Untitled

[jillhoven]

And then it was time to just, you know, chill out with a lion. Yes. A LION. Because duh. #😸 #Lion #CoolCats #AndYesIMeanBothOfThem #CoolAsCucumbersBaby! #SafariDrive17 #LionSands (at Lion Sands Game Reserve)

[jillhoven]

So, yeah. If you were wondering? A lovely way to start an evening #safari drive is by hanging out with a sleeping #rhino, a wallowing #hippo, and a sun-bathing #crocodile at the local #waterhole. #JustAnotherDayOnSafari #JustAnotherDayWhereMyMindIsBlown #SeriouslyPeople #ThisIsNormalHere! #SafariDrive17 #LionSands (at Lion Sands Game Reserve)

[jillhoven]

So, yeah. If you were wondering? A lovely way to start an evening #safari drive is by hanging out with a sleeping #rhino, a wallowing #hippo, and a sun-bathing #crocodile at the local #waterhole. #JustAnotherDayOnSafari #JustAnotherDayWhereMyMindIsBlown #SeriouslyPeople #ThisIsNormalHere! #SafariDrive17 #LionSands (at Lion Sands Game Reserve)

[jillhoven]

Right. This is how you know the bush is straight up realz: there are sun-bleached bones strewn across the landscape. For the most part, it's only a leg bone or a jawbone here or there, but sometimes there are skulls. BIG skulls. Like this #hippo skull. Luckily for this guy, he died of old age... just hiked up the hill a ways, and died (fully-grown hippos have no predators other than humans). Very few animals in this part of the world can claim such an ending. #CircleOfLife #ThisPlaceIsAmazing #MotherNatureIsAmazing #MakesDrivingToAndFromSoccerPracticesAtHomeSeemIncrediblyTame! #SafariDrive17 #LionSands #SouthAfrica (at Lion Sands Game Reserve)

[jillhoven]

And after an amazing morning on safari, we came back for breakfast, and they served us FRESH DONUTS WITH HOMEMADE WHIPPED CREAM. (!!!!) Omigoodness this place knows how to treat you right. #LikeRoyalty #NopeNobodyIsHappyHere #😜 #🍩 #BreakfastOfChampions! #ImNeverLeavingThisPlace #LionSandsRiverLodge

[jillhoven]

And then FINALLY I got to see #hippos up close! Or at least, as up close as I'd ever care to get. 😜 And there were 13 of them, all enjoying the cool water!! Pretty sure my favorite one, though, was that little baby peeking at us smack dab in the middle of the group. (Such cuteness!!) Interesting #safari fact: hippos are actually one of the most dangerous animals out there, and are highly aggressive; but because #Kruger and the other game reserves have made conservation a priority, boat traffic is no longer allowed (or at least is very curtailed) in the area rivers, and deaths caused by hippos has dramatically declined in the last few years. #SharingTheEarth #LivingWithWildlife #LearningToBeGoodNeighbors #ItsAllGood #SafariDrive16 #LionSands #KrugerNationalPark (at Lion Sands Game Reserve)

[jillhoven]

(Finally getting back to playing with photos; a few more to share from our trip to South Africa!) After seeing the mama leopard and her cub, we were pretty sure that'd be the highlight of the #safari drive. But then we can across this mama #lion and her four-month old cubs!! Ack! Cuteness overload!! Turns out, this #mama is my HERO. She does not have a pride, and she is raising these cubs (almost) on her own; in addition, this is the second time that she's raised a set of male cubs... ON HER OWN. (!!) The first time, her two sisters were killed by other female lions in the pride (female lions can be just as territorial as males), and she managed to escape with her two male cubs, only a few months old at the time. Now, about five years later, those two cubs are some of the dominant lions in the area (she won't join their pride, because the only females in a pride are to be mated with, and she's the mother), and the lion she did mate with this time can't compete with the two male lions - they chased him away, but she's not interested in following. (I know! It's like a soap opera!) Luckily, both of her older "cubs" clearly know they owe her their lives, and regularly check on her, as does the father of the new cubs (he just can't stay around). She's strong, so hopefully she and the cubs will be okay. Also, the Cubs were playing with s stick and it was ADORABLE. 💗 #QueenOfTheBush #CuzItsNotAJungleHere! #ButItFeelsLikeIt #SingleMom #Respect #SafariDrive16 #LionSands #KrugerNationalPark (at Lion Sands Game Reserve)

[jillhoven]

On our second #safari drive at #SabiSands, we were pretty over the moon when we came upon this mother #leopard and her 1yo female cub (and their dead bushbuck up in the tree!). The mother leopard is known as Scotia (rangers often name leopards because leopards are highly territorial, therefore don't stray far from their territory, therefore become well-known to rangers in the area), but the female cub won't have a name until she leaves her mama and finds a territory of her own. Scotia originally had two cubs, but one was killed, it is assumed by lions. #ThisIsNotAZoo #Respect #Kruger (at Lion Sands, Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve)

