Vacation Part II: Safari in Kruger National Park

"Room 6….Room 6…Are you awake? Room 6.” That was our wake-up call over the radio every morning at 5:30 a.m.  at the Hoyo Hoyo Lodge in Kruger National Park. From there the schedule was as follows: Eat…Safari Drive (Drinks and snacks included)...Eat…Shower…Nap…Eat…Hang out…Eat…Safari Drive (Drinks and snacks included)…Drink…Eat…Sleep. Wake-up. Repeat. That was our routine for our three days in Kruger. I wish I was kidding. Along with the other guests, we couldn’t decide if it was some sort of  "fat camp" or just to have guests assimilate to the animals’ lifestyles.  But, whatever the reason for such a rigorous schedule (NOT!), it was pretty amazing for the time being. Oh yeah, and the safari was out of this world; we saw the Big Five: lion, leopard, rhino, African buffalo and elephant. But, don’t take my word for it, check out the pictures below.

Next stop: MOZAMBIQUE.

Consider them the welcoming committee to Kruger, we met these rhinos even before we checked into our lodge.

The elephants were there to greet us upon arrival at Hoyo Hoyo, our lodge. We thought maybe they lured them in every time new guests arrived, but turns out they put in a watering hole across the way so the elephants would stop tampering with the outdoor showers. 

Bridget and I with our tour guide, Twice, on one of our coffee breaks while on the morning safari ride. He led all of our safari tours. He never had formal training, but learned everything he knows from his parents growing up just outside Kruger Park.

This guy appears as the official animal on all South African National Parks signs.

A leopard's breakfast: impala. We could hear it crunching the bones from our safari jeep...

Dad checking out the elephants...

Our favorite seats on safari...we figure, in total, we spent about 18 hours on safari.

Lazy leopard taking an afternoon nap.

African buffalo. Twice said this is actually the most violent animal in the park.

LION.

A baobab tree. Think the Tree of Life, this tree is 2,000 years old.

Bird. ( I forget the official name).

More elephants at the Hoyo Hoyo watering hole.

Leopard. We were 15 feet away...Twice just kept saying, "This is a very aggressive animal..."

Sunrise over the African plains.

Giraffes. A mother and her baby, just one month old.

Impalas, Twice's favorite animal on the tour.

Family dinner our last night at Hoyo-Hoyo. Both couples were actually on their honeymoon, so we rightly named ourselves, "The Honeymoon Crashers." It never got old.