South Africa and Safari Tour - July 15 - August 1, 2021
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Quick Links:

Cape Town
Kruger National Park
Malamala Game Reserve
Johannesburg

Animals Seen:


Dassie
African Penguins
Little Egrets
Ostrich
Zebras
Kudu
Cattle
Baboons
Cape Sugar Bird
Orange-Brested Sunbird
Grouse
Fur Seals







Capetown - July 15 - July 20, 2021



Day 1 (July 15, 2021)

After an overnight flight to Frankfurt and another overnight flight, we finally arrived in Cape Town at 6 am! We had a quick breakfast at Wimpy in the airport, then met up with a tour guide to drive us around and introduce us to Cape Town. We went straight downtown, tried the District 6 museum, which was closed, and had a very nice walk around the Company Garden. There were a number of Egyptian Geese, and one mom had a gaggle of babies. We drove up to the base of Table Mountain and then over to Signal Hill. There were excellent views of town, the mountains, and ocean. On Signal Hill, a paragliding company was offering flights to the bottom. I took one! It was way more fun than riding in the van! I think I am ready for skydiving next! After everyone picked me up from the landing field, we drove through the water front district in town, and then back to the airport where we picked up the rental car to drive to Hermanus. Our rental house was right on the ocean, with huge waves crashing on the rocks just in front. We picked up some groceries and had an amazing ostrich steak dinner! We got ready for the safari by watching "The Gods Must be Crazy."




At least I slept on the plane!


The plane to Frankfurt.


I got a captain's hat!


The company gardens.


Egyptian goose.


Goose babies.


Table Mountain from the gardens


Colorful houses in the Bo-Kaap neighborhood.


Colorful houses in the Bo-Kaap neighborhood.


Musem at the end of the Gardens.


Bazaar for some shopping.


Top of Table Mountain from the trailhead.


Cape Town from the side of Table Mountain.


Table Mountain from Signal Hill.


Getting ready for paragliding.


Paragliding!


Takeoff and Flight!(Video)


It was awesome to fly off the mountain!


This must be what an eagle feels!


Great view of the ocean.


Cape Town from Singal Hill.


Cape Town toward Table Mountain.


View from Sir Lowry's Pass


Waves in our back yard.


Ostrich steaks for dinner!

Day 2 (July 16, 2021)

We slept in, made a quick breakfast, and headed out toward the southern most point of Africa. The drive took us past some beatiful farms and countryside. There were countless sheep. We stopped by a small farm stand to buy some snacks and bread. Then, we found a nice place for fish and chips. We had a mixture of Hake, Snoek, and Cob, all were good, the Snoek was tough and tasted like KFC. At the southernmost point, we could see the Indian, Atlantic, and the newly named Southern Oceans! We played on the rocks and found urchins, annenomies, tiny sea stars, and huge china hats in the tide pools. There were also some sponges up on the beach. We could understand how the rugged rocks caused many shipwrecks. We drove to Gansbaai and enjoyed some beverages overlooking the ocean. We grabbed some carry out italian food and ate back at the house.




Fish and chips for lunch.


Urchins!


Babies!


Southernmost Point!


Jagged rocks in the sea.


All three oceans! Indain on the left, Atlantic on the right, Southern straight out!


Cool defraction on the shell!


Topographical map of Africa at the southern point.


Cape Agulhas Lighthouse.


Drinks with a view.


Ocean toward Hermanus.
Day 3 (July 17, 2021)

Today we were to leave Hermanus and head to Stellenbosch. We woke up early, packed, and then had a nice walk around the edge of the sea in Hermanus. There were still huge waves rolling in! We drove along the coast and stopped at Betty's Beach to see some penguins. There was a colony of African Penguins nesting on the shore. Some were laying in nests, others hanging out on rocks. There seemed to be family units with some grown children. We also saw a furry animal eating vegitation. A group of them wanted to walk to the water, but there were some people in the way, so they gathered reinforcements to run down together. Farther up the coast, it was rugged, with the winding road right on the cliff edge. It was a fun drive! We had lunch in Gordon's Bay. There were muscles, squid, Hake, and Butterfish. I had ribs! We drove past the wineries and grape vines in Stellenbosch and checked in to our place. Next, we visited a friend of a friend that was a professor at the university. They made us ox tail stew and we learned much about local current events.




Ocean from Hermanus beach launch.


Waves on the rocks.


Waves still rolling in.


African penguins! Adults and juviniles.


Dassie! Eats lots of vegtables.


Little Egret.


