The Safari: One of the Best Experiences of My Life!

Yesterday, the group all headed out to go on a safari. I have always wanted to do this and couldn't believe it was actually happening. We left around 8:30 Friday morning and drove to Addo Elephant National Park which was about an hour away. Our guide, Bradley, is an extremely knowledgeable man and told us a million interesting facts along the way. We stopped at two safari game reserves. 

Addo Elephant National Park

Me with some friends at Addo Elephant National Park

We rode into the park and were given a map that came with a long list of animals we hoped to spot. Within the first 15 minutes we came across a massive Elephant that sat right in the middle of the road. He slowly grazed on the grass and was literally within 10 feet of me. I was in awe. It was a surreal moment to be that close to a wild animal and one that was so big. We moved on throughout the park and came across a Kudu. They are a type of antelope that have very long and curvy antlers. It is extremely fast and strong. We were within 10 feet of this animal as well. As we moved through the park we came across Warthogs, Zebra, Dung Beetles, Monkeys, Impala, Hartebeest, and tons more. We stayed in the park for 4 hours and then had a nice picnic in it. At around 2PM we headed out and started our way towards Schotia Safari. 

Schotia Safaris

Schotia Safaris is a private game reserve unlike Addo which is public. At Schotia they packed us into open land rovers and took off into the park. Yes, it is just like you would imagine a safari ride to be like. At Schotia they allow your driver to go off road and get very close to the animals. The group was split into 4 cars and my driver was named Donavan. Donavan was a cool guy, probably around the age of 28. He drove us into the north part of the camp where we saw Buffalo, Rhinos, Giraffe, Elephants, and many other animals. When we found the Rhinos we noticed the horns had been cut off. Poachers had come into the park a few months ago and taken them. The horns will regrow but it will take several years. They are lucky they didn't kill the rhino, only tranquilized it. 

Safari crew

Poaching is a serious issue that affects many wild animals. There is also another aspect of poaching called canning. Canning is when people breed and grow animals for the sole purpose of hunting them. When they reach a certain age they sell the animal to usually a foreigner (German, American, etc.) who pays to come and hunt it. Very sad. 

After touring the north part we stopped and grabbed some hot chocolate and a small snack. There were about 6 cars out in the park and so we all met up and talked about our experience thus far. Once we had finished we piled back in and went off into the south end of the park. The weather was ideal for a safari ride. You may think hot, sunny temperatures would be good but what you actually want is an overcast with cool temperatures. We also had a slight rain for about 20 minutes. The weather conditions brought the animals out and had them running around. A lot better than them just sitting in the shade underneath a tree.

When we entered the south end our main objective was to see a lion. Donovan made that happen. He heard from a few other tour guides where some were spotted and so we headed in that direction. We found a lioness flirting through the fence at two lions on the opposite side. The lions belonged to Addo Elephant National Park which was right next door. From there we drove over and sighted another lion and lioness. They happened to be lying next to one another because they were currently in their mating season. This lasts about 45 days. It is so long because the lioness wants to ensure that she will become pregnant. 

Patience is a virture, especially in a safari. The're all wild animals so you just have to give them some time and they will come around. So we waited for awhile to see if they would come closer. We decided to wait longer than the other cars who took off to see other animals. When we were alone, Donovan said he would do something he wasn't supposed to and take us extremely close. We came within about 8-10 feet of the lion and his mate. I have never been so excited in my life. When we came close, the lion and lioness began to lick one another which resulted in them beginning to mate. This is extremely rare to see. Have you ever seen National Geographic? Yeah, I lived it, seriously. They stood up and mated right in front of us. It is a fairly quick process for lions. Once they are done, the lion roars to let the lioness know and to confirm, she bites him. Pretty rough way of communicating if you ask me! However, when the lion roared I remembered that he was a wild animal and became unbelievably excited, but frightened. You could feel the vibration of his call and it was intimidating, not to mention his enormous teeth. I wasn't sure if he had done that for his mate or because he wasn't happy with how close we had come. The lion was within one jump of our vehicle so you could say I was on the edge of my seat. About a minute later he had stopped pacing and settled down. We decided this would be the best time for us to roll on and so we did. I had never expected to get so close to a wild animal. What I witnessed was truly amazing! 

After the lions, we drove down to a watering hole where we saw Hippopotamuses in the water. Hippos are huge and actually harm more humans than any other wild animal. We watched them for awhile and then headed in for dinner. The safari dinner was unbelievable. It felt like a resort. They served rice, mushroom soup, chicken, pumpkin, and for the special, Kudu. It tasted very good. We ate and then were served a nice dessert. There was also an open bar where we could grab a beer and some wine and sit by the fire. By this time the sun had gone down.

Donovan asked us to get back in the car so he could take us on a night drive. He pulled out his spotlight and drove around the park. It was about a 25 minute drive and we were able to spot some Impala, Crocodiles, and a Jackal. This led us back to the entrance of the park where we got out and reconvened. We then headed back to Port Elizabeth for the night.

This blog and the pictures that you see can't even begin to explain the excitement and fun I had while on the safari. I saw every animal I have ever wanted to and all within 10-20 feet. Seeing the lion and lioness so close was exhilarating and surreal. My adrenaline was pumping. The entire experience was one I will never forget.