South Africa – the big 4

Okay, so there are really 5, but Leopards are very elusive. Despite good guides and trackers, that particular feline did not grace us with its presence. I remain hopeful, however, as I have a few more countries to go…

The Big 5 are Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Buffalo and Rhinos. The list was originally drawn up by big game hunters to refer to the 5 most difficult, and dangerous, animals to hunt on foot.

After visiting Cape Town, we journeyed east to Kruger National Park and a private reserve called Karangwe. Both were incredible. Kruger is the more famous of the South African parks and is stunning. Seeing so many different birds was an amazing experience. Karangwe is where we got to see a lot of animals, including some cats. Rather than try to remember in which park we saw what exact animals, I am just going to post by group.

The Birds

Lilac Breasted Roller. Abundant and so pretty.
Same Bird in Flight
Same bird, different angle. I just loved these guys.
Crested Barbet. Almost looks fake.
Owl. Don’t remember what kind. I think it’s a spotted fishing owl, but can’t be sure. Still cute though.
Fish Eagle
Yellow Billed Horn Bull (a.k.a. Flying Banana)
Tick Bird. You see these on a lot of the larger animals, eating the ticks.
Magpie
Little green parrots. No these are not the same as the ones in SF.

Reptiles

Only a few here.

Crocodile.
Terapins, for you University of Maryland fans.

Cheetahs!

These were spotted in Karangwe. We were able to get very close, about 4 meters or so, and we were out of the jeep.

Warning, some of the images may be disturbing.

Hippos

Okay, so there not the cutest, but in the water they are pretty cool. Also, more people are killed by hippos in Africa than by any other animal.

Giraffes

There is something about these creatures that just captivates me. Perhaps is the goofy face or how they are able to contort themselves in seemingly impossible ways.

Elephants

These are the true king of the jungle. Without them, no one else could survive. They control the brush but eating and knocking over trees. They also create habitat for other species.

Lions

We came upon the lions at the end of the day. It was a group of all males (not sure if it’s called a pride when they are all one gender), one adult and three juveniles. It got darker as we stayed with them, so the quality of the images is not as good as I would have liked. But, they were wonderful to watch.

You can just see the mane starting to grow in.

Antelope

There are 72 different antelope in Africa. 21 of them can be found in Kruger. We did not see that many.

Impala. Called Africa fast food, since they are so abundant.
Kudu. Majestic and tasty (they are on several menus around the country)
Water Buck.
In Africa, the game is “pin the tail on the antelope”, not donkey.

Miscellaneous

Other animals for whom I only have a few postable pics or or, as I know now, I have better pics from later in the trip.

White Rhino.
Wildebeest is a bit shy when it comes to having his picture taken. He knows what people say about him. He looks like he was made up of all the spare parts when God was done creating the animal kingdom.
Cape Buffalo. He wanted us to get out of his way.
Juvenile Zebra. Mommy zebra was on the other side of the road.

At the end of our time in the game reserves of South Africa, we were blessed with this stunning view. (No, CA, there are no fires down there).

Next stop, Victoria Falls!

3 thoughts on “South Africa – the big 4”

  2. Dear Lauren,
    Love the photos. We just got back from our visit to Olmoti Clinic & Safari in Tanzania- saw lots of leopards in the Serengeti including a leopard cub. The wildlife viewing was spectacular.

    1. I am actually in Rwanda now. I will be in Kenya in about 10 days. Not going to Tanzania this trip. Glad ur trip was good. Xoxo.

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