Viva Las Safari!

Teaching in South Africa has certainly been a life-long dream come true. I am so fortunate that I have been given this opportunity and even more so I am fortunate for the truly remarkable weekend I had!

It was Friday, July 25^th at 3:30 a.m. and my alarm was ringing loudly, signaling me to awake for what would be the most anticipated adventure here in South Africa thus far: the Kruger National Park Safari! Our flight was scheduled to depart at 6:30 a.m. for Johannesburg International Airport at which point we would meet up with our co-advisor Steve Whitney and a researcher, Jayme Gardner. Together, we would begin our trek to Kruger National Park, a 400 km long by 100 km wide park that contained some of Africa’s most treasured creatures. As we met up with our newly arrived group members, we squeezed into the Viva Safaris bus and began our 6 ½ hour drive.

We arrived at Tremisana Lodge at a quarter till 16:00 (4:45 p.m.). We were scheduled to have a sunset game drive (aka. A quick drive through the park on a jeep) at 16:00 exactly. Our excitement drew heavily as we discovered that this was going to be the first time that we stepped foot into the African wild. As we dropped our luggage off, we were quickly informed that the lodge had a Wi-Fi connection. Ironically, it was working better than the Wi-Fi at our apartment complex back in Cape Town. After this blessing, we piled onto the jeep with our tour guide, Moosa, a lively African man who had been giving tours through Kruger for the past twelve years. We ventured into the park with the sun setting ever so slowly behind our coated backs. Goosebumps rose upon my skin. The hair on the back of my neck stood tall. Finally, I have achieved the number one item on my bucket list: an African Safari!

We drove with our hopes and cameras held high! The first hour quickly passed and there was no sign of the anticipated wildlife of Africa. Soon enough, though, we creeped to a watering hole and we were suddenly surprised at an interesting sound, the splashing of water. Surely, it wasn’t humans. We weren’t allowed to leave the vehicle so it couldn’t have been. As the bushes cleared, we saw a large creature with flappy ears, sharp tusks, and a long gray trunk. It was an elephant and much to our surprise, he had his best friend with him. We had the pleasure of seeing two male elephants playing in the watering hole together! Then, out of the musky lake water arose several pairs of ears and large plump faces. HIPPOS! They secretly watched as the playful elephants continued their brawl and then we pushed onward for our starlight dinner.

Stars in South Africa are not like the stars in Missouri. We approached our destination for dinner that evening but it wasn’t the fire that was cooking our delicious food that caught our attention. It was the light that was created by the stars above. With the Milky Way clearly visible and the stars shining ever so brightly, our delightful evening surrounding the campfire and the taste of traditional South African cuisine on our tongues could, in no way shape or form, get better.

We were awaken the next morning but not to the sound of our alarms. It was the pouncing of tiny paws on our thatched roof that woke us. It was the monkeys that hung around our lodge. These sly little creatures patiently waited for a chance to steal our warm breakfast. They failed in their attempt. After breakfast we headed to the Moholoholo Rehabilitation Center. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by John, a comedic tour guide to say the least. He directed us to a small area where we were to form a semi-circle around a table. Behind the table, lurking in the fenced habitat, was a young cheetah staring at the crowd appearing to size up his next meal. We were informed that we would have the pleasure of petting this kitty cat who had no comparison to your traditional house cat. It was my turn which seemed to come quicker than anticipated. I walked up to the table and the cat then stood on its front legs. He turned his head in my direction and began purring. To him, I must have been very attractive or extremely appetizing. Despite this advancement at my handsome looks, I pushed onward and rubbed by hand down his spotted, fur coat. It was soft and warm but not the type you would want to cuddle up next to. Following the cheetah, we headed to the vulture cage. John asked us to follow him into the cage. I was unsure of how intelligent he must have been because he first asked us to pet a cheetah and now he wanted us to step into a cage with 15 vultures that were precisely my size. We continued through the double doors that led into the large habitat. The birds greeted us with a warm peck on the feet! John then asked for four volunteers. Unaware of what I was about to get into, I raised my hand and he gladly chose me. I stepped forward and he asked me to put a long leather glove on my arm. I knew what was about to happen. As I put the glove on and supported my arm with the other, he threw a piece of meat onto my glove. Suddenly, a large vulture flew to my beckoning call. As he landed on my arm, he scarfed the piece of meat and then flew away again. Luckily, I left the cage with all of my limbs and both of my eyes. Our day at the rehab center concluded with the lion cage and the leopard cage. These recovering cats were the only ones we were able to see within the entire weekend! After the rehab center, we returned to Tremisana Lodge and were sent on another sunset game drive. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to see much. A few warthogs and a family of baboons was the highlight of this drive! This was our last night at Tremisana Lodge. We then packed our luggage and headed to our next living quarters, Marc’s Tree Lodge.

