Safari - Day 2

The second day at Lukimbi started with our 5:45am wake up call from Dale. We bundled up and walked from our hut (if you can call them that – see the picture of the bedroom and bathroom – we also had our very own patio and a private outdoor shower…) to the main lodge where coffee was waiting. We loaded into the Land Rover and set off. Words do not do the animals justice so I’ll keep it brief – or at least try!

Our first sighting was the rare black rhino; they differ from their cousin (the white rhino) in the shape of their mouth – it has nothing to do with their coloring, just a confused translation (we’re told the word wide was mistranslated to white).

Next was a family of 5 giraffes when Dale heard from another ranger (from Lukimbi on the radio) that a pack of wild dogs (aka spotted wolves) had been found – another very rare animal in Kruger. Our friends here are surprised when they see our pictures because many people who have taken multiple safari trips have never seen wild dogs. The morning drive also included white rhino, numerous impala, kudu, elephants, and a puff header - an extremely venomous snake. Unfortunately for him, he became intimate with the tires before Dale could stop.

After the drive, we ate breakfast (think 5 star hotel quality) and then went on a walk in the bush. Walks are meant to allow for guests to learn more about the vegetation, smaller game, and of course about the different footprints and droppings. We got lucky and walked up on 2 white rhinos. White rhinos are nearly blind and depend on their sense of smell and hearing. It was quite windy and we were pretty close before they heard us and trotted off. Next we saw a couple giraffes in the distance – and then 3 bull elephants. They started making our way towards us so we turned around and headed the other direction to keep a safe distance. We ended up finding again and were sandwiched the white rhinos between the two while trying to keep safety cushions. Eventually the rhinos heard us and trotted away again. Dale and his sidekick, Roger (? funny I don’t remember his name as well) showed us the way to spit some dropping – supposedly it’s big competition in the bush but we resisted the urge to participate.

Back at Lukimbi, our afternoon was rounded out with lunch and massages. Before we knew it was time for our evening game drive. The Italian family of 3 had left that day and we now had Dale and our spotter, Doc, to ourselves. It made for interesting conversation along the way. That drive helped add two new animals to our list: a crocodile and a cheetah. Counting the glimpse of a water buffalo as we were racing to the wild dogs that morning, we had seen ‘the big five’.

That evening, we had a candlelit dinner outdoors with plenty of game to choose from: crocodile, kudu, and ostrich to name a few. Dale joined us for dinner and then entertained us with his bartending skills, introducing us to the ‘nutty elephant’ which is made with Amarula. Amarula is a liquor made from a tree known to locals as the elephant tree because the elephants like its berries so much – smart elephants. Then Dale escorted us on our walk home - here's a picture of the walk back to the huts during the daylight. And finally, a picture of dusk - with some impala scattered near the tree.