Wherever The Wind...
  • Home
  • Travel Blog
  • Itinerary
  • Miscellaneous
    • Food Photos
    • What's in our bags
    • Rejected Blog Names
    • Links
    • Contact Us

Lions, Rhinos and Tree Snakes, Oh My.

5/28/2014

12 Comments

 

By Caitlin

Picture
"Just be aware that a tree snake has been lurking outside your room in the roof but it should go away eventually." This was our ominous welcome upon arrival at our lodge where we were going on our first safari. We didn't see the snake anywhere, so we relaxed slightly. Only later did we find out it was one of top 10 deadliest snakes in Africa (but fortunately, unlikely to strike). Nearly 24 hours later, I was relaxing between game drives lying down on my back on the porch of our hut when my eyes came to focus on a long, lime green belly directly above my face 5 feet up. Hardly the most exciting moment of our time on Moditlo game reserve,near Kruger National Park, but it probably was my closest brush with danger.

Picture
Picture
Picture
Going on Safari is simply a wonderous experience. We were in awe of the bush, of the animals that live there and of the guides that use their own knowledge and instinct to snuff out even the most camouflaged chameleon or elusive lioness for our thrill. 

The reserve was a labyrinth of dirt paths surrounded by dense bush in every direction. This made it difficult to see animals even right in front of you, so we were at the mercy of the skills of Themba and Jessie, our skillful guides to make the 3 hour game drives (one at 6 am, one at 4 pm) worthwhile. I'd say they did pretty well considering we were able to observe giraffes, impala, rhinos, hippos, cheetah, warthogs, wildebeest, monkeys, and 4 lions, among many others in as close to an authentic environment as you can get.  

Picture
Picture
It's hard to choose a favorite moment but top 3 might include: 



1. Watching a cheetah stalk a pack of wildebeests as group of 8 giraffes looked on nervously.






2. Encountering a group of rhinos in defense formation,reacting to our vehicles every sputter in a rotating spoke-like manner.








3. Spending 2 hours tracking lions, and near the point of giving up, Jed finally spotted the 3 females through the misty bush eagerly devouring a fresh warthog kill.  As we got within a few yards of them, they gave us a few nasty looks in our direction to ensure we wouldn't steal their kill, but fortunately they were more focused on finishing off their meal than any of us.
Picture
Picture
Picture
It's an experience unmatched by anything else. Looking forward to trying it again in a new setting when we safari in the Serengeti in a few weeks! 

P.S. It's a requirement of any safari that you take at least 7,000 photos. just be aware that only a handful will be good enough to share and none of them will replicate what it was like to hear the lion cracking warthog bones in her teeth, but nonetheless, here our a few of our favorites (click to enlarge):
12 Comments
Brad
5/28/2014 10:04:51 am

OMG I love the giraffe pic and the lake pic! Great!

Reply
Kari aka Mo
5/28/2014 10:49:34 am

Sooo amazing!! Thanks for taking us on ur journey!! Photos r unbelievable!! And I'm fine with u posting all 7000 pics ;-) Continue to enjoy! Can't wait for ur next blog post. Luv u

Reply
Jamie
5/28/2014 10:53:11 am

How did you get such a great picture of the stars?! Love the one of the orange sky as well!

Reply
Jed
5/28/2014 07:06:21 pm

My new camera actually has a star setting and it works pretty darn well! It helps that there is almost zero light pollution in the middle of South Africa...the stars look amazing!

Reply
Rachel
5/28/2014 12:02:48 pm

Love these! That star pic is amazing.

Reply
Kerry
5/28/2014 12:58:51 pm

Whoooo! Great pics!

Reply
Dad/Rob
5/28/2014 01:19:03 pm

Wow!! And you are just starting out! Fantastic pics!! Thanks for posting them!

Reply
Dan G. link
5/28/2014 01:29:12 pm

Incredible photos! Reminds me of the Kenyan safari I took as a teenager. Such an amazing experience.

Glad you managed to survive the snake. Stay safe and enjoy Africa!

P.S. Thought of you guys while listening to this the other day: http://youtu.be/0ptBc9v5a2U

Reply
Jed
5/28/2014 07:08:31 pm

I was thinking about little Dan on his safari when on ours...I want to see some pics!

Reply
Dan G. link
5/29/2014 06:36:03 am

That was way back in the pre-online photos day. I'll show you the album sometime when you're back from your journey!

Monika link
5/29/2014 09:49:52 am

Holy cow this all sounds amazing! Of course, I'd pee my pants if I saw that snake, so good thing Exofficios are easily washable! I'm so glad you are having a great time. Miss you both lots!

Reply
Doe Doe
5/31/2014 06:55:50 am

Dreaming of being there one day- and seeing it all first hand- but your description and pictures are awesome and pure. Love them love you guys for taking this journey and sharing. doe doe

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Authors

    This is Caitlin and Jed's blog about our adventures.

    Archives

    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014

    Categories

    All
    Africa
    Asia
    Central America
    Europe
    General Travel Info
    Middle East
    South America
    United States

    Subscribe to our blog:

    RSS Feed

Wherever The Wind...
Home   Travel Blog   Itinerary   Miscellaneous