Solo female travel expert, focusing on travelling around a 9-5 job, getting the most bang for your buck and soft-adventure experiences.
If there’s one thing I can’t stop writing about at the moment, it’s my recent safari trip. Safari has been on my bucket-list for longer than I can remember and it definitely lived up to my expectations. But as with any experience, there were both highlights and lowlights…
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One stretch of road was completely covered in animal faeces which apparently is a result of a pack of buffalo quite literally “shitting themselves” with fear.
Laying on a rock hidden behind some plants were two male lions sleeping after their almighty breakfast with a devoured buffalo carcass in plain sight.
While I am slightly glad that we missed the kill (I’m not even very good at watching the kill scenes in David Attenborough documentaries), it was interesting to see exactly how feeding occurs for carnivores in the wild. A very different experience to seeing a zookeeper chuck a lump of meat over a fence.
Elephants will always be impressive. From their sheer size to their wisdom and strength, elephants are special creatures. While we did see a few lone elephants during our time in the park, for the most part, they travelled in large packs.
One particularly special moment was stopping the car and watching a HUGE heard of elephants cross the road behind us. From dominant adults to playful babies, the whole family were there and it was so special to see them interact with one another.
I bloody love rhinos and I knew that it would be hard to see one in the wild as Kruger National Park is larger than some countries and rhinos are solitary creatures that don’t enjoy the loud sounds of cars. When we managed to spot FIVE during our two days, I was over the moon!
At one point, we were the only car that had spotted a particularly active rhino. We sat and watched him moving gracefully for around 20-30 minutes enjoying the peace. How anyone could hurt these creatures is absolutely beyond me.
As we were trying to leave the park, a queue of cars were starting to form and we had no idea why. As we edged closer, it was apparent that a lion had decided to fall asleep in the middle of the road.
Our guide warned us to be quiet as we approached the sleeping killer (lets just say that if he woke up and stood up, I could have easily been his next meal). Even with a heartbeat much faster than usual, seeing such a majestic wild creature at arms length was incredible.
RELATED: Of course the main highlight is seeing animals in their natural habitat, acting as they should. If you want to see more of the animals, make sure you have a look at my Kruger photo diary!
Strong cold winds should not be underestimated when you’re in an open safari jeep. On our first day, moving my body would have meant letting wind potentially penetrate the perfectly formed human-blanket-burrito I had created, so photo-taking became difficult.
After the end of the first day, I questioned whether I’d be able to sit through another day of that intense coldness but thankfully day number two was filled with glorious sunshine and we ended up stripping off all of our extra layers of clothing! Safari in the sun is DEFINITELY more enjoyable!
Okay, so the baboon didn’t actually touch me (or anyone else for that matter) but one particularly crazy baboon did try and attack our jeep. Luckily, our amazing guide knew exactly how to handle the situation and everything was fine!
I was on edge around ALL baboons for the rest of the trip but it turns out that I’m not the only person with a fear of baboons – a girl in our hostel even had a story about a family of baboons taking her 6 month old cousin!
Even with another 10 days of South African adventures ahead of us, safari truly was incredible and I was SO sad to be leaving. I’d have happily spent much longer in Kruger and would return in a heartbeat!
Have you experienced any bucket-list moments? Did they live up to your expectations?
RELATED: Most people think that the cost of a safari trip will be a major low. If you want to plan a Kruger safari on a budget, make sure you read my guide!
Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post and all thoughts are my own.
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Going on a safari is a dream thing to me, so reading this post was truly enlightening, Danielle. I've learned so much from your post! Most of my bucket list moments have lived up to my expectations, but I never expect too much, so that must be the key. 😉
The captures are mesmerizing! beautiful animals and to be able to watch them in their natural environment is an amazing! That is why African Safari has so much of craze.
Safari is my all time favourite travel activity! I can definitely see why there is a craze!