Kruger National Park - 26 Feb

Giraffes!

Today (Monday 26th Feb)  was an amazing experience, but had started a little too early for our liking. Our day started around 4.45am, which was when we left for Kruger. We had left so early, to make sure we got to the park early and could get through security by sunrise. The first twenty minutes of searching for animals proved unsuccessful, however soon after Libby spotted some monkeys and baboons, getting us all very excited. Soon, she picked up the nickname of Hawk Eyes due to her excellent animal spotting, even when they were camouflaged. There were lots of false alarms (the lions we saw turned out to be piles of sand) but we soon saw more animals, including many impala, some really large elephants, zebra and vervet monkeys.

Sleeping Lioness!

We stopped for a snack and toilet break around mid-morning, which helped us feel more refreshed from the early start. Once we were back on the sandy roads of Kruger, we kept our eyes peeled for any sign of wildlife, big or small. After another few hours, we stopped off for lunch and a shopping break. The food was very much needed to keep us energised (although Millie had already got through several naps during the morning). Libby and Millie ate their chips in the company of many monkeys, who were very brave and were swinging around all over the picnic benches. One particularly cheeky monkey stole a women’s sandwich and began to eat it!

Rhino

After a brief shopping spree, we headed back onto the track, meeting a very large elephant who followed us down the road! From a bridge, we saw some hippopotamuses and crocodiles, as well as some rhinos, waterbucks, warthog and wildebeest in the distance. We were also lucky enough to see a lounging lioness, as she lazed on the grass next to the road. We were beginning to get disheartened about spotting a giraffe, and it wasn’t until the very end of our day that Georgia spotted a group of giraffes, both young and old which were too busy chomping leaves to take much notice of us. Also, we spent a bit of time at Lake Panic, where we had to be silent for the beautiful birds around us (however the hippos didn’t seem to stay quiet for very long, before bellowing away). We also spotted some wild dogs and then a family of hyenas. Despite the adult hyenas looking absolutely terrifying, the cubs were adorable and were fighting with each other.

Hyena !

Overall, it was an exhausting yet fantastic day which really was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Yesterday was a more relaxed day to end the week nicely. Although it was nice to enjoy some down time, it was a good chance to reflect on the stories from the past week. We went to a local shopoing area called  Casterbridge for some food (and a chance to spend some more of our money!) Once we had arrived, we sat down at the Magnolia Cafe, unexpectedly Paul and Cathy Middleton  (from Mercy Air where we will be staying on Tuesday)  were there too so it gave the students a chance to introduce themselves. Here we had a delicious lunch and then had a chance to do some Sunday shopping.