Hanging out on the rocks


Heading to the nest.


Egyptian goose.


Group finally large enough to tackle the giants.

Day 4 (July 18, 2021)

We woke up early, I was a bit hangry, and definately did not want to hike. We got some breakfast at 'Jack's Bagles.' I felt better after my bagel and hot chocolate. We drove to town, past beautiful vineyards, and then some 'makeshift towns.' Since it was a beautiful Sunday, most of Cape Town was up in the mountains near town doing some hiking, just like us! We hiked up Lions Head. Some parts were very steep, and had ladders, staples, and chains. After a bit of waiting, we made it up the steepest part. The 360 degree view was amazing, Cape Town, Table Mountain, and the Ocean. There was a wide veriaty of people hiking. After a mango smoothie, Papa and I hiked up Table Mountain. CC, Brian, and Juju went to lunch, then took the cable car to the top. We ate granola bars. The was steep, 2,400 ft in 1.8 miles, but it was awesome. We stair stepped our way up through foilage, then up a shoot between the rock, cliffs. We saw many Petras, the national flower, and some cape sugar birds, which have very long tails, making it hard to fly. They are serious about not taking short cuts and barbed wires lined the switch backs. There were a number of people hiking down. The views were cool. We met everyone at the top and enjoyed the views. We rode the cable car down. We had a nice dinner at the waterfront, we had the safari platter and tried a number of meats.




Table mountain from lion's head trail.


Submarine cruising the coast.


Starting the climb up the hard way.


Made it to the top of lions head!


Capetown with Table Mountain from Lion's head.


Capetown.


Table Mountain and Capetown panorama.


Table Mountain


Nice hike down Lion's head.


Ladders helped on the climb.


Orage-breasted Sunbird.


Godzilla!


Up the gorge to the top of Table Mountain.


Cape Sugar Bird with Petras (national flower).


View down the gorge.


Red-winged Starling (Male)


Red-winged Starling (Female)


View South from Table Mountain.


Lion's Head with Cape Town.


Cape Town.


Table Mountain Cable Car.


Downtown waterfront.

Day 5 (July 19, 2021)

We had a slower morning, enjoying a walk around town and grabbing some take out. We drove down the coast, past some nice beach towns. We visited penguin town! There were many babies of different sizes. Some very small, some medium, but still fuzzy, and some loosing their baby feathers. They were pretty fun to watch! There were even some eggs in the nests. We watched them walk and swim. Two of them watched us on the pier, and they tilted their heads when we did, as in a challenge. We had a gellato snack, and headed to the cape of good hope. On the, we saw a family of BABOONS by the side of the road! It rained a bit, but then changed to a light drizzel as we climbed up to the light house and explored the cape. There were ostriches running around. Fur seals were on the rocks, with big waves crashing nearby. Back at the house, we enjoyed a nice dinner and I had gnocchi and lamb shank. A neighbor came over to help out with an 'emergency.' We played mexican train dominoes.




Penguin parent with a juvenile and a nest in the bushes.


Fuzzy big baby!


It tickles!


Mid-size babies waiting on the parents to return.


Staying warm under mama.


So hungry!


Egg, chick and mama.


Adults hanging out on the beach.


Beach full of babies.


When are our parents coming back?!


Nice and cozy.











BABOONS!


Fur seals.


Baboon.


Ostrich

Day 6 (July 20, 2021)

Today was a bit of a stay-at-home sick day... We visited Stellenbosch Univeristy to see Cube Sat and the new business incubator program. The group develops attitude control systems for cube sats.





Kruger National Park - July 21 - July 28, 2021



Day 7 (July 21, 2021)

We left Stellenbosch early and flew to Skukuza in Kruger National Park. We met up with Max and the rest of the gang and headed out on a bonus game drive! We saw a huge variety of animals for a first trip out. The night finished with a nice meal outside.




Red-billed Oxpecker


Southern Yellow-billed hornbill.


Steenbok


Magpie Shrike


Burchell's Starling.


Impala.


Elephant


Tree squirrel


Zebra


Kudu


Kudu


Kudu


Civet


Giraffe

Day 8 (July 22, 2021)

Game drives around Skukuza. We started as early as possible and had an amazing day with many great animal sightings. Hyena puppies were clearly visible and playing around the side of the road. A group of large elephants came toward us and crossed the road very close to us. A group of giraffes were also very close, reaching and eating right next to us.




Giraffe


Waterbuck


Brown snake Eagle.


Impalas tangled up.


He's down! He's gonna get eaten! Run!


