Ticking off our Safari Bucket List Pt. 1

We all survived in our tents and therefore woke up at 5 o'clock the next morning because of the rattling noises of Takalani who prepared breakfast. After he showed us how to put the tents down, we all tried to do it as well. Gary said for first tries it wasn't that bad. When our camp was neatly put away, we could quickly enjoy morning tea before it was time to go. We hopped back on the truck and set off for a day of Safari in Kruger NP.
We would drive from Maroela Camp over Satara and Skukuza to the city of Hazyview outside the Park. And as it was our last day of Safari, we had lots of things on our Bucket List to tick off. Not that we haven't seen a lot yet, rather the opposite. But when you're used to such luck in animal sightings, you get cocky.
So our Bucket List looked like the following:
- Cheetah
- Male Lion with a real mane
- Leopard in a tree
- Crocodiles (my dear wish)
- Drinking Giraffe

Because I was such a pain in the ass about the crocs, Takalani promised me to see them before 3pm. As it was still morning, I had to be patient and wait a bit longer. Until then, we saw some Waterboks that have a white shape on their behinds that look as if they sat down a freshly painted toilet.
Not long after, there was a sudden turmoil and lots of jeeps were around. We heard a little boy call, "Cheetah, Cheetah!", excitedly. We therefore got excited as well, although we thought to ourselves that we must run out of luck at some point. However, it seemed as if we had put all our luck for a whole year together, as there really was a Cheetah and we stood in the first row to see it. First, it was casually strolling around. But then - everything was so quick - it started running, hunting some Impalas. Nobody could film this event, as it was over before we could actually process it. The Cheetah didn't catch anything, but to watch the attempt was lucky enough for us. After that, we were pumped and chatted happily about ticking off boxes. We drove on and saw some huge Baboons cross our way. Not long afterward, we saw yet another big herd of Elephants who were taking a rest at a waterhole. They had little ones with them as well. They laid down, and the bigger ones surrounded them to give them shade. "The babies can't keep up with the adults, so they give them a rest," Takalani explained to us. Afterward, we didn't see a drinking Giraffe but a lying one, which was good enough for now. They can't put their heads down, as this would cause way too much blood flowing into their brains, and therefore killing them. Giraffes also have built-in thrombosis stockings to pump up all the blood from their legs up to the head.
Suddenly, there were lots of cars around again, and we looked at each other, knowing something great was coming. That's the difference between Private Reserves and the Kruger itself. At a Private Reserve, there are no other jeeps around. If there are, only from other Lodges in that Reserve, so not many in total. And the guides always communicate with the others to tell the others if they found great animal sightings. In the Kruger, there are a lot of other people around, as there are not only other Tours but also Self-Drivers. On the one hand, you can always see where cool animals are, as there would always be a traffic jam around them. On the other hand, there would be a traffic jam. So you can't just sit there and watch the animal as long as you want. You have to queue and hope that the animal won't move too much until it is your turn. And when it is your turn, you can't enjoy it for very long, and you have to be quick with taking pics.
So, the great thing was another check on our Bucket List. A leopard in a tree. It was sitting, not lying, though. So, we adjusted the point "Leopard in a tree" into "Sleeping Leopard in a tree", because that was more of our postcard-like image.
We'd have to wait for that, though, as we first stopped for lunch. At lunch, we saw lots of Cape Glossy Starlings, waiting for our food to fall down to snitch it away. And a very cute Vervet monkey and its mother were playing around at a table, hoping for some food as well.
We weren't allowed to feed the wildlife, so we couldn't give them some of our delicious wraps.Read more