South Africa, a land of contrasts. In one country you will find desert, grand forests, poverty and wealth. Starting November 10, I traveled to South Africa with my father. For him the second time after 32 years, for me the first time. Herewith my highlights of the trip.
Kruger Park game drive
Our guide gets into the jeep and we are the first to drive into the Kruger Park. It is 5 o’clock in the morning and at a brisk speed he tells us that we are going to look for the big cats first. Water buffalo, zebras and rhinos we drive past until we come to a pride of lions. One by one the cubs and mothers walk by and they are close, very close.
Water buffalo, lion, rhino and elephant. The Big Five is not complete until our guide gets a signal that a leopard has been spotted. At maximum speed, we cover a good distance through the extremely dry park, passing giraffes, elephants and kudus. In the distance is a group of jeeps and it becomes clear that the leopard must be there. As our jeep comes to a stop I can see the big cat very clearly. I have my camera at the ready and at that moment the leopard opens its mouth and I can shoot some good pictures.
It seems to be pretty rare to see a leopard in Kruger Park, but it does feel double that there are so many jeeps disturbing the leopard’s peace and quiet. Still, the Kruger Park is a wonderful place to have been once.
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60Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park
It’s raining and the rangers are very happy about it. It has been dry in the park for too long, so the animals have moved deeper into the park in search of water. And the jeeps can’t get there.
For a while now we see few animals and the end of our drive is approaching. Until, in the corner of my eye, I see a rhino about twenty meters away. I tell the ranger to stop carefully. As we come to a stop, the big black rhino approaches. Within a minute he is only four meters away from the jeep and it is truly a magical moment for me. Such a large and vulnerable animal. After about ten seconds he calmly walks on through the back of the jeep back into the bush.
A little later we see a dead rhino in the distance; killed by poachers two months ago. A total of six have been killed within one evening and this happens regularly. There is too little money and supervision to prevent it. I thought it was terrible to see, but it gave me a better understanding about the parks. We as tourists are needed to raise money for better secured parks.
By the way, the ranger expects that our next generation will not know any rhinos if things continue like this. A very sad story.
St Lucia
In the distance, a large creature approaches, closer and closer, until it flies right over the boat. An African osprey with a beautiful white head. We sail across Lake St. Lucia near the east coast where many animals can be found. In addition to crocodiles, we encounter many hippos. They lie together in several groups. Every now and then one opens its mouth against another to show who is boss, a very special sight.
Township Port Elisabeth
We drive into the township and immediately several children run to the bus. As I get off I am besieged by children who want to be photographed. When I look around me I see huts cobbled together from corrugated sheets. With double feelings, we as a group take a walk through the houses. People are smiling, friendly and open for a chat.
The sun is about to set and we eat at the township’s most upscale restaurant. Although it looks more like a sparse soccer canteen; the food is really good. Meanwhile, I make another dance with the choir singing several songs for us.
Tsitsikamma Forest
Rain trickles down through the old trees of the national park. The water makes the forest magical, as if it wants to tell ancient stories. The water makes it greener and the ocean rougher.
On one of the suspension bridges walks a baboon. I walk straight toward him and he toward me; it takes a while, but the baboon jumps off the suspension bridge right onto the rocks. I had heard before that baboons are afraid of men, but not women. And apparently it was true; I had little to fear.
High I walked along the shore and off the trail to walk along muddy winding paths through a dense patch of forest. After pushing branches aside, I have a beautiful view of rocks towering over the ocean. It begins to rain harder as I try to get my tripod out of my backpack. I walk around with my camera some more to find good compositions and then set up the tripod in a few good spots to take pictures.
Still, I turned out not to be careful enough with the rain; on the way back, my camera’s electronics were well messed up. I removed my battery and SD card from the camera and then let it rest. Fortunately, within a few hours the camera was working normally again.
Cape of Good Hope
Sniffling, I walk the coastline of the Cape of Good Hope, a beautiful area with rough seas. Although I have a bad cold, I still feel the need to wander the coast for a good photo. I decide to use my ND filter to make the waves and surroundings more mystical. The downside is that it is the middle of the day, so the light is very harsh. I will have to make do with it.
A trip to remember
South Africa is such a diverse country in culture and nature that you won’t get bored easily. Thanks Dad, for this wonderful adventure we were able to experience together!
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