SOUTH AFRICA
BY MICHAEL SHAPIRO
View from Lion’s Head in
Cape Town, with Table
Mountain in background.
It was the splashing, crashing sound that announced the elephant’s
presence. A large bull elephant was stomping through a watery marsh
at South Africa’s sprawling Kruger National Park, sending out a rippling
tidal wave with every step.
At Kruger, located in northeastern South Africa, you can hear and see
elephants from your tent cabin — you don’t have to be on a safari
excursion to see them. But everyone who visits South Africa should
go on at least one safari to see the towering giraffes, imposing rhinos,
resplendent zebras, and menacing hippos.
No TV nature show can prepare visitors for the exultant feeling of seeing
a pride of lions in their natural habitat. Whether they’re lounging and
snuffling during a mid-afternoon nap or on the prowl at dawn seeking
prey, seeing the great cats is, for most people, the highlight of a trip
to South Africa. Leopards are more elusive but if those who are lucky
may see these spotted cats in a tree feeding on a fresh kill, or perhaps a
cheetah perched atop a rock scanning the horizon.
Beyond the big animals are the birds. The lilac-breasted roller, with its
azure and turquoise coloring, is one of the most beguiling little creatures
on the continent, and great storks linger by the edges of ponds.
Let’s not forget Africa’s quality of light. There’s a warm golden hue at
sunrise and sunset that’s like no place else in the world, and the ritual
of the sundowner, a cocktail at sunset in the great outdoors, ideally
with a view of a magnificent landscape replete with wildlife, is one of
region’s enduring travel traditions.
FLYWASHINGTON.COM 28 AUTUMN 2017
Kruger allows visitors to drive themselves through the park, but this
often creates clusters of vehicles that outnumber wildlife. “Kruger gets
a bad rap as the Disneyland of safari parks,” said Perry Robertson of
Blue Odyssey, a U.S.-based outfitter that leads tours in South Africa.
“If you’re on a budget this is a great way to go, but you will often
see crowds of vehicles. Much better [is] to book a lodge in a private
concession like Sabi Sands where there are a limited number of lodges
and a big focus on conservation.”
These concessions have some of the “best wildlife viewing on the
planet” he said. “You can see the Big Five almost on demand” at some
of them. “The Big Five is a term from the bad old days of hunting
as these animals were the most dangerous and difficult to kill (lion,
leopard, buffalo, rhino, elephant). Top lodges in Sabi Sands include Lion
Sands, Londolozi, and Sabi Earth Lodge.”
Throughout South Africa are gorgeous lodges such