Safari

Although there is much more to see and do in our area, most guests on our lodge come mainly to do a safari. The reserve where we live, Balule, has besides all the normal animals also the so called “Big Five”. Our reserve is an open system with the Krugerpark and the animals can roam freely in an area the size of the Benelux. On a safari, or game drive, you go looking for wild animals in an open vehicle. Our latest guests were very lucky; besides elephants they saw a pride of 14 lions! The day after other guests saw a herd of buffalos and also elephants. Although not all game drives are that successful, they usually see

good game. The chance to see elephants is slightly better in the dry winter months (April to September), while the shy leopard is always difficult to find. The lions are generally seen three out of five game drives and buffalos are also regularly spotted.

How people experience the game drive can vary. We had Italian guests one day who had an amazing game drive. They saw, besides the “normal” plains game like giraffes, impalas and zebras, also elephants, cheetahs and a leopard. As desert they saw a pride of lions that was enjoying the buffalo that they had caught! But they weren’t happy. Although the guide ensured them several times that it was safe, these guests were afraid to be so close to the lions in an open vehicle. You can imagine my surprise when I heard what was to be the highlight of their holiday in South Africa; cage diving with a white shark in the area of Cape Town. Now that is what I would find scary!

 This proves that people are very different and that is good, otherwise we would all like the same things.

Regards, from the bush,
Miriam