Day 7 ... Kruger NP

September 25, 2024

Jacqui's back! Having spent the afternoon and evening in strong communication with the toilet bowl I emerged this morning feeling like a wet dish cloth and probably 3 kgs lighter.

We woke to a beautiful African sunrise with Nyala (a species of antelope) munching on the leaves and grass outside our treehouse.

Not to be put off though ... and after a little self-piteous sobbing, I went off and got dressed for the day ahead.

Today was our full day safari in Kruger NP and if I didn't go I would miss out on the experience. So I duly popped some gastro stop tablets and put my big girl panties on and climbed into the jeep.

We headed off to the Orpen Gate which was about a 45 minute drive from Marc's Camp.

And having signed our lives away ... yes we accept responsibility if we are hurt, maimed or die, we were off. The game drive itself went from just after 9.00 am with a lunch break in the middle and we would return to the Opren Gate at about 5.00 pm.

Whilst we didn't get to see a Rhino ... the only one of the Big 5 we were missing (apart from the petrol station) we were lucky enough to see ... Elephant, buffalo (distant), giraffe, zebra, impala, wildebeest, kudu, waterbuck, steenbok, warthog, baboon, vervet monkey, ostrich, bustard, yellow billed hornbill, red billed hornbill, southern ground hornbill, magpie shrike, oxpecker, roller, glossy starling, grey heron, Egyptian geese.

All of my super photos are on my camera ... these are just the ones on my phone).

The drive was a fantastic experience. At times we were so close to the elephants that you could almost touch them. Andy our guide was fantastic ... full of helpful information and willing to stop for as long as we wanted.

Part way through our afternoon drive our jeep began making strange noises so Andy said it was safest for us to return to the main roads in case we broke down. None of us were going to argue!

And so our drive ended and we headed back to Marc's. Along the way we passed more elephants and also a couple of random herds of cows!