South Africa is known for many things – from poverty to wildlife and astonishing landscape – in this blog, I will be unravelling my journey as I lived in one of the famous wildlife reserve in Africa.
Background
Home to a vast wildlife in Africa, the Kruger National Park was established in 1898 and covers nearly 2 million hectares of diverse terrain.
You will be able to witness with your own eyes wild animals such as lions, tigers, elephants and many more. To be more specific, the park will open your eyes to many types of species such as 147 mammals, 507 birds, 114 reptiles, 49 fishes and 336 plant species.
Kruger National Park
Located at least 5 hours drive away from Johannesburg, I made my way towards the famous Kruger National Park.
Here, I spent at least 3 nights in a hotel situated just outside of the park. It was at this moment that I told myself—I am finally going to experience the true essence of Africa.
The following day, I partook an activity called Game Drive. It consisted of going on a ride on a Safari Vehicle with a driver, spotter and a guide.
The driver was responsible to drive the vehicle around the safari, the spotter had the role of showing the clients the different types of species that could be found and the guide was there to explain the animals behaviors upon seeing one as well as expounding on the different species (such as bushes) when he saw a specific specie.
They also ensured the safety of the clients who boarded the vehicle.
Seeing The Big Five
In case you were not aware of why they are called the “Big Five” this is because they are referred to the difficulty in hunting the animals, and they are considered to be dangerous animals. These animals consists of: the lion, the leopard, the rhino, the elephant and the African buffalo.
I was lucky enough that during this day The Big Five appeared – yes, I was able to see the top 5 dangerous animals found in South Africa. It is not guaranteed which animal you will be able to witness first. As for my experience, the first one I saw was the Lion then the Leopard appeared , after a while an Elephant decided to show up near our vehicle. Although, the Rhino and Buffalo was quite difficult to see by the naked eye as they did not approach us – instead, we had to see them from afar. Better than not seeing them, right?
The two remaining days in the wildlife consisted of educational lessons. During these two days, I was able to learn on how the people managed to preserve the wildlife. In addition, I was also able to visit the Elephant Sanctuary where I enhance my knowledge about the African Elephants.
Witnessing the famous Big Five with my own eyes – it may sound scary and it may scare you for a while knowing that they are dangerous animals; but the overall experience was definitely worth every second of it. Knowing that I had a great tour operator, Profil Holidays, who organized the travel as well as ensuring that the guide, spotter and the driver were well knowledgeable of the animals and the routes ensured my safety all throughout the journey.
