Today was all about looking for the Big 5 as well as various other animals. The Big 5 are so named because they are the most dangerous to hunt. We saw three of the five today but also spotted a rare animal to make up for it. We still have a safari day in Kruger, so high hopes for spotting the remaining two!

We fit ten in a jeep for the drive. The three rows of three are tiered so everyone, including those in the back, get an unobstructed view. It is a bit challenging climbing in if you have any mobility issues, so fortunately, there is a seat next to the driver for those that can’t get into the back seats.

This post is predominantly photos because that is what a game drive is all about!

Next up, a herd of elephants! They were all around us; very exciting! No need for binoculars at all! This is our first of the Big 5 that we spotted.

#2 on the Big 5 list? Rhinoceros. This was a white rhinoceros. Not white in color you say? There are white and black rhinos and neither are named for the color of their hide. White rhinos graze on grasses and so are typically seen with their head to the ground. Black rhinos feed on shrubs and bushes. We never saw a black rhino on either game drive.

Warthogs were up next. Pumbaa to you Lion King fans:

Our rare sighting of the day? Wild African painted dogs! Don estimated that these are only seen about 5% of the time. We saw them twice in one day!

This is an nyala, a type of antelope. Also very common in the park. We spotted him while we were eating our breakfast by a river.

After breakfast, we spotted our third on the Big 5 list: Cape Buffalo. These are the most lethal of the Big 5 since they do not give any warning before attacking.

More rhinos – they posed better for me this time:

A stork by the river and a big, old croc!

Yet more Cape Buffalo:

Pumbaa put in another appearance:

And, we finished the drive the same way as we started – with a herd of impala:

What an amazing morning! We still had a drive ahead of us as we are headed to the country of Eswatini. Personally, I had never heard of Eswatini but it turns out that it used to be Swaziland until 2018 when it was renamed. We can thank Shaka Zulu for its existence since the Swazi fled from his reign of terror. Swaziland, Botswana, and Lesotho are all independent nations that we can thank King Shaka for.

Eswatini is the last monarchy in Africa. The king is 55 years old and has 11 wives and many children. Unlike most monarchies, the last born son is the heir to the throne. The country is only inhabited by 1.7 or so million people.

There is an annual Reed Dance where around 20 young virgins dance topless for the king in hopes of becoming his next wife. In this country, 99% of the population is Christian. The first king had a vision that his was to be a Christian nation. He also encouraged whites to live here.

We had to cross the border to enter Eswatini, so got off the bus, went through South Africa immigration to get stamped out, walked into Eswatini and went through immigration there. From there we boarded the bus and continued our drive. We reached our hotel by early evening. The next day involves lots more driving as well as a visit to a Swazi village to learn about their customs.