Traveling to their third continent and seeing their third ocean was another special moment in Zane and Alden's lives. Watching them experience it, learn from it, talk about it, and react to it are moments Greg and I will never forget.
We had a direct flight (which we DID NOT MISS!) from Brazil to Johannesburg (Joburg as the locals call it).
We waited patiently for our pick-up to arrive and then headed off for a six hour drive north to the Kruger National Park area. The drive was scenic through the mountains, past the grape fields and corn fields, waterfalls and into the bush. One of our stops was at a truck-stop restaurant with the view of some animals. This excited the boys (us as well) and prepped us for the rest of the drive!
When we arrived, we were greeted by a wonderful staff from the Viva Safaris. They showed us to our cute cabins and then we immediately loaded up for our sunset safari!
We loaded up into the open-air jeep with the other guests and headed off in search of our first animal spotting!
Connecting to our children's 'real life' they set goals for what they wanted to see based on what they currently knew about Africa from research they had done on their own during free time at school as well as Disney's The Lion King and The Lion Guard. Below is the list they provided and the check marks indicate what we did see over the course of our trip!
Kyan - Lion✔
Pumba - Warthog✔
Timone - Meerkat
Beshte - Hippo
Bunga - Honey Badger✔
Thurston - Zebra✔
Ono - Egret✔
Mtoto - Elephant✔
Fuli - Cheetah
Zazu - Hornbill✔
Rafiki - Madrill (monkey)✔
Janja - Hyena✔
Mzingo - Vulture✔
Reirei - Jackal✔
Makuu - Crocodile (sort of)
Shupavu - Skink✔
Bupu - Antelope✔
It did not take long before we saw our first wild animals. This reserve is owned by five families and is outside of Kruger National Park. However, they opened up their fences years ago to allow animals to wander freely between this land and Kruger National Park. Because of this amount of space, you never know what you are going to see! The fences are still up to help identify property boundaries between other properties and to keep animals out. Most of the fences are electric. The area was breathtaking, the animals beautiful.
We continued to drive around until sunset, which was a sight to see!
After the sunset, we were driven to our dinner in the bush! Picnic tables with linens, candles and flowers greeted us when we arrived. We were surrounded by the sounds of nature, and some other guests including grasshoppers, praying mantis, and other critters! We got a huge kick out of the other ladies that were with us that were jumping around screaming as the grasshoppers landed near them. Of course, they were about the size of my palm, but it was still a grasshopper!
While we were eating a wonderful fire-cooked dinner of chicken, sausage, bean salad, Pap (African Polenta) and a dessert of peaches and cream, we has some visitors!
A hyena...
...and a honey badger!
After dinner, we went driving for another hour or so searching for animals in the dark. Somehow, our guide spotted a chameleon in a tree and I was able to hold it! Difficult to see, but amazing experience!
It is a little overwhelming watching a wild animal come into the spotlight in the dark. They have a 'quiet' rule, meaning, don't overreact when you see them and say, "look!!". Very difficult for children to follow!
Once home, we crashed. We knew we had an early morning the next day and were still adjusting to the time difference.
Next up - A day in Kruger National Park!
Love the checklist!!! So amazing
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