Rising early, we had a quick breakfast before taking the free hostel shuttle a short way to the airport. Just before we left, a couple who were flying home later that day offered us the pick of their leftover kitchen supplies and we greedily came away with pasta, rice, tuna, spices, cutlery and a even cool bag with ice-blocks. Very handy! Picking up our hire car from Johannesburg airport we had another row about 'no excess' payments before starting the long drive to Kruger Park. We stopped for further supplies and a greasy McDonalds lunch but still made good time, arriving at Numbi Gate on the southern end of Kruger around 4pm. By the time we'd checked in at Pretoriuskop Camp, it was too late for game driving so we had a wander around before making a start on dinner. The accommodation was a small camping bungalow. Circular in shape, it was big enough for two single beds and an ensuite shower, with a small kitchen and patio area outside. Each hut had it's own BBQ so we feasted on a braai of steak and baked potatoes for dinner. The camp was pretty quiet by the time we'd finished eating so we headed to bed early in preparation for our early-morning game drive.

At 4.30am we struggled out of bed, got dressed and strolled over to the camp petrol station. Waiting for us was a heavy duty, 15-seater safari truck, an enthusiastic guide and ten other souls braving the early morning cold. Driving around in the dark, huddled under blankets, for the first hour we barely saw a thing. And then suddenly, as day started to break, a hyena sauntered up to the side of the truck with a fresh kill in it's mouth and blood dripping from it's jaws! During the next hour we saw elephants, buffalo and rhinos close to the side of the road and even though the final hour was fairly uneventful - even dragging a little since we were so tired - we returned to camp having already seen 3 of The Big 5. Not a bad start to our Kruger adventure!

After breakfast we packed up and headed back into the park for our first self-drive. It was a very slow morning though and for the first few hours we saw nothing but Impala. By the afternoon we were referring to these small deer as 'oh dears' given their abundance and our frustration that they were all we could see ('oh deer there's another one!'). Fortunately things took a dramatic turn for the better soon after lunch with an abundance of animals seemingly at every turn. By the time we left the park we had seen big herds of elephants crossing the roads and walking around cars, giraffes grazing in the treetops, monkeys playing with elephant dung, hippos swimming, crocodiles basking in the sun and warthogs burrowing on their knees for food. We left the park in high spirits and headed to our hotel just outside Paul Kruger Gate. Bucklers Bridge B&B was a superb find. A huge lodge with gardens overlooking one of Krugers waterholes, it gave us an unexpected chance to see even more animals before sunset. Sipping beers we were able to see buffalo and lions up close using the lodge's powerful binoculars before a herd of elephants came to graze just a few metres from the outer fence! As darkness fell we retreated to our palatial room to cook dinner in the kitchenette before enjoying the luxury of our own TV.

The next day the game viewing was much the same. Elephants, giraffe, kudu, warthogs, the inevitable plethora of Oh Dears and even some long-distance sightings of lions. After six hours of almost continuous driving we decided to call it a day early and head out of the park to Kates birthday hotel. Arriving around 3.30 the Protea Lodge was another taste of luxury - if not as welcoming as the more homely (and cheaper!) Bucklers Bridge - with a huge bed, walk-in shower and satellite TV. It was also right next to Kruger Park so we enjoyed late afternoon beers in the treehouse bar, watching for life at the waterhole as the monkeys above pelted us with acorns. As it grew dark Kate went off for a hot stone massage - a birthday treat from me - while I went back to the room to await delivery of a fridge we'd requested to keep our food cold! An hour later Kate returned - so relaxed she was ready to pass out! - and we headed to the hotels outdoor restaurant for a huge buffet dinner. After stuffing ourselves with an ridiculous amount of food - including Eland, a type of large deer - we waddled back to the room to pass out in front of the TV.

