As luck would have it.
The phrase doesn’t necessarily refer to good luck; sometimes it can preface a lament of ill fortune.
In the case of our photo safari in South Africa, as luck would have it, we were about as (good) lucky as anyone could get.
When we set out on Viator’s Best 3-Day Kruger Park Wildlife Safari, we packed our camera into the backpack excited at the prospect of seeing the Big 5.
Especially rhinoceros, since the endangered giants had eluded us in Tanzania.
There are only about 20,000 white rhinos left in the world, and about half of them live in Kruger National Park, so there is no better place to see them.
And see them we did, dozens of them.
We saw them on the very first afternoon, and every day of the three-day tour.
We were closer to rhinos than we ever dreamed possible.
In fact, on the last day we were feeling fairly strongly that we might have been too close.
On our way out of the park we came upon a family of rhinos, so we stopped to watch as the momma and baby leisurely strolled across the road in front of us.
Meanwhile several other cars pulled up to take a look, which made the dad downright disturbed as he felt that he was being cut off from his family.
At that point the two-ton beast stepped into the center of the vehicles and got pretty protective, rocking back and forth and staring down each of his mechanical adversaries.
The nearest car to him was a tiny compact that weighed less than half of the gridlocked huge, horned creature.
The big guy could have crushed it in a second, and, and the driver was obviously distressed… with good reason.
Yet the car behind them seemed oblivious to the situation, so our fantastic guide, Phineas, who was feeling the tension, backed us away slowly, opening a path for the rhino and helping to defuse the situation.
The big fellah did an imposing, and less than graceful, backwards walk into the bush before turning to catch up with his family.
WATCH: We captured the whole rhino ordeal on video. It was hairy!
As intense as that situation was, it wasn’t the highlight of our safari.
Day two would take that honor.
We set out early for an all-day game drive and immediately came upon more rhinos, then drove deeper into the park and found gorgeous giraffes…
…and several giant elephants.
Next we came upon a troop of baboons. There were at least thirty in the group, including several babies.
One looked to be brand newborn, perhaps only a day old, and we caught it nursing while the mother carried it along.
So cute!
Phineas put his sixteen years of guiding experience to good use by spotting animals that we never would have seen on our own.
He also utilized his ability to speak 12 languages – from Afrikaans to Zulu (and German and English) – to talk with other guides about where to find animals, especially the elusive big cats.
As much as we were focused on rhinos, without a doubt lions are the main attraction at Kruger National Park.
However, they can be a bit reclusive so it is not uncommon for visitors to miss seeing them.
When he heard that two lions had been spotted Phineas hurried us to the area, only to find several other groups looking without any success.
After surveying the situation, he broke off from the pack and spotted the pair of predators lounging under a tree about a quarter of a mile away.
It was one of several times that we wished we had a tripod to get a better shot, but we made due steadying the camera on the truck.
While everyone else was looking for the cats further down the road, Phineas had a hunch that led us right to them.
Once we had enough time watching the lions undisturbed, Phineas kindly went back to alert the other guides to their location (it’s cool to be the ones in the know!) and headed off to lunch.
With lions, rhinos, and elephants already marked off our list in the morning, we needed only two more sightings to complete Africa’s Big 5.
The five animals were chosen because of their desirability to hunters, and their dangerous nature.
They are considered the most aggressive and likely to attack or kill humans.
The next one for us to see, the African buffalo, came soon after our meal.
That left us with only the leopard to complete the set.
Throughout the afternoon we saw more and more elephants, until we were calling this the day of a hundred elephants.
We also spotted even more rhinos, a jackal, crocodiles, hippos, wildebeest, a myriad of birds, zebras, a few warthogs, steenboks, and endless impalas… but no more cats.
Not that it mattered, with so much to see we had pretty much forgotten about leopards.
In fact, we were pretty thrilled because we had observed, and photographed, all of our GypsyNester Big 5: giraffe, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, elephant, and zebra.
So as sundown drew near we headed for camp excitedly discussing what a great day it had been.
Then we crossed a bridge about a mile from camp and spotted a spotted cat slinking along the riverbed.
It was a leopard, meaning that we had seen all of the Big 5 in one day!
Phineas assured us that we truly were incredibly lucky, since this almost never happens.
By spending three days in the Park, we felt relaxed with the pace of our explorations.
It helped that the park has all of the necessary accommodations within its boundaries, which saved time and made us feel more connected to our surroundings.
In the evenings, we sat on the patio of our cabin at the camp at Berg-En-Dal listening to the sounds of wild animals filling the air.
Pretty sweet, and hardly roughing it, with comfy beds and air conditioning, plus a full service restaurant featuring dining under the stars.
In keeping with our exotic surroundings, the first night we ordered wild kudu cooked in a pot pie, and as a schnitzel.
We had never heard of kudu, but our verdict was that they are quite tasty.
Phineas explained that they are a large antelope that is very prevalent in the park, and sure enough, he hunted some down for us the next day.
The restaurant at the Kruger’s Lower-Sabie camp could be the best lunch location we’ve ever experienced.
Seated on the balcony overlooking the Sabie River, we watched hippos, elephants, crocs, and kudus visit for a drink or a bath.
There’s no beating it.
Certainly these critters can be dangerous.
