Kruger National Park, South Africa - Safari, Presidential Election, and Family

Kruger National Park, South Africa Slide Show

After visiting South Africa for a couple weeks without seeing lions, elephants, and zebras, it was time to go on a safari. We took a 4 day safari in Kruger National Park, a wildlife reserve roughly the size of Israel. Kruger offers an opportunity to see wildlife in their natural habitat. We were led by our guide Dan, who helped us find the "Big Five" (elephant, rhinoceros, leopard, buffalo, and lion). We never received an explanation how the "big Five" came about, and why animals like the giraffe, zebra and hippopotamus were excluded. The first 5 pictures in this post are of the "Big Five".

We saw many more animals than the "Big Five". Noah was keeping track, so here is the list, not including many types of birds: Vervet Monkey, Chacma Baboon, Crocodile, Black-Backed Jackal, Spotted Hyena, Leopard, Lion, African Elephant, Burchell's Zebra, White Rhinoceros, Warthog, Hippopotamus, Giraffe, Nyala, Bushbuck, Greater Kudu, Turtle, Rabbit, Waterbuck, Blue Wildebeest, Steenbok, Impala, Springbok, and African Buffalo. Unlike at a zoo, we were able to observe the "circle of life" as we saw lions trying to chase down giraffes, impalas, and zebras. We also came across hyenas and vultures finishing off a giraffe after lions killed it. Watching the hunters and the hunted play out in real life was fascinating.

Our guide, Dan grew up in the area and was very knowledgeable about Kruger Park and took good care of us as we slept in tents the first 2 nights in the park and at a private game lodge the 3rd night. Madison from the United States and Yung from South Korea joined us on our safari. Madison had been on many other safaris in Africa and was quite adept at spotting hard to find animals. The only animal spotting contribution that I made was when I spotted a leopard on our night safari. This helped us round out our "Top Five" sightings.

Click on the following to see a short video that we put together of some of our animal sightings ==> Kruger National Park Video.

The safari was a fitting end to our stay in South Africa. We leave with fond memories of Cape Town and the surrounding areas, natural scenery, wildlife, and the people. We were warned by many people to watch out for crime in South Africa, but we never felt threatened whether we were in the Cape Town, Johannesburg, or the countryside. We found South Africans to be very generous and fun to be around.

For the four days we were on the safari, we did not have TV, internet, or phone access and our safari happened to be during the United States presidential election. We did not know who won the election until we boarded our van to return to Johannesburg the day after the election. Obama won just in case you didn't hear about it.

It was strange not being around during the election, but quite interesting to see the reactions of Africans. This is not a political statement on our part one way or the other, just an observation. There was rejoicing in the streets and people were congratulating us when they found out we were Americans. We spoke with many Africans prior to the election and they all passionately wanted Obama to win, but felt that the United States would never elect a black man. They compare Obama with Nelson Mandela. The election of Obama has made it easier to travel in Africa as an American. Their view of the United States changed overnight as the result of an election. Between wars and the economy, Obama can add the weight of Africa's expectations on his shoulders. Time will tell if he can live up to their expectations.

Finally, while we were out of range of communication, our older son, Aaron severely injured his arm at basketball practice at Williams College in Massachusetts. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he heals.

To view a slide show of Kruger National Park, click on the following link ==> Kruger National Park, South Africa Slide Show.