Richards Bay, South Africa

We arrived in Richards Bay to begin a safari to the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve.
What is remarkable about this game reserve is that they have single-handedly repopulated the white rhino which has now been removed from the endangered list.
Jeff and I had been on safari before in Tanzania, but the rhino was the only animal that we didn’t see much of - we saw one at a great distance. We saw many white rhinos today! In fact, there were several times that a mother and baby rhino crossed the road in front or back of our vehicle. A couple of times we had a rhino within 20’ of us! We were even close enough to see (and smell) one marking it’s territory. It looks a bit like a the fine spray nozzle from your hose. Yikes. They are remarkable animals and it is wonderful to see their numbers rising again. Poaching is still a horrible problem and poachers are continually coming up with new ways to get their prey (helicopters are one of the latest ways). Some groups of rhinos have a 24 hour guard.
This is also the homeland of the Zulu tribe. They are a warm and friendly tribe that speaks a language that incorporates “clicks”. I haven’t mastered it, but it’s interesting to try!
The first photo is a white rhino up close!
The second photo is a rhino and her baby.
The third photo is a giraffe that passed in front of us.Read more