Part 21: Kruger National Park, Day 3

5/21/2018

The morning of the last day for this safari at Kruger National Park would stay close to the lodge as those who wish to brave a little rain went for a nature walk. I wasn’t going to let a few raindrops keep me from going, and as it would turnout, it was a good thing because we had some really cool moments our walk, and some great learning opportunities about the native peoples and some of the different features.

One thing we spotted were old ostrich eggs, which were huge! Our guide told us that these ones likely were duds as they don’t often get left like this, but since we couldn’t know for sure, we let them be.

As our walk continued, the closer encounter we had was with that of an ostrich.

Further into the walk, our guide showed us a termite hill, and when looking into one of the holes, you could see a number of them crawling around in there.

What may have been the highlight of the walk was when we saw two giraffes on the trail. Our guide had us keep walking in their direction for a bit, and as we got closer and they saw us, one that he said was a female wondered over to the side. The other, who was a male, stood right in our path. We paused for a moment when the female walked to the side, then we took a few steps closer, and as we did, the male took a few steps closer toward us. I began to wonder if he was standing his ground, so in a whisper I asked the guide if that was what he was doing since he was just staring right at us, to which he replied “No, he’s just curious.” While I trust that he was probably right, there was a moment I wondered if we were about to get stomped in by a giraffe, but as we slowly walked away, he did to.

Near the end of the walk, we came upon a herd of zebras, which to me seemed like an excellent finale to this three-day safari.

And yet, when we got back to camp, just before I grabbed a shower after our walk I spotted something moving quickly through the trees, and it turned out to be one of the monkeys that probably try to get into the rooms to steal things from people.

At that point, it was time to head back to Johannesburg. Thornhill Safari Lodge was a fantastic place to stay, and if you book your own safari, I would strongly suggest that you book with them. Of course, my first experience with Intrepid Travels would also prove to be a good experience as well as that had a great itinerary set up, and it was well worth the value of the tour. I am certainly glad that I made sure to include a safari as part of this trip as I would certainly have missed out on this great experience!

Next, we head back to Joburg for the last few days of the South African Trip, which were spent at a resort that was seen during the City Sightseeing Tour.

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Part 21: Kruger National Park, Day 3 - April 1, 2018