ATW Days 72-74 - Safari!

Buckle up - this is going to be a long ride!  On Monday, we were docked in Gqeberha (formerly named Port Elizabeth), South Africa.  Mid-morning we were taken on a 1+ hour ride to the Shamwari Private Game Reserve.  At the Welcome Center, we saw the first of the Big 5 - lions out the back.

Following check in formalities, we met our fantastic guide, Truman, who loaded us into the safari vehicle to take us to the lodge we would be staying at.

On the half hour ride to the lodge, we saw many animals which was just a taste of what was to come.  We spotted kudus, giraffes, and impalas.

The Eagles Crag Lodge is amazing.  Each of the 9 suites are separated so there is total privacy.  The suites were beautiful.

Lunch was served and it was so good, as were all of the meals we  had there.  They even printed out individual menus for Linda and me that accounted for our pescatarian diet.

Then it was time for our first afternoon game drive.  The preserve encompasses 75,000 acres so there is lots of ground to cover in search of the animals.  We were mostly on the north side of the preserve.  The first good sighting of the afternoon was of zebras.

Next up was more giraffe with the occasional Impala and monkey thrown in.

Then it was time for our first encounter with an African Elephant - our second animal of the Big 5.  There will be many more later.

The highlight of the drive were the lions.  As you can see, we came across a nice pride (pardon all of the photos - I couldn't resist.  And I have so many more!).

There had been much rain 2 days before we were there and navigating through the roads was a challenge for Truman in places.

We did have one more elephant sighting (this one with an injured tusk) before heading back to the lodge for dinner.  And a few more antelope.

Dinner and the selection of South African wines were terrific.  Leo, who I guess you could call our hostess, was great.  She took care of everything - serving us at meals, serving us drinks, and keeping us informed about the plans for the day.

We got a 6:30 wake up call on Tuesday morning to get us going for our morning game ride.  It was a morning filled with wildlife sightings - Lion, elephant, giraffe, baboon, birds, antelopes (including Bushbuck and Red Hartebeest), and monkey.  The only downside was the bit of rain that we hit along the way.

But the highlight of the drive was the herd of Cafe Buffalo - number 3 of the Big 5.

During our break for lunch, I took advantage of the outdoor shower and plunge pool.

The afternoon game ride started with a bang - sighting of White Rhinoceros, number 4 of the Big 5.

Truman was an expert driver who easily negotiated the rough roads to get us to the wildlife and to some good views.

The ride continued with a couple of close encounters, first with a parade of elephants.  They got really close to the vehicle!

Then came the elusive Black Rhino:

At one point, the rhino stopped and stared at us and then made a move as if to charge at us.  Fortunately, it was just a threat and he stopped short!

We were also able to sight some hippos in the river.

As dusk came, we made our way back to the lodge but our progress was slowed by an elephant leisurely making his way up the road in front of us.  It took quite a while for it to finally turn off the road so we could proceed.

Our final game drive was on Wednesday morning.  The night before I had asked Truman to try and find us the last of the Big 5, the leopard or, at least, a cheetah.  Truman had told us right up front that our chances of seeing a leopard were very small.  Unlike some reserves, Shamwari has few rock outcroppings where you can easily spot leopards.  So, in the morning we headed out and Truman tried his best to find us a cheetah.  Along the way, we did see more cape buffalo, monkeys, a black backed jackal, and a black impala.

As I have said, Truman is an excellent guide.  He would often stop along the road to point out footprints and other signs of animals along the way.

It was really interesting to witness his search for signs of where a cheetah might be.  At one point, he spotted some giraffes that seemed to be looking behind them and Truman thought that that could be sign that a cheetah was there.  

He also noted the behavior of some vultures thinking that there might be a carcass nearby.  But, alas, our search came up empty.  I guess we will just have to do another safari to complete the Big 5.

So that wrapped up our time at Shamwari.  It was simply amazing.  We found no fault with anything there.  Well, maybe the weather could have been nicer so we had clear skies to view the nighttime sky.  I'm sure the stars would have shown.  But, the stars of the show were definitely the animals and all of the wonderful people at Shamwari.  

We often think about how blessed we are to be able to travel and see so many beautiful things.  And, to think that just a few months ago we were in Antarctica seeing amazing wildlife and scenery and now here in South Africa, it just blows me away.

We invite you all to come on a safari with us next time (that means you Marc and Yasuko)!

May all living things be healthy and happy,

Linda and Larry