Saturday April 5, 2025

We left rainy, damp & cool Johannesburg for the transfer to Sabi Saba Earth Lodge - we traveled on Federal Air for the 90 minute flight to Kruger National Park.  As we ascended to 11,000 feet, we finally saw a brief glimpse of the sun - it is unusually cloudy with showers in South Africa as the weather transitions from summer to fall/winter.  Upon arrival at the Sabi Sabi airstrip, we were met by our safari guide Jamiel - 6+ years as a wildlife guide in Sabi Sabi - he is exceptionally knowledgeable and interesting.  Upon checkin, we were shown to our Earth Lodge room #10 - outstanding accommodations!  We did a quick unpack and clothes change to prepare for the first safari excursion - 4:00 to 7:00 PM - with Jamiel and our "tracker" Louis (30+ years as a wildlife tracker).  Right before we left the lodge area, a herd/family of elephants visited the water hole right behind the lodge - amazing!  

Next, we loaded into the Sabi Sabi off-road vehicles with our group plus another couple from Madrid, Spain.  As we left the compound, the first encounter was a roadside stand for champagne - "Today's forecast 99% chance of bubbles" - they sure know how to pamper the guests at Sabi Sabi.  The evening safari exceeded all of our expectations - Impala; Wildebeest; White Rhino and calf; "stealthy Leopard; Zebra plus, the final encounter - a pride of female lions, fresh off a wildebeest "kill" where they were exhausted, tummy's stuffed and simply relaxing in the road right as the day turned to evening.  Simply incredible to be so near these beautiful lions that could not care less we were there. 

Following this lion encounter, we returned to the Earth Lodge and enjoyed a fine dining experience outside in one of the courtyards.  Day 1 of our safari experience far exceeded the expectations of our group - so, much more to follow.  

                                                       Federal Air - Johannesburg to Sabi Sabi
Sabi Sabi Safari Vehicle
                                                                Bull Elephant at the Lodge
                                                                        Impala
                                                                Louis - Wildlife Tracker
                                                                Safari "Bubbles"
                                                                White Rhino Mom & Calf
                                                                    "Stealthy" Leopard
                                                                        Zebra's
                                                                    Young Female Lion
                                                                        More Lions
                                                                Tired & Stuffed Lions
                                                                    Relaxed Lion
                                                                

                                                    Dinner Earth Lodge after the evening Safari



 

Location: Kruger National Park, South Africa

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
 Tuesday April 8, 2025 A warm morning with low-level fog over the valley - we experienced a magnificent sunrise this morning that just highlighted how special Sabi Sabi is!  Since we have viewed the majority of the African animals in the preserve, this morning was focused on searching for leopards - the stealthy and virtually invisible creatures of Africa.  Early in our search, we came upon a troop of baboons - our first sighting of these safari pests - evidently, this troop raids the morning breakfast at Sabi Bush Camp each morning - the good news, they are not prevalent at Earth Lodge,  The real treat this morning was finding a Troop of female giraffes in virtually open cover that allowed us to really note the size and power of these animals.   The real adventure this morning was an off-road experience through the bush in search of a female leopard - the power and versatility of the Toyota Land Cruiser driven by Jamiel was exceptional as we ventured deep into ...
Read more
Image
  Monday April 7th, 2025  The second safari excursion started at 4:00 PM with temperatures around 90 degrees and sunny.  As we exited the lodge, "Have a Popping Day' with fresh popcorn hanging from a tree as the afternoon snack.  When it is this warm, the wild animals either seek shade or a water source to cool down.  So, the first encounter was a feathered species know as the yellow-billed Hornbill - known for their yellow beaks and distinctive "calls".  Speaking of shade, water & mud, while searching for Cape Buffalo, we came across three white rhino's lounging.  However, two of the rhino's decided to test their strength by head-butting and pushing each other in the mud flats - these creatures have enormous strength and bulk.  Next, we encountered a large "bull" elephant that was seeking water on this hot afternoon.  He tasted the water multiple times, but it was not to his liking (stagnant water) and he ultimately moved-on in search of...
Read more
Image
Monday April 7, 2025 A warm, but still overcast morning as we set out on safari excursion #4 - the objective this morning is to track lions as well as the Water Buffalo.  Since we found the male lions last evening, the confidence was high that lions were in the area.  The team of Jamiel and Louis decided traveling south toward the Sabi River provided the best opportunity to find both lions and ultimately water buffalo.  Not twenty minutes into the excursion, we came upon the Southern Pride of lions - led by a 9 year-old lioness, the pride numbered 10 lions, including three young males.  According to Jamiel, this is an elusive pride of lions that are not easy to track and really do not like to be seen - fortunately, they were all lounging with full bellies from a feeding kill that must have happened yesterday.  It is simply incredible to see these majestic, powerful and beautiful creatures free and not stressed in the Sabi Sabi preserve - what a treat!   Upo...
Read more