Balule Reserve Day One: Living High on the Warthog

I'm now at Pondoro Game Lodge in Balule Nature Reserve on the western edge of Kruger National Park. I could get used to this place. My suite is a stand-alone chalet with a deck overlooking the Olifants River that flows through the reserve. The deck has a Jacuzzi and the bathroom has a tub deep enough to get DCS if you stayed in it too long. The food is spectacular too. I arrived in time for lunch followed by an afternoon game drive. The Holy Grail of a game park is to be able to see "The Big Five" which consists of Elephant, Rhino, Cape Buffalo, Lion and Leopard. We were five for five on the first game drive. We started out with a very close White Rhino, then some Elephants and a Cape Buffalo (both too distant to shoot), followed by a batch of 8 Lion cubs that had been "dropped off at day care" while the mom's were on a hunt. That got us to sunset and just a bit beyond. Se then stopped for "Sundowners" and snacks (including some pan fried sausages cooked on a gas burner on the 4x4's bumper). After drinks and snacks, we continued on a night game drive on our way back to the lodge and sure enough, we found a leopard (I was going to say we spotted a leopard, but that would be a really bad pun). Not a bad start.

White Rhino


Just a-lyin in the grass