At the end of November, we drove into Kruger National Park. We had no idea what to expect, but nothing could have prepared us for the amazing time we had there.
In the end we spent ten days enjoying the animals, exploring the park, camping, and meeting great people.
Every campsite or picnic spot had a sighting board, where you could see on a map where others had spotted animals. You could also add your own sightings, which the kids always happily did.
Most days we woke up early, making the most of the cool morning hours during which a lot of animals are the most active. We enjoyed EVERY animal, from the endangered flightless dung beetle to the majestic male lion and every species in between. Afternoons were spent in the pool, where possible.
Every day we saw new animals, every day was different than the one before. It was springtime and a lot of animals had little ones.
A picture is worth a thousand words
At one campsite, where we spent a few days, Myron made a South African friend. Marnus and he spent every possible moment together and chatted the whole day long. It was fun for both boys to learn about each other's schools and cultures. They were both so lucky to spend this time together.
Spotting The Big Five in Africa is on most people's list. The five are: lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and African buffalo. We never really were focused on the big five, as said, we enjoyed every animal we encountered, big or small. But, the day we spotted this leopard napping in a tree, we were really thrilled.
And it made our big five spotting complete.
On December 5th, the Dutch celebrate Sinterklaas. It is a traditionally rich celebration and every year we try to celebrate it with the children. Raija was very worried that Sinterklaas would not be able to find us in Africa, but... Sinterklaas sent us a personal video message, telling us that he had tried to find us in Canada and the Netherlands, but that he found us in Africa. He left us pepernoten, a typical Dec 5th treat, and small presents. Thank you Sinterklaas!
(The picture of me was taken as proof that celebrating Sinterklaas in 39°C is possible!)
We could easily have spent more time in Kruger NP, but there is so much more to explore in South Africa, it was time to leave.
We will miss all the beautiful animals, but are thankful for the time we had here. On to more great adventures!
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