Day 50(Feb 23)- Richards Bay, South Africa

Today I went on a game drive at Hluhluwe Game Reserve. The reserve was about an hour drive from the port. Once we arrived at the park we switched from buses to the safari vehicles to go on our three hour game drive.

There were 3 buses holding a total of 57 people which were split into 6 safari vehicles. I got to sit in the front seat of my vehicle. This meant I had some nice views but most of my photos are facing forward so less of the vehicle is in the photo. And it was difficult for me to see the animals on the driver’s side of the vehicle. All in all, because I like to take pictures, I prefer the less desirable (harder to get into and it has a rough and bumpy ride) back seat.

We had beautiful weather but I was still surprised at all the animals we saw, many of which were on the roads. We saw 4 of the big 5. The big 5 (African buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion, and rhinoceros) are so named because they are the most dangerous to hunt via foot.

To prevent poaching of the rhinoceros horn, the horns are cut off the animal. The horn grows back in 3-4 years and has to be removed again.

White Rhinoceros on the road and in the ponds
Some of the animals we saw on the roads- lion, warthog, impala
White Rhinoceros on the road at Hluhluwe Game Reserve
African Cape Buffalo with oxpecker birds picking off parasites- can’t believe how close the birds get to the eyes of the buffalo
Beware of Elephant sign
Elephants and their young crossing the road right in front of us- maybe 50 elephants in all went by
Loved the women’s bathroom sign at the park