Hyena with pups.


Nursing hyena.


Pups from different litters hanging out.


Mama, feed me!


Yay


This is what hyena's do best... steal impalas.


Wildebeast.


Tarapin for a pillow!


Pied wagtail.


'Hey, mama, who is that?'


I see you!


Brown-headed Parrot.


Giraffe crossing in front of a golf cart. Oh wait, that is our other vehicle!


Baby Zebra.


Mom, that stinks! (Zebras are gassy!)


Wee!


Elephant with a Lilac-Breasted Roller landing on its back.


Big bull elephant.


Walking and playing with its trunk.


The elephant did a display and then crossed the road.


Driving along in the vehicle in Kruger, always looking for wildlife. (Video)


Female Bushbuck.


Crocodile.


Elephants.


Dwarf mongoose.


Buffalo.


Zebras.


Wooly-necked Storks.


Bushbuck.


Warthog.


Verreaux's Eagle-Owl.

Day 9 (July 23, 2021)

Game drives around Skukuza. Today, we were with Max. We started early again and went to a hide at a lake. There were tons of hippos! And even some baby hippos. They floated around for a while. A baby tried to stand on its mom. Finally, the babies and mommas went up on shore to play around. There was a crocodile that swam up to the hippo area, but kept its distance. Some egyptian geese were out of control, so a fish eagle swooped in to shut them up. The hippos made loud grunting shouds. After breakfast, we hit the road again. We came to a watering hole, where a leopard was staking out a possible lunch. We watched the leopard walk from its resting place and slink in the grass up toward some impala. The impala were on alert, but did not run away as the leopard snuck ever closer, blending in to the grass. After lunch, we made a pass by the river. We came across two male lions sleeping in the grass. Even calls for bacon could not wake them up.




Baby Giraffe!


Hippos!


Lake Panic.


So peaceful in the morning. (Darter)


Whoa! Check out that catfish!


Mama, just let me climb on top...


Caption


Crocodile


Hey buddy!


Go on, get up there...


rar!


RAR!


Yiieeeee!


Hippos! (Video)


Slender Mongoose.


Beeeater.


Southern Ground Hornbill.


"Mama, how is this supposed to go again?"


Leopard.











You never know what might be out there.


Something doesn't smell right ... Leopard!


Water Monitor.


Hold still!


Hey, do we have to wake up, yet?


Nope!


Sweet...


Eagle Owl. Max was happy he finally got to see it, too.

Day 10 (July 24, 2021)

Today was the day of lions! We saw at least 10! The morning started off slow because it was super cold! We did find a honey badger trying to sun himself on the side of his termite-hill den. There was a large group of elephants by the road, and we could watch them reach for leaves and eat. There were even a few babies with no tusks. A lion walked slowly along the banks of the Sabie river, right under us on a bridge. We saw two more in the distance, resting under a bush. On the drive to Lower Sabie, our next camp, we saw five lions resting on a big rock above the river. After checking in to the tent camp at Lower Sabie, we found two more lions stalking a group of buffalo. They decided they did not have enough lions to take down a buffalo, so they decided to look for something else. At the end of the day, we stopped by a large water hole. There were hippos swimming with cranes and storks on their backs. The birds stood there and drifted around with water going higher on their legs as the hippos went deeper, like they were standing on submarines! One hippo was not happy about the bird on his back and jumped up with his mouth wide open.




Morning game drive.


Sabie river.


Elephant babies playing.


View down the rivier.


Sabie river.


Lioness.





Lioness on the prowl.


Pride of lions resting on a rock.


Young male lion stalking some buffalo.


Rar!


Male lion. (photo taken through the open window of the van next to us)





Tree of life.


Sabie river.


If you are standing on a rock in a lake, ...


... make sure it is not a hangry hippo!


Insane!


"Did you hear the one about the rhino that walked in to a bar?..." (Stork hangin' with the hippos)


Hippo Surfing!

Day 11 (July 25, 2021)

The morning game drive was quite eventful! It started with some rhinos, but they were a bit far through the brush, but Max found an owl. Then, some lions hung out by the road as they crossed just ahead of us and we were able to watch them. A harrier hawk flew right across the vehicle, landed in a tree nearby, and searched the branches and holes for bugs and lizards. We arrived at the 'end of the park' at a nice view point over the river. There were many types of birds and the lions approached in the distance to drink some water. A herd of elephants grazed near the road with a baby that was only a month old. At the end of the day, as we were quickly driving back, we saw an african wild cat! It looked just like a house cat and it scampered away. It is very rare to see one!




