SAFARI in Kruger National Park!!!

7/9/11 and 7/10/11

“Oh, I just can’t wait to be king!”

Oh, the safari.  It was absolutely incredible.  We stayed at a place called Gomo Gomo Game Lodge.  It was inside Kruger.  When we got there, our ranger Andre met us at the car.  He showed us into the main building, where there were comfy couches, rugs, tables with books all about Africa, and just a cozy atmosphere.  He then showed us to our rooms – they were chalets that had a front room with a big bed, a bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub and huge glass shower with windows that overlooked the park, and a back room with 2 twin beds.  The place was beautiful.  We had 3 chalets for the group, and each chalet was right on the water where the elephants drink every morning.  After having a little while to freshen up, beating drums signaled that it was lunch time.  Everyone staying at Gomo Gomo eats together, and the food was delicious.  We then went back to our rooms to get bundled up for the ride.  We had an open-air Land Rover for our safari vehicle.  It was so cool.  There were paths clearly made for the safari, so we started on those.  It was windy, so Andre told us that we may not be able to see much because the wind messes with the animals’ predator senses.  We got going, and Andre heard on his little radio that there were cheetahs spotted!  He did some awesome off-roading, riding over bushes and tree branches until we found the cheetahs.  They were clearly stalking something.  We kept following them, doing more amazing off-roading, and lost sight of them for a few minutes.  When we found them again (there were 2), they were chowing down on a baby impala!  We were so close that we could here them breathing and chewing on the meat.  After watching them for a while, we were on the move again.  We saw lots of kudu and impala.  Then we found 2 male lions.  When we approached them, one was on his back with his legs spread out wide, showing all his junk.  Hahaha.  They were reallllllyyy asleep, so Andre told us we’d come back after sunset to maybe catch one of them wake up and roar.  We set off again.  We saw a herd of elephants next.  All of them were females with their babies.  When we pulled up to them (by off-roading it of course), the closest one flared its ears and backed up like it was going to charge.  My heart fluttered because I thought we were all going to become kabobs on her tusks.  But thankfully, she just backed away and kept on eating.  Then, all the girls had to pee, so we stopped to relieve ourselves and have drinks and snacks in the middle of the park.  By the time the boys were warmed up by their whiskey, the sun was setting.  We got back on the Land Rover, and got going.  The next thing we knew, the spotter, Kennet, saw a leopard!!!  It was very elusive, and we kept up as best we could by off-roading, going over tree stumps and bushes and branches.  I didn’t get a great picture of it, but it was such an adrenaline rush being on the chase!  After that incredible high, we found the lions again.  They were stirring.  They yawned, cleaned their paws and faces just like house cats, and then one of them stood up and walked a little away from us.  Keep in mind that we were about 6 feet away from him.  He roared.  So incredible, and definitely not what I was expecting it to sound like.  I could feel my chest and the ground rumble because of the sound.  He sat back down, and it was time for us to go back to camp.  As we turned the corner to leave the lions, the one that roared was sitting by the road.  He was on my side of the vehicle, literally 2 feet away.  I got a great picture of him looking straight at my camera.  When we got back to the lodge after our 3-hour safari, we had 30 minutes to freshen up before dinner.  We got to our rooms to find our beds already turned down with a piece of chocolate on each bed and a bedtime story.  Ours was a fable about an elephant and a hunter.  Dinner was once again with everyone who was staying at Gomo Gomo, about 16 people in all.  It was outside with tiki torches, and a huge fire in the center.  There was one table per person, and they were all arranged around the fire.  On the tables, there was a lantern for each of us, and a beautiful place setting.  We had an amazing 3 course dinner and drinks.  After dinner, we all had to go to bed so we could get up bright and early for our next safari.  Andre knocked on our door at 5:45, and at 6:15, we were off again!  The first thing we got to see was the sunrise.  Absolutely beautiful.  Then we saw the same lions from the night before, going to find themselves a nice place to rest for the day.  We saw giraffes, which are so much stranger than I remember them being.  Our big find was 2 rhinos.  They were really elusive, but I managed to snap a picture of them.  We saw more impala and kudu, and finally a warthog.  When we got back to the lodge after another 3-hour safari, we packed up, and then were served a very filling breakfast before we left.

Cheetahs eating a baby impala.

One of the many elephants we saw.  Yes, we were that close!
 

Yawning lion

As we turned the corner, he was laying right by the vehicle.

Giraffe on the morning safari.

Rhinos!

All of us in our safari car! 

We took the panorama route back to Thohoyandou.  We stopped at Graskop – the Gatlinburg of the area, where I got wooden bowls and spoons.  We saw God’s Window (where you can supposedly see into Mozambique), a waterfall, and the Potholes, which are these giant potholes in a canyon formed by the water.  That was our last stop before making our way back.  It was such an amazing weekend.

Theresa, me, Erin, Jack, and Caroline at God's Window.