One of the main reasons to visit South Africa and other African countries is to go on Safari. The word ‘Safari’ conjures up different images for different people. It is definitely the enjoyable and sometimes exciting search for wild animals in the bush. It can be undertaken on the back of a truck with a large group of people, in a Land Rover or in your own vehicle if the roads are good enough.
People talk about spotting the ‘big 5’, which are the lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo, or the ‘big 7’ which adds on whales and big white sharks which can be spotted off the coast of South Africa at certain times of year. Some of us who are safari novices can get quite excited about the other less significant animals on safari such as multicolour locusts, timid impala or enormous dung beetles
South Africa offers national parks such as the Addo Elephant park or the Kruger National Park where visitors have a choice of their own vehicles or the game park’s vehicles and organised excursions. These are accompanied by a knowledgeable ranger who knows where it is most likely to find various animals and can identify them for you.
The Addo Elelphant Park recently overtook the Kruger in visitor popularity, possibly because it is nearer Cape Town; the airport most people fly into.
One of the really nice things about driving in the South African countryside is that you do spot wild animals outside the game reserves. Baboons and ververt monkeys are often seen near grass verges, as are wart hogs, mongoose, various types of deer and birds of prey soar in the skies above.
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