Safari tour

Safari tour

As we bounce along the dirt road in our sturdy 4×4 truck, I point out interesting sights like acacia trees and strange buzzards circling overhead. The air is hot and dry but a cool breeze blows through the open window. After a few hours, we arrive at a large watering hole nestled between grassy hills. I stop the engine and hand you my high-powered binoculars. “Take a look over there,” I say. You peer into the lenses and gasp – right at the water’s edge is a huge male lion, stretching luxuriously in the sun. Nearby, a group of lionesses is napping in the shade.

We sit quietly and observe the lions for some time. Amazingly, an entire pride of about 20 lions comes into view. The cubs are play-fighting and pouncing on each other, wearing themselves out before the adults wake to hunt. A little way off, we spot a herd of elephants – huge bulls with massive tusks, along with females and babies drinking noisily. Egrets and other waterbirds share the watering hole, unafraid of the mighty beasts. As the sun starts to sink, painting the sky orange and purple, we pack up to find a campsite for the night.

After a delicious braai (barbecue) dinner cooked over the fire, the stars emerge in their thousands. Laying on our cots under the milky way, insects chirping all around, I point out constellations like Orion the hunter. As darkness falls, nearby bushes rustle – could it be a stealthy lion? We listen closely but must be satisfied with our imaginations. Warm and full, you drift off to sleep to the rhythmic calls of nightjars echoing across the plain. I smile, happy our first day of safari has been so magical. Tomorrow, who knows what wonders we may see