GOING BEYOND THE ‘BIG FIVE’
With so much to offer, South Africa will make the goal of your trip an afterthought
In the early morning stillness, we wait in an open safari vehicle, peering anxiously into the bush at the spot where our tracker and ranger, Thomas and Solomon, disappeared. Moments later, Solomon returns to lead us single file through the long, dry grass. A short way in, he leaves the path, guiding us to Thomas, who stands about 10 metres from a cheetah — its face smeared with an impala’s blood, made brighter by the sunlight filtering through leafless trees.
Startled by the clicking of cameras, the cheetah springs to his feet, ready, it seems, to charge. But as quickly as he rises, he settles back to gnawing on the impala’s ribs, assured we won’t steal his kill. Though I freeze out of fright, I’m happy to not be directly in front of the cheetah. Thankfully, while the two at the front look set to flee, Solomon steadies them, offering two words: “Don’t run.”
It is a reminder of the rules of game drives: no sudden moves, no standing in the vehicle, no loud startling noises, and above all else, obey your guides. The rules protect visitors and animals alike.
Solomon’s storytelling gift is a big part of my safari experience. He tells us how the young cub watched his mother and all but one sibling be killed by lions. Last year, he says, the cheetah lost that brother.
By now it’s clear that the goal of photographing the “big five” — lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and water buffalo — will be incidental in comparison to everything else this trip will offer. Exploring Kruger, one of 70 trips created through a partnership between Toronto-based travel operator G Adventures and National Geographic Journeys announced last October, doesn’t disappoint the traveller looking for a holistic experience. Time and again we are told, “Put down your cameras and look.” When I do, I see South Africa — the animals, the land and the people — through a different lens.
As we photograph the cheetah on our second of four game drives at Karongwe — an 8,500-hectare conservation area overlooking the Drakensberg mountain range in Limpopo Province — I marvel at the trust I already place in Solomon and Thomas.
On our first drive, I was fearful as they drove us within metres of a pair of lions resting in the late afternoon sun. But I quickly got caught up in the mating game of the felines, as the male stretched, and rolled toward the lioness, resting his hind paws and tail on hers. Foreplay, someone whispered, seconds before the lioness stood, stared us down then led him away. We came across this pair another two times, and though we were told the romance would only last about four days, they made convincing lovers.
The aptly named Chisomo Safari Camp, which translates to “blessing,” is our home base for two nights. We are pampered and protected from the moment we arrive; handed steaming face cloths to freshen up, while our bags are whisked away to tents and perched on wooden platforms. I’m pleased to find the tents offer an expansive bathroom with a glass- enclosed rain shower, plenty of plush towels and a kitted-out queen- sized bed. The camp also has a bountiful breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets, as well as afternoon tea.
After our encounter with the cheetah, we met Grant Beverley, a researcher from the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Carnivore Conservation Program, who explained the National Geographic Big Cats Initiative in Africa and its conservation projects to halt the dwindling numbers of the world’s top felines, including leopards and lions.
Human encroachment and destruction of their habitat is the biggest threat to Africa’s wild dogs ( the most endangered carnivore) and cheetahs, Grant told us. Kruger National Park is home to about half of the 1,000 or so cheetahs left in the wild in South Africa, and many of the remainder roam between private reserves. That makes cheetahs particularly vulnerable to being shot by farmers, protecting their rare and expensive stocks of waterbuck, sable and disease-free water buffalo. Another threat comes in the form of illegal traffickers, looking for hunting trophies or exotic pets.
The only thing that traffickers and photo tourists seem to share is a focus on seeing the big five. On our first night at Kubu Lodge just outside Kruger National Park, our excited chatter at dinner drew the attention of another guest who inquired if we had seen the big five. We had not. Our excitement came from the breathtaking views of Blyde River Canyon ( third largest in the world) and the lunar landscape of Bourke’s Luck Potholes on the Panoramic Route, as well as the giraffes, zebras and water buffalo we had seen steps from the road.
The next day, an afternoon game drive in Kruger yielded only one of the big five — a small herd of water buffalo. Kruger is feeling the effects of a prolonged drought, but late in the afternoon, at a waterhole we are rewarded with a dazzle of Burchell’s zebras, recognized by their shadow stripe, and a sounder of warthogs. A lone black- backed jackal, made bolder by its hunger, circles these groups, but keeps its distance.
Johan Noppe, our chief experience officer, pointed out blue helmeted guinea fowl; beautiful, iridescent royal blue Burchell starlings; go away birds, named for their call; and a clutch of endangered Southern Ground Hornbills, large black turkey-like birds with bright red markings on their face and neck.
As it happens, we saw the big five twice over, as well as a leopard cub, an elephant calf and a rhinoceros calf. Still, we all agree the feasting cheetah provided the most memorable moment on a trip that served up a feast for the senses. A close second had to be watching the king of beasts being led down the road by a seductress.
TIME AND AGAIN WE ARE TOLD, ‘PUT DOWN YOUR CAMERAS AND LOOK’