Savanah


Wildebeast





Striped Kingfisher


Waterbuck.


Female waterbuck. Run!


Hyena


Harrier hawk.


Harrier hawk. They look in holes in trees for lizards and bugs to eat.


Lioness headed to get some water.


Fish Eagle.


Fish Eagle.


Dwarf mongoose.


Baby elephant, about 1 month old!


Lower Sabie camp on the Sabie river.


Steenbok.


Malachite Kingfisher.


Water monitor.


Pied Kingfisher hovering while looking for fish.


All sizes of elephants!


Crested Barbet.


Barred Owl.


African Wild Cat.

Day 12 (July 26, 2021)

Today was transfer day to Satara. We started with a morning drive around Lower Sabie that included a nursing baby elephant and some giraffes that were sparing with each other by swinging the backs of their heads at their backsides. As we drove up to Satara, there were some excellent views of the terrain of the park. Two ostrich were dancing and displaying. Then, they were mating! After checking in at Satara, we followed some info that a leopard and cheetah had made a kill, which was stolen by a lion, then stolen by some hyenas. We didn't find them, but we did see some jackals, which were part of my top 5 to be seen. We also saw a baobab tree, the upside-down tree, which I also wanted to see. Dinner was springbok fillet and wildebeast. I went with Max to try to find some owls or honeybadgers.




Sabie river.


Eagle in a tree.


Sunrise.


Yellow-billed storks in a tree.


Cape glossy starling.


Thunderbird - southern ground hornbill


Ostrich mating display.


Ostrich mating dance.


Ostriches dancing. (Video)


Savanah view.


Buffalo.


Male Giraffe.


Saddle-billed stork.


Can you find the jackal?


Black-backed jackals.


Burchell's coucal.


Baobab tree (Upside-down tree)


Sunset.

Day 13 (July 27, 2021)

We found 6 lions just after starting the morning drive. They spotted some impala and started to hunt. Four of them stayed in an area, while one tried to circle around right and another to the left. The impala were spooked and moved off. After a long lunch, Thulani finally found an owl, bringing the score to Max 12 - Thulani 1. An elephant played in the water, trying to spray water on itself. A marshal eagle ate a kill in a tree, it was probably a bird. After dinner, Max and I tracked down an owl in camp. Papa took some photos of the stars by the fence, were an animal with yellow eye shine slinked by.




Lioness eyeing some impala.


Watching and preparing to stalk some impala.





Waiting for others to chase some impala in this direction.








Lionesses dividing to flush some impala toward those waiting. (Video)


Sunrise.


Kori bustard (largest flying bird.)


Giraffe.


Green crocodile (just a crocodile in an algae pool!)


Male Giraffe.


Lappet-faced Vulture.


Lilac-Breasted Roller taking a twig out of its feathers.


Huts at Satara.


Verreaux's Eagle-Owl.


Elephant playing by spraying water.


Martial Eagle eating a bird that it caught on a branch.


Little Be-eater


Vulture and stork in a tree.


Black-backed jackal.


Savanah.


Kudu!


Sunset.


Scops Owl.


Milkyway.

Day 14 (July 28, 2021)

We packed up in Satara and headed out for our last game drive in Kruger. We checked out some watering holes and found a hyena walking by. A Leopard walked near the road, then headed out and crossed a stream. We drove past Skukuza and out of the park at the Paul Kruger gate.




Orion before sunrise.


Hyena.


Our shadow in the vehicle.


Baby elephant.


Baobab.


Lilac-Breasted Roller.


Lilac-Breasted Roller.


Saddle-billed Stork


Our whole group with our guides Happy, Thulani, chef Jae, and helper Beauty.


The train hotel near Skukuza.


Sign at the Kruger gate.



Malamala Game Reserve - July 28 - July 31, 2021



Day 14 (July 28, 2021)

We arrived at MalaMala around 1 o'cklock. We got all setteld in after check-in. We had an afternoon tea at 3. We then left to start our first safari tour at MalaMala. The jeeps have no roofs and the doors are shorter. Here the jeeps are able to go off-road to get a better view of some animals. The roads aren't paved so it's a bumpy ride. our first animal encounter was a breeding herd of Elephants, they were eating the grass in the river bed of the Sand River. After a few more minutes of a bumpy car ride we saw 2 Lions... um wrestling? We saw a few more lions but they were sleeping and getting ready for a hunt. We left them alone because we got a call and apperently there was a mother Leopard with 2 cubs. When we saw them they were wandering down the road, the cubs were about 6 months old but so so adorable. The cubs ran off in to the bush, and the mom was calling them to come back. One of the cubs was looking for food in the trees and was climbing the trees. He couldn't quite get down so he had to jump and land on his feet. After leaving the Leopards we went to go check on those sleeping Lions and they were on the move. As we followed them up the road we saw a Civet running away. We could not find the lions again, but we tracked a hyena to a water hole and there was a jackal digging up frogs. We had dinner in the boma, with a nice fire to keep us warm. The camp has no fence, so we had to have a night porter escort us to our rooms. At one point, a elephant had crossed through the camp and often, we found nyala eating in the middle of camp.




