Some people look forward to sundowners more than the safari itself, which of course is ok when you can expect such a stellar show of incomprehensibly bright skies and candy-coloured visions from Ezulwini Game Lodges‘ private Kruger location.
We wouldn’t recommend snoozing through the safari, though, because what awaits out there in the Balule thicket is some of the most pristine bushveld there is; crawling with a variety of game species, alive with big lion prides, armed with buffalo, and all dwarfed by great herds of elephant. Interesting interaction between birds of prey, intricately patterned snakes, special caracals, porcupines, leopards, giraffes, and zebra; nothing is out of the question at Ezulwini and game drives are nothing short of thrilling.
When the harsh, midday sun starts to sink in the west it adopts a softer, golden glow, it is our queue that it is time for a safari! Cameras come out and capture the glow of amber lion eyes, the shadows beneath eyelashes (yes, you get that close), leathery creases in the skin of Africa’s largest land mammal, neatly folded feathers, and the bright beaks of oxpeckers between the hairs on a buffalo’s back.
There is so much to see during the hours of an afternoon drive. Once the sun falls even closer to the horizon and adopts the familiar tangerine glow, Ezulwini rangers park off at one of their most scenic spots in the bush and unpack that highly anticipated gin and tonic, while guests unfold themselves from their seats and take to the ground at this famously beautiful time of day.
Deep orange turns to a ruby red, pink, and then lilac, as the watermelon-sized sun sinks even lower onto the Drakensberg Mountain Range, silhouetting the famous granite boulder hills in a wine-stained hue that signifies the end of the day.
The Balule Nature Reserve is one of the Greater Kruger’s private properties, sharing unfenced boundaries and located in possibly the most ideal location for overlooking sunsets such as these.
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