Kruger National Park

While the country is basically shutdown for their summer holidays December 15th to January 15th, we decided it would be a great time for the OGC group to do a quick trip to Kruger National Park and Swaziland.  We made reservations for the group at Villa Rostrada on the Lake (B&B) in Hazeyview just outside Kruger, and at the Summerfield Resort in Swaziland.  We drove and Bryan Jackson drove.  We had car problems when we reached Hazeyview and had to get a rental car, but that is another story.

Kruger was the first game reserve in South Africa and was similar to Yellowstone National Park in the US. We had a great time in Kruger and saw all of the big 5 the first day, including the elusive leopard.

Our first Cape Buffalo of the day.

A group of Cape Vultures in a dead tree.  (They like dead things.)

A female Impala. 

A male Impala.

Zebras, Impalas, and Blue Wildebeests with calves.

A Warthog (Pumba).

A large white rhino with Oxpecker birds that eat the ticks.  Mom and Jr are just behind.

A Spotted Hyena.

Some elephants blocking the road.

A Cape Buffalo blocking the road in front of us.  They are the second most dangerous animal in Africa in terms of human deaths.

A seven foot high termite mound.

A leopard laying on a limb.

A leopard sitting on a limb. (Must be a teenager.)

A leopard walking on a limb.

Geoffrey the Giraffe having a light lunch.

A beautiful Burchell's Zebra.

A Stork.

A blue-tailed striped skink.

Do Not Disturb -Rhino resting!

An African motto to live by - Let sleeping lions lie!

Momma lion is thinking - what should I fix for dinner tonight?

The white Rhino family - nobody messes with that family!

Part of a troop of Baboons.

A magnificent male Kudu.

A baby Zebra.

A Giraffe flagrantly disobeying the Do Not Enter sign.

Two elephants tussling.

Two Impalas tussling. 

Two Hyenas tussling.  Hyenas have the strongest jaw pressure of any animal and can chew bones.

                     The End!