Entrance gate at Malamala.


Giraffe drinking water.


Snacks on the back deck.


Our room.


Male lion.


Wrestling lions.


Wrestling lions. (Video)


Male lion in the golden light.





Klip springer.


Sunset.


Leopard and cub.


Leopard


Mom and cub.


Cub


Cub climbing a tree, looking for dinner.


Cub trying to climb out of the tree... backwards.


Leopard


Lions waking up to go on a hunt.


Off to hunt.


Side striped jackal


Working on the blog!

Day 15 (July 29, 2021)

Our group hit the trail before others in camp and we rode with Dan. Dan wanted to be a rally car driver and gave us a good ride! After checking for tracks and animals near the river, we went up in to the bush and found some protected animals. They munched grass continuously with their big mouths and walked quite close to us. It was quite magestic to just watch them. The guides found a leopard and we tracked it through heavy brush, going over logs and shrubs along the way. We lost it when we had to stop an fix the exhaust as it was hanging low. There was an awesome breakfast in the bush, with good food and nice scenery. The guides found the mama leopard with two cubs and the mom stashed the cubs and went in to stalking mode, catching an impala behind a bush. She immediately began dragging it up a tree and we got to watch her carry the impala up to a sturdy branch. She was breathing very hard and had a long rest in the tree. She slept in the tree just like my cats at home. A hyena came by, smelling around to see what was going on. We could smell the hyena as they are pretty stinky! After the morning drive, we had a nice break around camp, sitting by the pool and working out in the gym. The pool was a lot too cold for swiming, but there were some elephants playing in the river not too far away. We checked on the leopards eating the impala in the tree. Mom started eating, but the cub did not seem to be hungry, yet. A male leopard appeared in another area and laid down to rest. He had a wound on the side of his face, and his face was swollen. We stopped for a sundowner near the loepard and the the lions that were mating. We enjoyed a very nice sunset, but I was anxious to get back on the trail to find some animals! In the dark, we found a genet, white tailed mongoose, lesser bush baby, a scops owl, and 1 year old leopard left by a different mom while she hunted. For dinner, we had Eland steaks, which was really good.




Squirrels trying to stay warm.


Male Leopard with a swollen face.

Breakfast in the bush.


Beverages by the pool and elephants.


Elephants on the river.


Leopard just caught an impala.


Now, it is bringing it up a tree for safety as lions and hyenas
might steal the impala, but they can't climb trees.



Almost there.


Finally made it!





Time for a nap.





Resting with the impala.


So relaxing!


Giraffe sunset


Sunset with the hood of the vehicle for the sundowner.


Genet.


Starting to work on the impala.


Cub waiting for dinner.


Cub and mom.





Mom getting cub ready to go eat.


Group dinner in the boma.

Day 16 (July 30, 2021)

The morning started off with tracking a herd of buffalo in hopes of finding some lions that were looking to hunt them the day before. The guide watched for tracks on the road. The guide quizzed me on one of the special tracks he found and I got it right! We followed buffalo tracks through the bush, and finally, we found some lion tracks, including some small footprints! We crashed through the bush some more and found a whole group of baby lions! Seven in total with three moms. The baby lions would watch our vehicle and try to stalk us. Then they would play and wrestle with each other. They were so cute! After watching them for a while, the moms got up and left the babies with us while they went out on a hunt. We followed the moms through the bush until they stopped at a termite hill to survey the area and take a rest. We had breakfast in the bush in a river bed and then went to check on the Leopards with the impala in the tree. The mom was in the tree and started to call her cubs. We watched a cub approach, call back to mom, climb the tree, and start eating. Another mother leopard had two very young cubs, only two-weeks old, that she was moving to another den, one at a time. We raced off to go and see her. The baby was so small and cute! Back in camp, there were some nyala eating (no fence around camp, so everyone can come walking in.) After a relaxing break back in camp, and some time resting by the pool, we headed out for our final night drive. We found the herd of buffalo by the river, then hung out with some elephants in the river. A mom was protective of her baby, and some mid-size elephants got a little upset with us as we drove by and began trumpeting. On the way to the sundowner, a large group of baboons began running in a field, which was pretty funny. The sundowner with everyone was nice, but I was ready to get back on the trail. That night, we looked for owls, saw a lesser bush baby, a genet, and also some meadow mongoose.




