TBT: My South African Safari (Photo Tour)

TBT: My South African Safari (Photo Tour)

After nearly two months in quarantine, Time Hop decided to remind me today of a time when things were just a little bit more exciting.  In 2015, my husband and I took an amazing trip to South Africa.  During our time there, we visited Johannesburg and Cape Town.

It was an absolutely amazing experience.  But the most amazing part was a visit to Pilanesburg National Park and Game Reserve.  Amazingly, I never shared many of these photos on the blog before.  So I thought I’d share some to reminisce about that amazing travel experience and look forward to the chance to open up to the world again.  I’m not a professional photographer, but I hope you enjoy some of these very average photos!

One of my favorite shots was this giraffe grabbing a bite to eat as we drove by.

One of the first animals we came across was this adolescent elephant hanging out alone in the trees and a pool of water.  Here you see it taking a quick drink of water as it watches us intently.

The elephants were absolutely incredible to see up close and personal in their natural habitat.  At one point, there was a line of safari cars stopped.  We were in their territory, and so they control the roads.  As one safari car started to get through, the elephant charged the car.  At that point, our guide took us another route and let the elephants enjoy standing in the middle of the road.

We were lucky to get the chance to see this beautiful black rhino at the watering hole.  The guide told us they are a lot rarer to see than the white rhino.  He was pretty far away, but I was still able to grab this shot.

And at the same watering hole, we were able to see a white rhino peacefully taking in a mid-morning drink.  They truly are majestic and beautiful, and it was amazing to see them in their natural environment.

As we continued onwards, we came across an animal most quickly recognize: the Lion King favorite warthog.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a safari if you didn’t see zebras, impala, wildebeests, and kudu.

 

 

 

 

As the sun started to set, we came across a hippopotamus lounging around in the brush.  It was so hard to see at first that we nearly drove right past it.

As the sun started to set we thought our safari adventure was quickly coming to an end.  Soon we would start the drive back to the lodge.  But…nature had a pleasant surprise waiting for us.

Just after we started to head back to the lodge, we got word over the radio that the resident cheetahs were on the hunt.  We got there just in time to see a cheetah spring at full speed chasing a baby wildebeest and its mother.  In case you’re wondering, the wildebeest won the round and the cheetah gave up.  After watching years of documentaries on cheetahs, it was incredible to witness that first hand!  This is the cheetah right before it started chase.

Bottom Line

It’s nice to be able to reminisce on some incredible journeys during all of this down time.  It certainly reminds us how much fun travel can be (although it can be stressful too).  As we continue to be stuck inside, I’m glad I’ve had these moments to remember.