Kruger National Park

 Our tour group of six flew 1 hour from Johannesburg to Kruger National Park area. 
One couple of our group chose to go to Kenya for a tent / safari experience, So there are 3 couples going to Kruger. We are staying at Tinswalo Lodge meaning “the intangible feeling of peace, love & gratitude bestowed upon someone that gives you a meaningful and worthy gift”.  Our lodge is actually right next to Kruger national Park on a private reserve of 66,000 acres. There are four lodges in this private reserve and we find out that it allows us to go off the roads to get closer to the animals.

We arrive at the lodge at 1:00 and are greeted with great enthusiasm, dancing and singing. The lodge has not seen AMA guests since Feb 2019.  Of course, lunch and welcome drinks are ready outside on the patio. Elephants are coming up to the lodge for fresh water.  We have had to skip meals and cut way back they serve us so much.  




Elephants come to drink at the main lodge.


After lunch and a chance to settle into our suite named Burton for Sir Francis Richard Burton who was an explorer on expedition to find the source of the Nile, and return for high tea (desert) and go on an afternoon game drive.  All our starters and deserts are served on a platter for two with beautiful presentation.  




Scones biscotti fruit and coffee or tea

Our game drive is focused on lions, leopards and rhino because we have not yet seen those. Half the fun of these game drives is the off-road experience of getting to the animals. We must stay in the jeep so they drive over, under and through anything to get close to the animal. It is definitely equivalent to a Disneyland safari ride.  Foster is our tracker on the front hood and he spots animal footprints and tells our driver Alistar which direction to go.

Waterbuck with a toilet sear ring on his butt

Zebras grooming each other with water Buffalo

Water Buffalo




pride of lionesses resting in afternoon heat

Tracker Foster out on hood of Jeep.


This rhino has not been dehorned yet.  Next week and once every 3 years they dehorn to discourage poachers.

As the sun goes down we drive back towards the lodge and stop in the middle of a sandy wash for a candlelit setting around a small campfire for cocktails and Hors d’oeuvres.  Here, we get to visit with some of the other guests and get to know our guides better.  They offer a wonderful liquor Amarula which is similar to Baileys made from the berry of a tree here.


 


After about 45 minutes, we travel another mile or two to the lodge for dinner. I am much too full to have dinner so I join them and have a small salad with more cocktails.  This is a traditional African meal that includes chicken, beef or oxtail. 


Finally, we return to our room for a very deep, sound sleep with a wake up call at 5:15 for a morning game drive.





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