Wild misgivings: African safari part 5

Day one at Kruger started with an introduction to bushlife from our guide Nick. A bespectacled middle aged Brit, he had a wry sense of humour which kept us in good spirits throughout the safari. He was more of a bird watcher than a cat lover and we were made acutely aware of it at every turn in the bush. The morning safari began at 6 after a camp breakfast. Armed with hats, binocs, sunscreen and flasks of tea/coffee and biscuits Nick would drive us off in one of the camp's many top open landcruisers. To be honest, the first morning I was terrified. 'No covers?' I asked incredulously, looking at the empty frame around the vehicle. Nick smirked and our two South African copassengers- an elderly couple, laughed. 'What are you afraid of?' the guide asked. 

'Well, this is the wild....'I began. My heart was thumping as I imagined being pounced upon by lions and leopards. The others were already seated as I hesitated, trying to get an answer from Somebody. 

'Don't worry Miss, the animals are more afraid of you than you are of them! Get in!' Nick replied tersely.

And so, with misgivings I climbed in. Over the next three days as we combed miles and miles of the bushveld around us, sometimes dense jungle, sometimes arid desert filled with cactii, sometimes dark groves deep in the interiors, I did understand what he tried to tell me. There were no animals waiting to pounce on us. They were just going about their business which was to survive. As long as we respected their territory and did not provoke them they just couldnt care less. 

Nick taught us to read animal tracks and droppings and identify bird and animal calls. We would pick up trails of wild buffaloes, zebras, elephants and the numerous varieties of antelopes and deer in the forest. We saw crocodiles sunbathing in the banks alongside a group of hippos. We spotted a huge young rhino calf silently munching on some grass. The buffaloes looked mean and scary while the crocs were frankly faking their stupor. 

I consider peeing in the bush as one of the scariest experiences of my life. I recommend everyone not to ever try it. After a day of staring into the shadows of every tree and peering into the branches to discern the shape of a bird we became really good at 'animal and bird spotting'. It was very competitive in the cruiser. We all tried to outdo each other in trying to spot some species and impress our guide! Around ten in the morning when the sun became quite unbearable we would head back to the camp for rest until three when the afternoon safari would begin. Along with the animals we too would crash for a snooze and wait for it to get cooler to venture out again!