Kruger, Family trip part IV

A few days before Christmas we entered Kruger National Park. Kudu is, as I've mentioned a few times, my favourite antelope, both in nature and on a plate. As the symbol of the South African national parks, it was only fitting for this beautiful male to welcome us into the park.

As we had booked accommodation “only” six months in advance, we had to change camp every night of the four we spent there! This isn't a big deal however, as you almost have to see different parts of the park to fully appreciate it.  

We had many really awesome sightings over the almost five days in Kruger, both of the big five and some of the smaller creatures. Some of the favourites were the playful dwarf mongooses (of course!)...

...and an unlikely bird; the Cape turtle dove... or as we now know it, the Combaro bird. People argue that it repeatedly says “Cape turtle”, “Drink lager” or “Work harder”. We however agreed, it's probably “Combaro”. I do not know why this bird is obsessed with comb overs though..?

On the first day we came across two hyena cubs at the entrance of their den. One of the adults, left behind to babysit, kept lurking around in the bushes to keep an eye on us. As we turned around to get back onto the main road again we noticed that one of the cubs was approaching a vehicle with great interest, as someone was holding their hand out towards it... The argument that followed with the female “ranger” trying to “...interact with and be one with nature.” was probably one of few moments of total unity in our vehicle. We all definitely wished for the adults to come back and make her a permanent part of nature!

Another memorable sighting was two young male lions crunching away on Pumba. A leopard kept on circling the greedy guys, who'd most likely stolen the leopards prey.

He kept a healthy distance though...

The last night in Kruger was Christmas Eve and we were having a bush braai on a rock where, on many occasions, I've seen lions resting... not everyone appreciated that piece of information. We were of course accompanied by a few rangers with rifles, so most of us weren't too worried. The food was great, but unfortunately, the dessert wasn't. The British influence on the South African kitchen is sometimes a bit too evident... Just drench it in custard, and let's call it dessert!

Lying on the warm granite rock after supper, giggling with a family member while star gazing was probably the best part of my Christmas Eve... thank you!

/A