Walking in Kruger
Morning walk
The next morning we all got up early. This was not without reason. Even though it was winter in South-Africa at that time, the days could get pretty hot and walking in cooler morning temperatures was a lot more comfortable. Everyone quickly ate a light breakfast, packed their bags, and added at least one item for the group picnic . At around 7 o’clock we left the camp, single file. Both guides walked up front, their rifles slung over their shoulders, and we silently followed.
Many species of birds, zebras, wildebeest, giraffes, impalas, elephants… there was so much to see! We stopped regularly to identify tracks - ranging from huge elephant tracks to tiny bird imprints - amaze ourselves about crocodile dung (or that of any other animal), classify animal remains, and listen to fascinating explanations about plants with all kinds of healing powers. Wow, this walk was wonderful!
After about three hours the guides stopped. Time for a picnic! Joas spread out a small blanket and everyone dumped their share of the picnic onto the cloth. We all settled down on the ground, or a log lying around, and enjoyed the food (including some boereworst from the braai). It was a well-deserved rest and quite necessary, since we were still at the heart of wild animal territory and would need another two hours to get back to camp.
Evening walk?
After a hearty brunch and a short nap back at camp, we all piled into the safari vehicle. This time we’d go for a brief drive and then take a short walk in a different area. We were all excited again, what would this evening bring?
The guide parked the vehicle in a riverbed and we all clambered out, still talking noisily among ourselves. Nobody paid attention to Joas, who immediately moved up out of the riverbed. After we had all grabbed our cameras, etc. we followed the main guide, who had joined Joas on the riverbank. However, things would not go as planned…
“Lions!” said Joas. “They’ve just caught something for dinner and are about 100 metres away from us, enjoying their meal. We won’t be walking out there…” Joas had already heard them down in the riverbed, with the car’s engine still running. This man was amazing!
A bit disappointed, but full of understanding since safety always comes first, we returned to the vehicle. However, another surprise awaited us. “Would you like to go and see them?” our main guide asked. Of course we would! And there he went… right across bumpy Kruger terrain, parking the vehicle right next to the lions.
An absolutely magnificent hour followed! The lions were not hindered by the vehicle, being used to all the cars driving around KNP everyday, and we could observe them from a prime position. We could see how their sharp teeth tore at the wildebeest’s remains. How ranking determined who ate first and at what part. How growling would erupt if a lion stole someone else’s part. It was spectacular, but also impressive. And this might have been the reason why the trip back to camp was a rather quiet one. The king of the animals was certainly not one to mess with…and the reason why we needed to respect and obey nature’s rules, had once again become clear.
On foot
Young male lion
Lion meal
