while collecting all the people we were on our way at 8:30.
The tour gang included an English couple, New Zealand couple, English Girl, a guy from Seattle, a guy from Scotland and a couple of crazy Aussies that were to become the focus of most of the Zimbabwean tour guide's jokes and snide remarks! Don't worry though we gave as good as we got!
The journey to Kruger took all day, it was dusk when we arrived at the replica tribal village, but we took the scenic route to get there, visiting on the way the 'potholes' and 'the golden valley' which were intriguing rock formations and spectacular mountainous ranges with fertile valleys stretching out below.
The first night was spent at this tribal village, just outside Kruger Park, which is used for tourist's entertainment and more importantly, although not as profitable, to teach the younger generation of kids about their tribal ancestors and their all but forgotten culture. We sat around a camp fire ate traditionally prepared food with our hands, drank esky prepared beer and were mesmerized by the local's dancing display. It was a very exciting evening. We slept in mud brick huts with thatched roofs, a candle, door covers made of sticks and sleeping bags on thin mattresses, luxury compared to what was in store!
The next morning at first light we packed up and headed to the Cheetah Project. This is an animal park come rehabilitation center. The original and main purpose for this park was to raise and house cheetahs that could no longer survive in the wild or were problem animals on private farms etc.. They had other animals here too including vultures, stalks, and wild dogs.. oh and a parrot that knew 70 Afrikaans words and one English word - "stupid".
Next stop (after pancakes) was Kruger Park proper. This started out spectacularly and just got better after that. Driving in the park over the following three days we saw a catalogue of amazing animals; Zebras (both black and white ones & white and black ones, very important distinction apparently!), Giraffes, Springboks, Warthogs, Impala (like deers), Hyena, a multitude of birdlife, Crodiles, a baby turtle, Baboons, Elephants, Lions, Hippos and Rhinocerouseseseses (my apologies to the animals brands I have forgotten).
The Rhino proved to be illusive and it wasn't until the last morning that we suddenly came across one. He wandered up to the road, only about 30 metres from our van, crossed and disappeared again into the bush. Concurrently a small family of elephants crossed the road too behind us about 50 metres away. It was all pretty cool stuff!
The second and third nights we camped in one-person tents with sleeping bags and mats and had some pretty wicked BBQ's and bush tucker, one night we even tucked into some Impala and Warthog stew! It was actually damn fine, yum.
The tour was only four days long but our group of previous strangers had formed great friendships and it was really quite hard and sad occasion to say goodbye to all these people knowing that we will never see each other again. One by one, two by two the tour guide dropped us off. Well our tour was over, but a word of wisdom here; it was a unique experience and if ever you get the opportunity to visit Kruger National Park, take it.
Our last night in South Africa we were back at the hotel having finished the tour and I can guarantee you the bed and pillow were the most luxurious things we could imagine in the world.