We were informed that evening by two lovely ladies, Pretty and Margaret, that we would be residing in tents for the remainder of the safari expedition. To my understanding of tents and camping, staying in tents consisted of paper thin walls and sleeping on the cold, hard ground. My fellow companions, who had never been camping or even seen a tent in their entire life, was not as near as excited as I was. They even dreaded the upcoming experience. I, however, was so excited to be sleeping in the African wild. Luckily, my expectation was completely wrong. We arrived at this firm structure with a porch and comfortable reclining chairs outside its entrance. As we unzipped the entrance, two twin-sized beds were waiting for us to snuggle within their soft, warm sheets.

We awoke that morning to begin our full day of driving through Kruger National Park. This was the part of the safari trip that I was exceptionally excited for! We headed to the breakfast hut where we were greeted once again by Pretty. Ironically, she was very indeed pretty especially in the rising sun! She informed us of the big day that was ahead of us and urged us to eat a large breakfast. As we consumed our hearty breakfast, we were rudely interrupted by a tiny, fury creature. The same type of monkey who awoke us the morning before crashed our breakfast and ran away with our toast! Such a naughty little primate! My companions and I boarded the Viva Safari jeep that morning, gladly guided by Wes, our animal expert! After a long morning drive with the cool wind slapping us across the faces, we ventured into the gates of Kruger National Park. The first thirty minutes of our day was quite rewarding. We saw many impala and zebras, several giraffes, a few elephants, and a white rhino all upon our arrival. The day looked very promising. We continued onward and saw much of the same animals. Mostly impalas and zebras, though. The only animal, however, that we didn’t get to see was the lions. After lunch, we had heard of a few lion sightings near where we were. Wes drove down the dirt road to the supposed siting. After an hour of searching through the tall grass and bushes, we had no luck. The lions were not interested in posing for us today.

The day was quickly coming to a close and Wes took us on our final stretch through the park. We were fortunately able to see water buffalo and the ground hornbill, an endangered bird species of the Kruger National Park. The Ground Hornbill birds have very interesting reproduction rituals. They lay two eggs once every seven years. The second egg, however, is merely a back-up. Once the first egg hatches, the chick will eat the second one. In addition to this, their habitat is being destroyed by elephants who push down their nests. We were able to snatch a few pictures of this endangered bird. Onward we went into the abyss. Right before we exited the gate, we were stopped in our path by another highly endangered animal, the African wild dog! Wes informed us that within the entirety of the park, there exists less than 300 wild dogs. A number that doesn’t compare to any other animal. He was even more excited than we were because since the start of his career at Kruger, he had never seen an African wild dog. Wes then took us back to Marc’s Tree Lodge where we enjoyed another satisfying dinner and rested after a long, eventful day in Kruger National Park.

The next morning began at 5:00 a.m. This morning we were taken by Louie on a walk through the bush. The walk was designed to educate visitors about animal tracks, animal dung, plants, and different animal behavior that could be beneficial to people who would be stranded within the African wild. We were hoping that that would be none of us. As we continued through the bush, we were greeted by the most beautiful African sunrise. As our walk concluded, we then packed our luggage and headed back to Johannesburg!

Along our journey home, we had the distinct pleasure of stopping at Light River Canyon! This canyon, with all of its glory and beauty, is the third largest canyon in the world! The Grand Canyon being the first! It was such a beautiful site and a great photo opportunity. This short thirty minute stop marked the conclusion of my African safari. As I stood there and looked over the canyon, my emotions began to set in.

I grew up in a small town. My family by all means is not rich. However, I graduated top in my class and attended the University of Missouri as a first generation college student. Needless to say, I have accomplished a lot and been through hell to do it. However, after every goal, after every accomplishment, after every dream come true, I continue to push onward to new heights and new opportunities. My adventures will never seize to end. But I looked out into the canyon that day completely satisfied at what I accomplished. I had a dream to travel to South Africa, to teach in the schools, to experience the culture, and to venture into the African wild on the safari of a lifetime.  I was once told that I could accomplish anything if I just set my mind to it. I don’t think the words could be phrased any better. I am literally standing ON TOP OF THE WORLD and I am so honored to have the privilege of doing so!