September 22, 2025

September 22, 2025

Last night after checking into our hotel room, Aimee yelled that an animal is trying to get in our patio door. She thinks it is a giant scorpion. I come running and see a Land Crab crawling along the window. Aimee forbids me from opening the door.

After dinner, I went alone to a Zulu dance show on the hotel grounds. I was unimpressed.

This morning we are up early for our transfer to the nearby Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve, the oldest in South Africa. At the park six of us load onto a tiered jeep that holds ten. Aimee and I spread out on one bench. Just after 7am our local guide drives us into the nature reserve. Almost immediately we run into White Rhinoceros just off the road. They must be hungry as they are grazing on vegetation and barely raise their head to notice us. Sadly they recently had their horns sawed off to prevent poaching. Apparently it has to be done often because the horns grow back in a year.

Fifty yards ahead we see a dozen Impala jumping around. These small antelopes have a distinctive black letter “M” on their rumps. Males have lyre-shaped horns with a spiral ridge.

Our guide heard something on the radio and we raced deeper into the park for five minutes without stopping. At the top of a hill, we saw three Cheetahs in the distance. One was alert and continually scanning the surroundings. Probably looking for breakfast. The guide said this was his first sighting in a year.

Back in low gear, our guide slowly drove us through the park stopping frequently. He seemed to have radar for the animals, pointing them out before we even turned a corner. Almost everywhere we looked we saw groups of Warthogs. With their huge tusks, they deservedly earn a place as one of the Ugly Five of Africa. We saw so many that I am thinking there must be a shortage of predators in the park.

Our guide pointed out a colorful Brown Hooded Kingfisher in a branch just to our left that I would have never seen.

We then drove down to a river camp where we took a break and had a nice hot breakfast of eggs and sausage. A big bull Warthog is grazing nearby oblivious to us. A long-tailed gray monkey called a Vervet does notice us and steals a piece of bread from breakfast.

After breakfast we continued our tour through the park. We see several groups of Nyala (pronounced Inyala). The female of these larger antelopes have stripes while the males are gray.

We see several herds of Cape Buffalo, surprisingly one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. We get lucky and one big male walks right by our jeep.

Interestingly this Buffalo has two birds perched on his back. These Red-billed Oxpeckers make a living feeding on ticks and insects from the buffalo skin. It even drinks their blood.

We see Plains (or Burchells) Zebra twice but they are always hiding in the bush.

We run across a group of Chacma (or Cape) Baboons. We see one mother with a baby clinging to its back.

We encounter a Bull Rhino kissing a female nose to nose. Apparently she is not interested and leaves the male feeling unsatisfied.

To Aimee’s chagrin our jeep comes face to face on the road with a big Rhino bull who is contemplating charging us. I think he is confused though with his horn missing. To Aimee’s relief, our guide defused the standoff by backing up. Sensing his victory, the Rhino slowly walks past us

Several times we see Cape Starlings flying across the ground. Their blue is almost iridescent.

After three hours we leave the park. South African game drives are much different than the open savannah of East Africa. Here the terrain is hilly and sometimes densely brushed. I was thinking it was safer for the prey animals, but then I remembered they probably don't know what may be lurking in the forest.

We begin a long drive north. We make a stop just south of Swaziland to visit a grade school. All the kids are required to wear a uniform. The girls have the same short haircuts as the boys. Thankfully the girls wear skirts. Interestingly a teacher told us that of the 600 students only 400 have South African birth certificates. Our visit ended with the students doing a traditional Zulu song and dance for us. It was highly entertaining.

Back on the road we crossed the border into Swaziland (now called eSwatini). This kingdom is a separate country wholly inside South Africa. Because of Apartheid, this former British colony strongly resisted Union with South Africa. Southern Swaziland is highly agricultural. We pass lots of sugarcane and pineapple fields.

In the middle of the country we take a break and visit a tourist market. There are lots of interesting items. I would love to buy a nice wooden giraffe, but have no room for it. There are some very unique hand-formed wax animals. Instead Aimee buys some earrings made with a Castor Bean.

Just past the capital of Mbabane, the terrain steepens dramatically. At the crest we find our next hotel. After checking in we have drinks and appetizers on the outdoor deck. It overlooks the hotel pool and the valley we climbed.