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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