You’ve probably ingested numerous descriptive vignettes about the mind-blowing scenery and abundance of wildlife scattered throughout the Kruger. And you’ve no doubt been flooded with a cluster of animal photos and videos via social media. The online world creates the perfect visual for you. What the online world cannot do is provide a smell for the Kruger and it certainly can’t make you feel the sense of overwhelming calm you experience when you abosorb the silence of your surrounds. A safari excites all of the senses.
Chloe and I are in the enviable position of being in the Kruger; and our senses have been hit with that drowsy, relaxed feeling that happens when you land in the African bush. We were sent to stay at Africa on Foot in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve on a photographic and media assignment. The smell of the Kruger is one of the first things we noticed upon arrival at Hoedspruit airport. It’s a curious mix of grasses, fresh herbivore dung, scented flowers and gritty sand. It’s not a pungent smell, but something subtle that weaves its way through your olfactory nerves, creating a natural high !
So, why are we really here? Apart from getting high on the smell of nature and making a dent in the bar; we’re actually here to work. Chloe, Kev and I make up part of the digital marketing and wildlife media team at Sun Destinations. Kev is based at Africa on Foot and is an experienced ranger and wildlife photographer. Recently we’ve had a spate of phenomenal lion sightings and it’s our job to ensure each precious moment is documented. Our secondary assignment is to photograph, film and write about our safari experience. It is also our job to drink red wine while sitting at the back of Air Force 1, our dedicated photographic vehicle!
Africa on Foot is an open camp which focusses on big 5 walking safaris. Next door is nThambo Tree Camp, an eco-friendly lodge. Both lodges provide an intimate safari experience. The guides here are friendly and knowledgeable, and ensure a sense of ease the minute you arrive here. Can’t fault where we are staying for the next few days.
Just a warning about your first night in the African bush. The sounds are different to that of the city – there’s a deafening silence as darkness falls but the gentle whoop from the hyena punctuates the silence. You’ll hear tiny quivers from bats, squeals from bushbabies and strange shuffling noises outside your room. Occasionally you’ll hear a barking sound, which is the lions calling. Forget Disney movies – a lion’s roar is more of a bark than a roar.
Game drives in the evening start at 4ish and this time of year, April/May it’s pretty chilly in the evenings. Pack the right typ of wardrobe for a safari and be prepared for anything. We were. We packed the wine, the jackets and cameras and headed out on our first game drive which proved to be a fruitful expedition.
After hearing about the presence of white lions on the Timbavati road, we ditched the zebra we were photographing and frantically made our way there. We got to the Timbavati road and noticed the Giraffe pride white lioness with a tawny female. They were just lying there, looking so serene. The tawny raised her weary body and trundled down the road. We drove on a bit further and followed her – only to discover one of the Trilogy males was hiding in the thicket. This is why she was on the move. The story gets better. The Trilogy male was caught mating with another white lioness. All three lionesses eagerly greeted each other and relaxed into a formation around the Trilogy male; creating what looked like a lion harem. This sighting goes down in my books as one of the most magical and awe are -inspiring moments in the history of game drives.
The next morning we saw the white lioness with the Trilogy male in the same spot. Lions don’t tend to wander far if they are mating or feasting. En route to this sighting we saw rhino, giraffe, zebra and a host of small creatures.
Today was a bit slow in terms of sightings, but then again you cannot have it all. However, we did have an ornithologist field day and spotted a saddle-billed stork attacking a barbel and a grey-headed bush shrike stabbing a schlegel’s beaked blind snake. Killer birds are on the loose.
Stay tuned for more updates !
with the lionesses for quite some time and enjoyed their company. 
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