What’s on your ‘must see’ list before emigrating from South Africa?
Published On: May, 2022
When people are leaving their home country permanently, they always try to see as much as possible before departing. Rilee and her family wanted to visit Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve before they permanently leave the sunny shores of South Africa.
This full-day safari was their first and last, at least until they visit South Africa again. So with our fingers crossed, we hoped for great sightings, beautiful weather and having loads of fun.
Before we could even reach the entrance gate, we had our first sighting. There was so much excitement and ‘wows’. The first of our big 5, elephants, were peacefully enjoying the morning air whilst browsing. This was the first time they saw elephants. I had to answer a lot of questions about elephants. This viewing set the mood for the day. But the animal that everyone was looking forward to seeing, is not on the big 5 list. However, it is on the list for ranking number 1 in the world in its category. We’re on the hunt for the tallest mammal in the world, the giraffe.
Before breakfast, we saw warthogs, beautiful birds, and the magnificent scenery that Hluhluwe National Park has to boast. We were well entertained at breakfast by a male impala that was snorting and chasing after females. This was quite a funny sight as the females ran away from him but he wouldn’t give up. He just moved from one female to the next. The snorting sounded like a lion, which scared the kids. But I told them that it’s the impala and he’s a herbivore. Eventually, the kids started to enjoy the freedom of being in the wild. And started to explore their surroundings. With happiness in our tummies after breakfast, we continued on our safari.
And soon, a journey of giraffes graced us with their presence. Today was our lucky day. Everyone was in awe of how beautiful giraffes are. They were amazed by the giraffe facts that I gave to them.
When the rhino was spotted they couldn’t believe their eyes. They expected rhinos to be smaller than they really are. It was a quiet day in the game reserve so we spent as much time as we liked at each sighting. So, everyone practiced their photographing skills at each sighting. This is the beauty of Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve.
It was really nice to see the Imfolozi River with a very healthy flow. As Zululand received well-deserved rain. All the little water holes were filled with water as well. It was a cool overcast day so there wasn’t much animal action at the water holes but we did get to see birds enjoying their time around the water.
Seeing all these beautiful animals in their own habitat are memories this family will never forget.
Safe travels to Rilee and her family and good luck on your new adventure.
