It feels like we are well into 2024 already and so H and I have been looking forward to the next 2 weeks immensely for some time. We are in the Kruger Park from now until next Friday – 13 nights. We left home this morning to catch a flight to Hoedspruit which was all on time and so we landed at just after 1pm. Always fun to be on a flight into the game areas as the plane is usually full of excited tourists and a significant number of those are foreigners. You can tell the foreigners apart from the locals because they are all in “safari gear” with some of them sporting ‘David Livingstone hats’.

After landing, we hired a car (minivan because some others joining us in a few days) and then headed into Hoedspruit to do some grocery shopping. By the time we finished that I was bathed in sweat – 33 degrees C and dry heat and the jeans I was wearing for the flight didn’t help! We got to the Orpen gate to the Kruger at about 3pm and once the formalities were done we headed into the park. As usual, the park did not disappoint.

On the 50 kms drive in to our first camp – Satara – we saw 4 lion (on side of the road – Helen somewhat reluctant to lean out the window to take the photo), elephant (crossing the road), 2 cheetah (on side of the road – excuse the poor quality pic), buffalo, giraffe, kudu, waterbuck, impala, steenbok and 32 species of birds. Not bad for our first 2.5 hours in the Kruger!

We check in for our accommodation around 5:30pm and after we unpacked, I started a fire for our evening braai. Tonight we had pork strips, lamb ribs, sweet potato and corn all done on the fire. After we finished eating we were both ready for a shower as it never really cooled down and the body temperature rose as we ate (or so it felt). Even as I type this now at 8:45pm it is still 27 degrees C.

H is already asleep as she was up at 5am this morning for a run before we flew out and it will be another early morning tomorrow as the gate opens at 5:30am. As the morning is the best game viewing time we will be up at around 5am so we can head out by 5:30am.

Until tomorrow …

P & H