[jillhoven]

Given that we don't get back from our evening game drive and then dinner until well after 8pm, and then wake up again before 6am for our morning game drive, we haven't exactly caught up on any rest here on safari! But I definitely appreciate the comfortable beds and beautiful rooms we've had. 😜 #OhYeah #ICouldSoGetUsedToThis! #LionSandsRiverLodge

[jillhoven]

Our room opened up to a lovely little porch; this little bushbuck was a regular visitor. 💗#CutiePatootie! #LionSandsRiverLodge

[jillhoven]

Seriously. This is getting ridiculous. Like seeing some of the most amazing animals in the world roam wild and free isn't enough, I get this bathtub with a view, too?! #LivingItUp! #BeforeIHaveToHeadBackToReality #MightBeABrutalReentryImThinking! 😜 #LionSandsRiverLodge

[jillhoven]

Our third and final safari accommodation! After four nights on Manyeleti and three nights on Timbavati, we made our way to #SabiSands, a private game reserve bordering #KrugerNationalPark (again, no fences exist between the reserve and #Kruger, so that the animals can roam free). Sabi Sands is known for being one of the best game-viewing reserves in the whole area (this is one of the main spots National Geographic photographers go when photographing lions and leopards), and reports to have more wildlife per hectare than any other spot on the planet. After our three nights here, I do not doubt this assertion! #SafariLife #ICouldSoGetUsedToThis! 😜 #LionSandsRiverLodge

[jillhoven]

And then we were off to our next and last #safari lodge on the #SabiSands game reserve, closer to the southern edge of #KrugerNationalPark. Though GoogleMaps told me it'd take 3 hours to drive from our lodge on Timbavati, it actually took more than 4 hours to get there!! (In addition to the dirt roads which naturally slow one down when one is driving a non-SUV car rental, there was lots of road work along the way, and hundreds of people walking on the shoulders of the busy highway - a common practice here in South Africa, but one that makes me crazy nervous! - as they walked to and from their homes, jobs, schools and public transportation.) We arrived literally ten minutes before our afternoon game drive; phew! First stop: an amazing platform deck under a massive sausage tree (it bears HUGE fruits bigger than this kid's head that strongly resemble Italian sausages, seriously!) with simply staggering views of the Sabi River. We sat and watched a mother lion and her older male "cub" while the sun began to set. #ThisIsTheLife! (at Sabi Sands, Kruger Park, South Africa)

[jillhoven]

Oh yeah, you know... just watching a couple adolescent male #elephants rough-house... no big deal! 😜 These guys were showing off as they were passing through the female-and-young-elephant-only group, checking to see if any of the females were in heat. #🐘#TheLittleBrotherWantedInOnTheActionToo 😜 #JustATypicalDayInTheBush! #SafariDrive14 #Timbavati #Kruger #SouthAfrica

[jillhoven]

What a way to end our last #safari drive at #Umlani! Five #lions: two females, and three older cubs. They were enjoying the early morning sun, but as it gets warmer (you can tell from Liam still being bundled up that it's not warm here!) they'll eventually move to the shade. Lions sleep for 16-18 hours a day! They hunt during the cooler hours, usually around sunset or during the night. #ItsGoodToBeACat!! #YesThe9yoIsTakingNotes #HesBeenCountingHowManyOfEachAnimalWeSee! #BuddingBiologist?! #BestDiaryEver?! #SafariDrive14 #Timbavati #Kruger #SouthAfrica (at Timbavati Private Nature Reserve)

[jillhoven]

Snuggles in the morning?! 💖 #SafariDrive14 #Giraffes #KrugerNationalPark (at Timbavati Private Nature Reserve)

[jillhoven]

We have seen lots of really amazing wildlife here on #safari in the #KrugerNationalPark area, but I have yet to get used to seeing huge and amazing animals like impalas, kudus, nyalas, elephants and giraffes just walk around, you know, like IT'S NORMAL. It feels so special! There are four species of #giraffes, but only one kind live here in #SouthAfrica, the Savannah Giraffe. These guys don't have vocal chords, so they speak mostly with body language. You can tell which ones are males because they have flatter horns (they fight with other males), whereas females have knobbier horns and even hair on the tops of their heads. Though giraffes are huge, and are effective fighters as they can kick their legs both forward and back, they are still a common food source for the area's local apex predators (primarily lions), especially if they're found sleeping, as it's hard for them to get back up. #YouLearnSomethingKnewEveryday #Sunrise #SafariDrive14 #Timbavati #Kruger #SouthAfrica (at Timbavati Game Reserve)