What an incredible first day! We went on out first game drive today for 5 hours, from 6:30-11 am and we saw a ton! The first hour or so we saw nothing big, just some impala and various bird species. Impala are the fast food of the bush. They are in such a large abundance (at least 20 per herd), and have M's on their butts, reminding anyone in a developed area of the world of McDonald's golden arches.
Then we had sighting after sighting of of major animals you'd expect to see out in the African bush. Everything from male lions, to giraffes, to warthogs, to zebras. There was much more we saw, that we got incredibly close to. Possibly 50-75 feet from a male lion drinking water at a dam in the reserve. We saw over 12 different kinds of animals, I hope we continue to see more! We did not see any elephants today, but on our way into the reserve from the nearest town (Hoedspruit ~1.5 hours away) last night, we passed right by a lone bull elephant, within 30 feet of our vehicle!
(Lone male lion drinking at the dam... in this picture he is looking at us)
(Beautiful view at the top of many hills in Struwig)
Later this evening we went on a night drive, where we sight in a large open truck with spotlights to see if we can spot any game. During the drive we encountered a family of hyenas. It was humbling to be within 30 feet of a predator in its natural habitat. The stars are unreal in Africa as well. The abundance you see because of the lack of light pollution is incredible!
- Erin
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