A Travellerspoint blog

Sabi Sands, South Africa: Come On and Safari With Me (Pt. 3)

Another morning brought another pre-dawn wake-up call, and another surprise: Rare African wild dogs, an endangered species with only four remaining populations in Africa, one of which is in Kruger.

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The painted dogs were beautiful, but can anything beat the cuteness of a baby giraffe who thinks you can't see him?

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Later, more lions and some wildebeest, though -- lucky for the wildebeest -- not at the same time.

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That afternoon, we joined one of the rangers on a nature walk around the Arathusa property.

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I won't lie: I think I'd rather have seen a rabid wild dog than this giant termite mound . . .

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And whatever the heck this is.

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Our last evening safari didn't disappoint: We saw leopards and zebras; Angel got to ride back to the lodge in the tracker seat; and one of us went, well, full bush.

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Our last dinner under the boma was a celebration of food, wine, and the friends we'd made along the way.

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We were scheduled for one last morning game drive before checking out. It started out a bit drizzly, so we donned a couple of oversized rain ponchos and headed off into the bush.

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Eventually the drizzle changed over to a much-needed heavy rain, and we returned to the lodge, chilly and soaked, for a fireside breakfast.

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I told you we were roughing it out there.

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Next up, a week in Cape Town, one of the most over-the-top cities we've ever visited. Because looking like a dizzyingly beautiful combination of Santa Barbara, Tuscany, and Aspen isn't enough; Cape Town also has a food scene like New York City; a vibe like Southern California; a design sensibility like Paris; world-class wines like Napa Valley. . . and PENGUINS.

Posted by TraceyG 05:40 Archived in South Africa Tagged safari game_drive kruger_national_park sabi_sands arathusa

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Comments

Tracey,
The pictures were over the top awesome! They take your breath away.
I have to say, you had to have scored points with Angel for this right? As always, I can't wait for your next trip! Thank you!

by ToniP

I followed your blog for years and was so excited to see this trip. We are going to Botswana in July, followed by 4 nights in Cape Town.

by Heather

Thanks for the incredible photos.

by Linda Halischuk

Heather, please let me know how Botswana is! I have been dying to go to the Okavango Delta ever since I read "Whatever You Do, Don't Run" (which is hilarious - I highly recommend it!). Cape Town posts coming next...

by TraceyG

Tracey,

Always look forward to your blogs but especially this one as Africa is one of my favorite destinations. I noticed you asked another poster about Botswana so thought I'd comment with my blog address so you could see some of Botswana for yourself.

https://deniserj.travellerspoint.com/

Denise

by zihuatcat

Peter Allison's books as well as the HBO #1 Ladies Detective Agency series left me obsessed with Botswana.

The original plan was to stay in South Africa but stars aligned and our travel agent was able to book two fantastic camps in Botswana for a comparable SA price.

by Heather

You are keeping me riveted to your pictures, and your journey. I must say, you have a lot of guts relieving yourself in the bush! I’d have to have a guard with the gun as my lookout.
My husband also loved your photos too. So nice of you to share your journey with us.

by Christine Mitchell

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