South Africa: Final day at Kruger, part II

After our photo bonanza at Lake Panic, we started driving back towards the main road. We hadn't gone far when we had to stop because yet another herd of ellies were crossing. As with all the other ellies, not a care in the world.


Tail swinging, a baby was trying to keep up with the others.


He really was the cutest.


We saw these birds several times, and their random behavior led us to name them the African Birdbrain. Here they're running around, making weird noises and attacking each other for no apparent reason.


Random croc sleeping it off.


A typical South African river landscape.


This was as close as we got to a leopard. We were driving down one of the umpteen gravel roads, when we suddenly spotted this tiny orange-yellow smudge among the trees. We must have stayed for half an hour, just hoping it would DO something, and just as we were debating leaving, a herd of impalas ran past. The leopard chased after them into the jungle and we never saw if he caught one.


I also have video. Note that when Albie's talking about shooting the leopard, she means taking photographs. At no point was it our intention to kill and skin any animal and to put its hide up on our respective walls, for us to look at on a chilly winter's evening while enjoying a fine steak from some endangered animal. Not our intention at all.


Two minutes later, we passed these impalas. One of them had accessorized with a live bird. Tres chic.


Seeing this outline of a vulture brought back memories of a thousand childhood comics.


There was a hillside where you could actually leave the car and walk around (at your own risk). The views were nice, but you couldn't see a single animal. The skies were nice, though.


We then drove back to the Kruger Gate, where we'd signed up for a so-called sunset drive. I must say that most of the 3-hour drive was pretty cold and boring, but the first half hour... well, five minutes after leaving the gate, we came across these guys... see for yourself.


Allow me to stress that we were driving a truck, where the walls were basically canvas. Our ranger had no weapons that I could see. If they'd wanted us for supper, there's little we could have done about it.


Yet, they were content to just walk along and in front of us, really not giving a fuck.


Six young male lions at sunset. It doesn't get much better than that for a finale.


Naturally, I was skeptical of Kruger.