Day 2 – Travelling to Kruger National Park

We woke early this morning to get ready for the 9 and a half hour drive to Kruger National Park. On the way we were absolutely indulged by the magnificent African scenery. It felt as though a blanket of golden grasses had been laid over the landscape for us to marvel at.

 
 

 

We also had our first glimpses of ‘real’ wildlife: we saw two ostriches and a herd of water buffalo just as we were coming into a local village for a rest and a bite to eat.

After a quick salad we were back on the road but this time saw the other side to this country (and many other African countries) – the poverty. On the road to Kruger it didn’t go on for as long as other places I will mention yet it was enough to be more than merely ‘noticeable’. The small shanty shack communities these people live in are just awful – absolutely tiny with only one room for a whole family. The locals also told us that some people’s average wage is 70 rand or less a day which to you and me is around £4 for a full day’s work – when you consider the cost of food, clothes, blankets, water (in some cases) and school this very quickly diminishes which really shows the viscous circle of poverty that these poor people are trapped in.

About an hour away from our hotel we stopped for a rest at the breath taking Blyde River Canyon. It was totally spectacular, stretching so far as to make it the 3rd largest canyon in the world. It’s 26km long and is 800m deep in some places – it was amazing to see such a wonderful natural beauty.

 

 

 

Once we arrived at the beautiful Hippo Hollow we unpacked and headed to the local restaurant that was a part of the hotel. The food was excellent and offered us even more unusual dishes to try. I had crocodile skewers to start which were (and I’m not just saying this) delicious. It’s difficult to describe the taste and texture but I’d say it was like the texture and flavour of scallops combined with chicken – I know it sounds bizarre but it was in fact sensational and I had the same the next  night since they were so scrummy.

For my main I tried an Ostrich steak which I didn’t enjoy as much the crocodile – it was quite tough and too smoky for my liking but that may have been down to its cooking rather than its actual flavour.

To finish the day off we found out exactly how Hippo Hollow got its name. Located on a river which links right into Kruger National Park, at around 9:00pm we were visited by some hippos! They came into view just as we were finishing our meal – right bellow the small balcony of the restaurant and honestly, these guys were HUGE! They came so close you could actually see marks on their backs where they’d had territorial fights. I almost forgot that they are one of the most dangerous animals in Africa as they grazed peacefully along the river bank.

 

We then said good bye to the hippos and went off to bed for an early night’s sleep so we’d be bright and fresh for the next morning’s early safari!