2014-03-28

"You shouldn't be standing there"' a man said from behind his half open car door window. "Last year a ranger was taken by a Cheetah right were your are stranding". Hmm better get back into the car then.


The town of Nelspruit is only about 35km from Kruger National Park. Some interesting facts about this place that it is as large as Holland –roughly 380 km long by 100 km wide. If you were to travel all the roads would only see about 7% of the surface according to the information we were told. So we gathered that if we count on seeing no animals at all, anything that we came across would be a bonus. At the entrance the car was checked for guns and other items prohibited to bring into the park (like alcohol). A document needed to filled out with all details pertaining to the person and the car, I suppose for your own safety- and then… let’s roll !

Within the first 5 km we spotted our first elephants beside the road. Very exciting. Soon it was followed be Zebra and Giraffes. Seeing them in a zoo is exciting but here in the wild it is a total different feeling. The roads are full of elephant dung which indicates they are close but you need to be lucky. The elegant Impala’s were next. They varied from small group to complete herds. Soon we saw more wild animals, some of them close to road or at times walking on the road.

Baboons , Rhino and Warthogs and Elephants. The most exciting part of the day was the moment we drove up right next to a group of Lions having a midday snooze. At moments like that you have to pinch yourself that this is the real thing. They look at ease however you have to remember they are wild animals and are not fed. If you get out of the car there is always a chance that they may go for you. As a matter of fact I got out of the car (while standing on a bridge)to take some pictures. (I did not realise it was forbidden as I had not yet read the instructions on the entrance ticket)

After a few minutes some people coming from the other direction warned me that two years ago a ranger was taken at the same spot by a Cheetah the previous year. (so better get back in the car then)

On both days we came across very large elephants walking on the road. Overtaking them is not a good thing as they may make a turn just before you get there. I have seen a few pictures of cars being overturned if they get angry. At one stage we were a bit close to a mother with a calf. She stopped and looked at us as if saying: if you come closer I will put you upside down as well.

Yesterday we stayed at an unusual place. The hostel is in a place which used to be a game park .The park was not making a profit so they closed it and slowly people moved in to live there . The dangerous animals were moved out and the rest just stayed there. The owner of the hostel told us that a few weeks before a Zebra walked in and stood on the patio. They advised us not to go on the road at night as many animals enter the area at night. When we left early this morning we found a group of zebra grazing the side of the road about 100 meter s from the hostel. Anyway the last two days was about seeing the wild life. The Pictures tell the story.
Oh... Yes I shot a Lion and a Zebra,Giraffe,Baboon,Hippo,Several Birds,Impala etc with my Panasonic Lumix