To have spent 6 full days in this place has been surreal - a total dream come true for me. I really think I could spend 60 more and never get bored. I went into this thinking it is a once and a lifetime experience, something you only do once. I could not have been more inaccurate. If life will allow (and my husband will agree), I will without question find my way back to this paradise.
The mood was quite somber as we piled onto the game vehicle. I found myself looking at things a little bit closer on this last run. Taking deeper breaths of the cool, crisp air. Closing my eyes and letting my face bask one last time in the African sun. It was truly the perfect end to our journey - not a cloud in the sky as we watched the sunrise over Sabi Sands. That alone is a sight worth seeing - African sunrises and sunsets put all others to shame. Filled with vibrant orange and red hues, they are unlike any sunrise or sunset I have ever seen...
We were given our final game plan - find the elusive cheetah one last time. She had been taunting us yesterday, we knew we were so close and no new tracks had been found overnight. This meant she would still be in the same area of the reserve, so we knew exactly where we had to look. We also knew time would not be on our side this time, with the older couple who were not as keen on the whole tracking process as we were, so we tried to give it a go early in the drive.
We did come up empty handed, but it made our original sighting that much more meaningful. We think of these creatures with the most beautiful, precise markings. How could they be so difficult to find with such an elaborate pattern?! But their camouflage is unbelievable. I would argue that it rivals that of the lioness, which is nearly impossible to see! Combine this with their impressive speed, and the fact that they are solitary animals, it is impressive that we even found one at all!
Along the way we did get a glimpse of various other animals, which kept the older couple at bay, and we ended our safari with one final amazing sighting - the lioness and her two youngsters that we had seen just a few days ago. This time they were lounging in the bush, not on the move at all. We got to see the youngsters interact with their mother, who is clearly still protecting them from the coalition of males as long as she possibly can. A very good send off indeed!
Overall snapshot of our final drive:
Animal Sightings: Giraffe, Lioness and 2 youngsters, Elephants, Wildebeests, Warthogs, Birds (African Eagles, Egyptian Geese, Black Chested Bustards), Steenbok, Impala, Kudu.
Interesting Interactions:
1. The quantity of Impala, Kudu and other antelopes across the reserve seemed to be quite scarce this morning. A possible result of the 4 male lions and pride of lioness with her youngsters who had been hunting the night before.
2. The sighting of the Egyptian Geese came during our coffee break - the geese wanted to land in a nearby watering hole and felt that we were too close! They circled multiple times, calling out in warning before feeling comfortable enough to come into our area.
I think it is safe to say that our entire South African adventure will forever hold a special place in our hearts. Now about the travel back to the States though.... Unsubscribe!
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