To ensure that there aren’t any unwelcome wildlife encounters, all of the camps in the park are fenced off to keep out razor-sharp toothed visitors.
It’s kind of like we humans were the ones in the zoo.
In addition to our time in Kruger, the drive back and forth from Johannesburg gave us a chance to learn about the history of South Africa and an opportunity to see a good bit of the country’s landscape.
The journey took us through vast, open farmland, rolling foothills, and forested mountains, which was not what we expected to find.
Phineas discussed everything with the knowledge that living in a place all of his life brings.
He was equally comfortable conversing about South Africa’s origins, politics, Nelson Mandela, and the nation’s rise from apartheid, as he was explaining the ecology and wildlife.
Taking a different route back to Johannesburg gave us the chance to pass through the mountains that we had seen from below on the way over.
We drove along Bushbuck Ridge, stopped off for an amazing panoramic view from God’s Window, headed over Robbers Pass, and had lunch in the well preserved old mining town of Pilgrim’s Rest.
We considered this all a bonus because the tour really was all about the animals.
As Phineas told us when we were entering the park on the first day, “It’s not a zoo, you never know what you’ll see.”
Well, as luck would have it, we saw it all.
David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com
Big thanks to Viator for providing this wondrous adventure! As always, all opinions are our own. To see more about this tour, click here.
See all of our adventures in Africa!
YOUR TURN: So how about our Phineas? Is he a font of knowledge or what? What is YOUR personal Big 5?
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Great work !! Thanks a lot Buddy!!
there are awesome clicks in wildlife.
Awesome article! Great photos! Thanks for sharing and keep it up!
Thanks!
be a man
Great photos of the Big Five — love seeing photos of rhinos in the wild because of the nasty poaching that goes on.
So true Patti, but we saw firsthand rangers out fighting to stop it, so that is good.
Fantastic up close and personal experience with those beautiful creatures! And you were very, very close. I’m sure I’d be petrified being stared down by a rhino. Glad it all worked out peacefully. 🙂
That was a tense moment, but thrilling, as was the whole safari.
I am of two minds about showing this article to my wife. Given the rich animal sightings you are describing, she would definitely want to head over to South Africa and Kruger Park in a flash!
Then you should definitely show her this article… and give her the link to Viator. 😉
What a wonderful way to hunt- with a camera. That should be the only hunting allowed in most places. The safari looks great.
Have to agree with most of these animals. There are not that many left and nobody eats them.
My photo safari in South Africa was one of the travel highlights of my life and I love seeing your picture and reminiscing. Aren’t the guides amazing? Just magical.
It was a trip of a lifetime!
You two are something else! I am WAY too scared to go on safari! I’m a people person and the animals know it:-)
The only time we felt the slightest danger was when the papa rhino was getting agitated, and even then we trusted Phineas to get us out of it if need be.
I loved following your trip on social media. Your photos are magical and those sunsets! Breathtaking. Is there a perfect time of year to go?
September, when we went, is the end of winter there and it is still dry season. Also Phineas pointed out that soon the trees would all have leaves making it harder to spot the animals. So I think we went at about the perfect time. Didn’t know it before we left, just got lucky.
What a wonderful trip and you brought back so many memories of our time in Africa. Your pics are superb too! Thank you by the way for kindly commenting on my WA Lighthouses story yesterday x
Hey Jo (couldn’t help that song reference), you’re right. Our memory banks are overflowing.
Wow, Phineas was a great guide! Whenever we get to Africa that is one place we would want to be on a tour. Love your Big 5 photos!
He really was. Very knowledgeable, and also very personable. We learned so much from him.
What remarkable photos! Kruger National Park looks simply beautiful. All those wonderful animals. I have a soft spot for the giraffes glad you were able to capture one. What an adventure!
Thanks Sue, we really loved seeing the giraffes too.
Your photos convey the thrill of this experience. No words, even yours or mine :-), can express the essence of the safari!
Agreed Irene, and thanks.
Briliant! We can’t wait to get to Kruger – we have already visited a couple of parks closer to Pretoria and are off to Madikwe in November, and then Kruger in December. I wonder whether you ever get to the point where you have had your fill of wildlife?
I don’t think so Clara. Have a great trip!
What a fabulous experience! The animals and the countryside are fantastic, and your pictures really do them justice (I love the warthog running across the road).
That was crazy seeing a warthog dart out in front of us, and that wasn’t even in the park!
I don’ think there is anything better than going on safari. I think I could spend all day in the jeep looking for those beautiful animals. It’s so exciting for you to have seen the big 5! Thanks for the memories!
So true. Glad we were lucky enough to post them Jenny.
Just WOW!
While I was thrilled with Tanzania, this appears to be even better- for photography. So happy you shared.
I want to go back to Africa in the worst way!
The one day was amazing! But we actually got closer to the animals in Tanzania.
You were so lucky to see so many animals. I know people who have traveled there, and not seen nearly as many as you guys did. Love the giraffes.
We really were very lucky. I think the giraffes were my favorite too.
Visiting Kruger National Park tops my bucket list and I hear the drums beating when I read a post like yours – Definitely a dream come true! How fabulous to see “The Big Five” but I’d be hard pressed to figure out which of these magnificent animals would be in my top five list. They’re all amazing! Anita
Agreed Anita. Elephants and rhinos are the most impressive though, I’d say.