The Big 5 + 1
When I decided to go on an African Safari I knew I had to include the Big 5 + 1 , the most dangerous animals to hunt and the most dangerous animal in Africa, to my 50 list. The Big 5 are the Lion, Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Rhinoceros and Leopard, plus the Hippopotamus. This safari experience had the opportunity to complete a little more than 10% of my 50 list. While planning the trip I told our safari guide to focus was on finding the Big 5 +1. He planned our trip so we would have the opportunity to complete this task. Little did I know, the most missed animal on the Big 5 is the African Leopard. This animal is only seen about once out of every 10 safaris. Uh oh!
The first animal seen on my list was the Hippopotamus. This is my “+ 1” animal. It’s the most dangerous animal Africa and accounts for the most human fatalities than any other large animal (mosquitoes are the deadliest). We first saw this animal as we were driving into St. Lucia, South Africa, but we had many wonderful opportunities to see all throughout our trip. I was surprised to learn the Hippos roam the town of St. Lucia at night and are seen eating the grasses on front yards and city parks. We looked at night hoping to see them enjoy their meal, but were unable to find them. Who knew getting your grass trimmed could be so dangerous! Number 30 on my list is done!
The next animal seen was the Rhinoceros. To my surprise, there are two Rhinos: the White Rhino and Black Rhino. We only were able to find White Rhinos while the rare Black Rhinos eluded us. The strange similarity shared between the two rhinos? White and black rhinos are the same exact color- grey. The name white came from a miscommunication between the Dutch and British. The Dutch were calling them “wide” for their wide mouths, but the British heard “white”. The name stuck, as did the check mark to #31 on my list..
The African Elephant was up next. We had many wonderful experiences seeing elephants, first from afar and then from very close. We had two amazing encounters with these giants when our game vehicle was surrounded by herds of over 25 elephants. They are beautiful creatures. Their leathery skin was caked in day-old mud as their trunk searched the foliage for another taste of food just a few feet from me! It took so much self-control to not reach out and touch them as they walked by. I will never tire of watching the elephants or crossing of things on my list- #27✔.
Cape Buffalo (aka African Buffalo) are vicious. They are the only animal which will group charge, many times without warning. This behavior gets them on the dangerous list. We first encountered these animals at Tembe Elephant Park. They were in the distance; we were separated from them with a marshy field. From afar they look like cows in a pasture. A week later we finally truly saw these fierce creatures! Up close they give mean looks and as Alexandra describes their appearance they seem to be wearing an armored wig with horns. So glad they chose not to get charged up with us. #29✔
At this point we have safaried for more than 39 hours and have seen no lions or leopards- although they were in the game reserves we visited. We arrived at our last game reserve the renowned Kruger National Park- think Yellowstone but with African animals. Our goal was to see paws and claws, and we were willing to drive by everything else to see them. Within 20 minutes of being in the park we had seen all the previously mentioned animals plus a group of four cheetahs.
The next day we were rewarded with three lion sightings! The first was two bachelor males walking across a dry river bed in the distance. Later we were able to see a male who was sitting on the side of the road three meters away from us! The excitement of this found treasure was electrifying in our vehicle! That night we went on a night safari and saw two more male lions lounging in the road- they enjoyed the warmth from the asphalt (who knew that you could safari on a paved road?). Another item bites the dust (or asphalt) #26✔.
Our last day of safari and we still had seen no leopard. I realized my list might already be busted! Lesson learned- don’t put things on a list of accomplishments of which you have no control.
…but we still had hope.
Fortunately for us in our last few hours we finally encountered the elusive African Leopard lying under a tree. We had spent hours and days looking in trees to find the leopard. Behold he is under a tree and we were able to see this magnificent creature in full body, up close and alone as there was no traffic! We felt as though our hunt was satisfied, we had accomplished all we came to see and more. As we were exiting the park on our final safari, we saw the Big 5 + 1 in the matter of a few hours. If that had been day one we wouldn’t have known how much of an accomplishment it was. We were absolutely thrilled that we could tie a bow on the trip in such a magnificent fashion and I was able to check off all the Big 5 + 1 including number 28.
God is a creative Creator! We sure enjoyed seeing his masterpieces during our time in Africa!
Trip Stats
Game Parks Visited: 6
Miles driven in Africa: over 1000
Hours on safari: 63 ½
Countries visited: South Africa and Swaziland
Animals seen: African Buffalo, African Elephant, White Rhinoceros, Lion, Leopard, Hippopotamus, Cheetah, Spotted Genet, African Spotted Dog (aka Wild Dog), Spotted Hyena, Thick-tailed Bushbaby, Chacma Baboon, Vervet Monkey, Samango Monkey, Warthog, Bushpig, Giraffe, Zebra, Kudu, Roan Antelope, Nyala, Impala (yummy), Waterbuck, Bushbuck, Stenbok, Common Duiker, Banded mongoose, Slender mongoose, Dwarf Mongoose, Rock Monitor, Water Monitor, Hinged Terrapin, Hinged Tortoise, Leopard Tortoise, Striped Skink, Night Adder, and Crocodile. Plus more than 83 birds, a variety of bats and lots and lots and lots and lots of bugs.
