Bungle In The Jungle (Part Deux) - Day One

"...Cause I want to live like animals,
Careless and free like animals" (Savage Garden, The Animal Song)

KRUGER - DAY ONE

Kruger Park is enormous; it is one of the biggest game parks (for viewing animals, not hunting them) in the world; it is approximately the size of Israel.

We entered at the Kruger Gate near the Southern tip and headed to our first night's camp, Olifants, located on the Olifants River (clever name, no?). It was brutally hot and humid, I think it said 35C (95F plus humidity).

The Orange Icons Are The Camps In The Park

First stop are the baboons. Nasty little buggers, but the babies are so darn cute:

It's A Hobbit!

Figure-Four Death Lock

Cruising along the main road, we saw a giraffe off to the side:

"Hello There, Stretch"

And a video of him!

Then off by a watering hole, we saw a huge number of elephants, just chilling out:

"Who Brought The Beer?"

Then we saw a couple of them either kissing each other, or probing each other for ticks:

Next we saw Cape Buffalo. These are big creatures, and although they look stupid, they are actually clever. If you try and kill one but don't succeed, it will lure you into the brush/forest, circle around, and attempt to kill you with the help of fellow herd members. They definitely work in groups; if you haven't seen the video of "The Battle at Kruger", you should check it out by clicking this link.

Here's a snippet of video of some Cape Buffalo. Can you spot the males?

While Abby and Candice were checking us in to the Olifants Camp, Rob and I mindlessly stared at the river. Suddenly we saw two hippos climb out of the water; the only time we saw them out of the water during the entire trip. Funny looking in the water, and out of the water.

And lastly, sunset over the Olifants River. Quite a successful Day One. Up early tomorrow to try and see the animals at the watering holes.

It's Good To Be The King