In the morning we did birthday presents before wolfing down far too much breakfast (another buffet!) and heading back into the park. We had a long drive North to our next camp, Satara, and needed to get there by 4.30pm for an organised sunset game drive. Cracking on at a fair pace, we stopped several times to spot lions and wildebeest before watching in awe (and a touch of fear!) as a huge herd of elephants stomped angrily past our parked car. After speeding along winding gravel roads to make it to Satara in time, the game-drive guide was nowhere to be seen - apparently blissfully unaware he was even supposed to be working! Twenty minutes later the camp had managed to locate another guide and the drive finally got underway...and it was well worth the wait. At first it was irritating sharing the truck with a bunch of seasoned, safari-going, know-it-all locals but thanks to their experienced eagle-eyes we actually saw plenty of animals we'd not yet encountered. Using powerful spotlights to light up the bush after sunset we spied wild dogs, wild cats, porcupines, bush babies and hyenas. We stopped at a waterhole and shining the lights on the shoreline, sat and watched as a crocodile struggled to eat it's oversized dinner. Turning the lights to the far side of the waterhole we then revealed a huge herd of elephants standing at the water's edge waiting to drink. Amazingly they had been standing there the whole time, silently hidden in the darkness! To round off the drive, metres before heading back through the camp gates we ran into 3 huge male lions. Not remotely bothered by us, they sauntered up to truck, stopped by the steps and stared right at us...perhaps deciding if we were on the night's menu! After a couple of minutes of frantically taking photos, the roars and contemptuous looks directed towards us were our signal to leave for the safety of the camp. Back at our bungalow, we lit a braai and cooked up a hearty dinner of baked potatoes, wildebeest steak, boerwors and chilli.

Up early to make the most of our last full day in Kruger, we took a slow drive through the wilderness surrounding the camp. The landscape was much more barren than the areas of dense vegetation we'd seen further south, and in a quiet few hours we saw plenty of zebra and wildebeest. Followinga quick stop for lunch at the hippo pool, we drove on and in the early afternoon discovered our own set of lions. Our previous sightings of the giant cats had thus far been other peoples finds - often picking our way through roadblocks of cars scrambling for glimpses of a distant lion - so it was especially satisfying when we spied 4 cubs sprawled out on the rocks enjoying the sunshine! When we eventually dragged ourselves away from our discovery we saw plenty of baboons, giraffe and elephants on our way to Camp Lower Sabie. After getting lost trying to find our bungalow in the dark, we rustled up a dinner of leftovers before taking a quick walk along the camp fence. Apart from the odd bat flying around there didn't seem to be anything exciting around so we headed to bed.

Rising at 4.30am for one last organised game-drive, we set out in hope of spotting some leopards and completing our quest for The Big 5. After an uneventful first couple of hours we ran into a dead cheetah lying in the middle of the road. Looking around to find it's killer we spotted two younger leopards sitting in the long grass just 10m from the truck. As our guide left the safety of the vehicle to pull the dead leopard to the side of the road one of the younger leopards ran off, while the other stared intently, looking for all the world as if it would attack at any moment! Thankfully it thought better of it, instead unwittingly posing for us to take some awesome photos. Half an hour or so later we left the cheetahs to it and headed back to camp.

We had a few hours before we had to return to Johannesburg so set out on one last mission to find the elusive leopards. An hour later, as we had all but given up hope, we had a massive stroke of luck. Spotting a leopard strolling through the bushes and heading for the road, we stopped just in time to watch it cross right in front of our car! A second leopard then crossed the road behind us and we watched in amazement as the two of them crisscrossed around us several times, stopping just long enough for us to take perfect shots! Happy at our unexpected find we drove on to find a bridge blocked by cars. Moving in for a closer look we marvelled at the sight of two more leopards - this time a mother and her cub - playing in the puddles of the drying riverbed below us. After a few minutes they became wary of the growing presence on the bridge and retreated to the safety of some nearby trees. We were still just able to see them in the distance as the mother dragged a kill up a tree for her cub to eat.

The Big 5 well and truly completed, we left Kruger Park and started the long drive back to Johannesburg. Six hours later and following a mild panic as we momentarily got lost - Joberg is not somewhere you want to get lost after dark! - we rocked up back at Robs Shoestring Backpackers. Our South African adventure had come to an end and it was time to check out the real Africa!