Day 8: March 19th

 

Today was bittersweet, yet full of adventure. Today we headed to Pilanesberg National Park to go on a 3–4-hour safari! This park is approximately 55,000 hectares (or approximately 136,000 acres). We encountered African elephant, white rhinos, zebras, hippos, vultures, a warthog, blue wildebeest, kudu, impala, and birds. Sadly, another year of seeing no big cats.

During the Safari we experienced quite the South African traffic jam with a male African elephant. Cars were backing up as he walked freely down the road. It was pretty amazing to watch and stay quiet while he stopped and ate grass every few minutes. We managed to capture some beautiful shots of the African elephant as well as Natalie capturing shots of all of us with him in the background! Our tour guide was exceptional with giving us information about the unique wildlife there.

Some fun facts we learned about this safari is that African elephant ears are the shape of Africa! Hippos are scared of elephants and stay a far distance away in the water. Black rhinos are more aggressive than white rhinos, but both cannot see very well. Hippos can also hold their breath for 5-6 minutes underwater. Kudu are able to drink water only twice a day and can hear anything far away with their big ears.

As we board the plane back to South Dakota, I think it’s safe to say we’re all ready to go home and sleep in our own beds. We were all amazed and learned so much about the agriculture and culture in South Africa. The connections we made with everyone there will last a lifetime.

Group photo on our safari truck

Elephant traffic jam

Looking at wildlife

Boarding our safari truck

Giraffe at Pilanesberg

Elephant close to the safari truck