Page 8 - SAFFER Magazine 01
P. 8
A MONTH IN HEAVEN
Dries de Wet
www.dewetswild.com
dewetswild@yahoo.co.za
ou don’t need me to tell you that place very close to the hearts of so many glowingly red, clouds whiter than the
South Africa is richly endowed South Africans, including us de Wets. sheets in a washing powder commercial.
Ywith natural wonders, scenic A serenity set in deep inside our souls
splendour and an incredible diversity of So it came that we; being myself (Dries), that’s impossible to describe in words,
fauna and flora. Destinations like Table my wife Marilize and our ten year old in absolute awe at the magnificence of
Mountain and the Cape Peninsula, the son Joubert, spent a month over this past Creation untrammelled by the human
Drakensberg, the Garden Route, the Christmas and New Year camping at presence.
Kalahari and Karoo, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Satara Rest Camp in the central Kruger.
Park and Lake Saint Lucia are known Sure, it was hot; 40+ degrees centigrade Of course, it is the wildlife for which Kru-
the world over and top the bucket-lists in the shade is par for the course in the ger is best known. To list the sightings we
of tourists both local and overseas. And Lowveld at this time of year. It was humid were blessed with while staying at Satara
then there’s the Kruger National Park, and sticky, and when it rained it came will sound like bragging. And I am. We
one of the oldest, largest and best man- down in bucket loads. There were snakes, had excellent sightings of all five the ma-
aged National Parks on the planet and a scorpions and blister beetles to contend jor predators occurring in the Park: lions,
with. Regularly. leopards, cheetahs, wild dogs and spotted
hyenas. Even one of only three known
Yet I don’t think wild white lions on earth. Elephants were
I’ve ever felt as prevalent on all our drives, including a
close to Heaven few majestic tuskers – Kruger is after all
as I was on this one of the few remaining strongholds
holiday. Colours for elephants carrying impressive ivory.
so rich that Despite the scourge of poaching we still
they cannot be had some very special encounters with
replicated by rhinoceroses, and buffaloes, hippos
mere humans – and giraffes put in regular appearances.
the veld greener Scores of baby impalas, wildebeests and
than green, the zebras were as cute as can be. Flocks of
sky bluer than queleas numbering in the thousands
blue, sunrises moved over the grassy fields in huge
and sunsets waves. Altogether we ticked 46 species
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