World Cruise--Safari Time

Morning arrival in Durban

The breeze coming through the Toyota Landcruiser with its front window down to provide a clear view was refreshing in the African afternoon heat. A butterfly flitted in and lingered a few minutes right in front of my face. For a moment I wondered if I was on a virtual safari at Disney and watching a 3-D movie where the butterfly had appeared to come out of the movie screen. No, this was real and we were off on the first game drive of our three day safari adventure in South Africa.

Resigned to the fact that there was just not a good way to get home for my brother’s funeral, we went ahead with the safari trip we had booked many months before. It would be a good distraction, I hoped, and that turned out to be true. Sorrow turned a little sweeter as we enjoyed the wonders of God’s creations.

After three days at sea, our ship docked in Durban, South Africa, and we woke early to be sure we could get through immigration and make it to the airport in time for our flight to Kruger Mpumalanga Internation Airport near the Kruger National Park. As it turned out, we arrived in plenty of time at the airport to have a little more breakfast before boarding. The KMI airport is about two hours from the Lukimbi Reserve and Lodge where we would spend the next three nights.

Safari.com who made our arrangements, had a driver waiting on us when we arrived and our drive began. The drive is usually about an hour and a half to two hours but we ran into traffic on a stretch where it was stopped for some work on large tree trimming. It was a beautiful area though and we loved looking at the colorful rock formations and the brightly colored butterflies surrounding us on occasion.

At the park entrance, our driver had to fill out papers for us to register our visit in the park. They even checked the back of the van to be sure we weren’t bringing in any contraband--like guns to hunt with, I assume. Poaching is a big problem in the park but I would guess that poachers are a little more discreet on how they enter the park.

We weren’t five minutes into the park and our driver pointed out zebras on the side of the road. A little further and we spotted a giraffe or two, then some impalas and more zebras and a glimpse of an elephant. Wow.

Lukimbi is about a forty minute drive into the southern part of Kruger Park and is a private reserve, one of seven in the national park and one of the largest. This was our second visit. The first was with an excursion from our Crystal World Cruise in 2015. We knew it would be a great stay as long as nothing had changed too much. It hadn’t.

We arrived to a warm welcome and a lovely suite. It’s actually like a cabin or bungalow with a sitting room, a bedroom, a huge bathroom, a deck, a plunge pool (that was fun), and a wonderful view of woods that fringed a large grassy area and provided plenty of entertainment over our stay.

The routine had not changed. We arrived in time for the two o’clock lunch which included a buffet of all sorts of salads, fruits, and BBQ ribs. That was followed by our first game drive at three-thirty. It would last until six-thirty then dinner at seven-thirty. 

In the morning, a five-thirty wake up call followed by a quick cup of coffee and a six o’clock start to the morning game drive. Breakfast upon return at nine and then an optional walk, either to see hippos at the river or a bush walk. And then it continued into the afternoon schedule again. As crazy as it may seem, it was relaxing.

By the end of the first afternoon game drive we had seen almost all of the big five including a small pack of elephants who wandered across the grassy area behind the bungalow while we were getting ready for our game drive. There was a little one with them who literally skipped and danced alongside mom.

The big five includes the lion, leopard, cape buffalo, rhinoceros, and the elephant. These animals were dubbed the big five back in the 19^th century because they were considered the most challenging and dangerous to hunt. Thankfully hunting them is now discouraged and unlawful especially in the park.

I’ll start with the cape buffalo. It looks much like the water buffalo we’ve seen in Asian countries working in the rice fields. I think the horns are a bit different I’m sure among other things. They are herbivores but can get aggressive if threatened. The ones we saw pretty much just ambled by or hustled away. They usually go into the bush and then look back to see what we’re doing. I love the picture I got of one peeking around the bush to look at us.

Our first afternoon game drive would net us the ever elusive leopard. But more about that in my next post.