Lion cub with mom.








Lion cubs playing on the log.


This one fell off, hoping no-one noticed!











Arrr!


Where do you think you are going?




















Stalking us as we moved around.








So cute! Cubs playing around while the lionesses leave to go hunt. (Video)


Lionesses left the cubs to go on a hunt.


Stopping for a rest and a view of the area.


Scanning the area.


Time for a nap.


CC making us coffee.


arrrrrrrr!


You want a piece of me?! (Kudu)


Leopard cub calling back to mom.





Cub climbing the tree.


Mom coming down to check on the cub.


Cub climbing the tree with the impala that mom put in the tree. (Video)


Cub feeding on the impala.





Two-week old cub being carried to a new den.


Two-week old cub being carried to a new den.





Nyala in camp.


Baby elephant that was dancing around and trying to diplay to us.


Snacks at the sundowner.


The group with our Malamala guides Dan and Pete.


Our Landrover.





Genet.

Day 17 (July 31, 2021)

On the morning of our last game drive, we went out in search of wild dogs and cheetah. We went to the far reaches of the property, to the boarder with Kruger. It was a cool and foggy morning. There were some jackals playing by the airstrip. A male lion was laying by a road with a very full belly, so the guides new that a buffalo had been taken down over night. We didn't find any wild dogs or cheeta, but we found some giraffe that were chewing on some bones to get calcium. We then found the buffalo carcus and two male lions were taking turns eating it. One drug it to the shade near a bush to protect it from an eagle and a jackal that were nearby. He went and licked his brother, who then came down for his turn. In a few licks of his paws like a house cat, he cleaned all of the blood off of his face.




Riding in the vehicle on a cold morning.


View forward in the vehicle.


Riding on the trail! (Video)


Sunrise.


Jackals playing around.


Lion resting with a full belly.


Giraffe in the mist.


Laaaaaa!


Lion with buffalo.


Rar!


Time to rest and clean up.



Johannesburg - Aug. 1, 2021



Day 18 (Aug 1, 2021)

We arrived in Joburg the night before and took an uber to the Sandton area for dinner. We walked around and people watched. We had some nice big steaks at Bull Run. The driver wanted to handle all of our driving needs as there was not much business due to limited tourists. He was nice and had one shot already, so we decided to go with him the whole day the next day. We drove pretty far out of town to the Cradle of Humankind museum. The area had caves below ground that just happend to preserve bodies of those that fell in as a sample of who was living in the area up to 200,000 years ago and beyond. There was interesting history of the evolution of humanoids. We found out there was a Cheetah sanctuary (Ann Van Dyk) not too far away and we were able to get in for a tour. We found the rest of the Jack 5! They had cheetahs that had to be relocated and were used to breed cubs that could be introduced to the wild. They also had a honey badger, wild cat, serval, caracal, meekats, and wild dogs! It was awesome! I used my own money to adopt a wild dog. We then drove to the Soweto area of Joburg, which is where Nelson Mandella lived and was the center of the revolution to end apartheid. We had lunch at an outdoor restaurant with a variety of local dishes. The street and patrons was pretty lively. On the way back to the airport, we drove through a lively and busy shopping and restaurant district in downtown Joburg. Our 15 hr flight to Newark went well, slept about half, and watched some movies.

It was an awesome trip and I had a lot of fun! I am a bit sad that it is over. We had been looking forward to it for 2 years!




Nelson Mandella statue in an outdoor mall area.


My big ribeye!


Cradle of Humankind museum


Range of humanoid skulls.


Cheetah!


Wild Dogs! Including Xena.


Restaurant in Soweto.


Juju's colorful drink.


View of New York City from Newark. Bye bye trip!



We don't want to say where we saw these guys, but it was awesome!



















(Video)


[ Js of Thunder Home | Alaska 2023 | ALACN, Alaska 2022 | Safari 2021 | West Coast 2020 | Central Parks 2019 | Acadia 2019 | AlpineHippo]


[ © 2023 Js of Thunder | This site was last updated on Saturday, 29-Jul-2023 01:57:42 EDT ]