Travel Stories of the ‘Big 5’ at Kruger National Park
After an incredible 10 days of safaris in Kruger National Park, we were somewhat relieved to have a much needed break from the early mornings and long days of driving, but we also had a feeling of sadness that our time with the animals had come to an end. From the thousands of impala chasing each other across the road, to the hippos hollering in the dam, and the adorable baby animals wobbling around, it was an experience we’ll never forget.
Before I dive into my stories, the term ‘Big 5’ may need a bit of an explanation. This expression has been floating around since the 19th Century when it was considered almost a badge of honour among game hunters to bring home one of the five most dangerous animals to hunt on foot—lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant, and rhinoceros. Nowadays, the name ‘Big 5’ is still in use, but it celebrates the chance to observe these remarkable animals in their natural habitat.
Without further ado, here’s a collection of my short stories highlighting our favourite moments with the ‘Big 5’.
The Lion – King of the Jungle
During one of our safari drives, we came across the stunning Orpen Dam on the far east side of the park, and instantly fell in love with its beauty. We decided to return for a second visit to enjoy the peaceful landscapes and, hopefully, catch a glimpse of some hippos in one of their favourite hangouts.
With a spacious seating area perfect for a picnic lunch, I felt at peace listening to the sounds of nature. After we had ample time to stretch our legs and get some photos, we loaded ourselves back into our car, completely unaware of the surprises waiting for us around the corner.
Just minutes down the road from Orpen Dam, we spotted a few cars that were stopped on the side of the road. Intrigued, we nudged our way closer to discover a pair of lions—a 2-for-1 deal, with a female and male lion quietly lounging beneath a shaded tree.
As we waited for the lions to become more active, additional vehicles continued to show up, eager to catch a glimpse of the action. Something I noticed is that people start to grow impatient when they see lions resting. After all, lions are pretty lazy animals, and they can be found resting for over 16 hours a day!
To no surprise, someone in a truck revved their engine and took off driving without a care in the world. The sudden noise spooked the lioness, who was happily resting as the paparazzi snapped photos. Clearly, she was not impressed and still craved her beauty sleep.
Within seconds, she was on her feet, pacing around, and all of a sudden, she beelined directly at our vehicle. With adrenaline pumping through our veins, any rational thoughts had briefly left our bodies. With clouded judgment, we kept our windows wide open to seize the opportunity for a photo. The lioness came within a few feet of Paul’s door, easily within striking distance of her next potential meal.
With our hearts racing and hardly any time to catch our breath, we noticed the male lion now standing tall, preparing his escape route across the road to join his partner. As he approached our car, we just hoped for the best, kept filming (of course!), and prayed we wouldn’t lose any limbs.
Just before the male lion strutted over to his sweetheart, he decided to put on a show! He walked directly in front of the half-dozen cars, paused, squatted like a boss, and let his bowels run free. I think he wanted to remind everyone that he’s the one and only king of the jungle.
The Leopard – A Stealthy Hunter
Our morning started off as usual, with a quick 15-minute drive from our accommodations to the Kruger Orpen Gate. Upon arrival, we entered the park office to pick up our day permit, grabbed a cappuccino for the road, and managed to pass through the gate around 9:00 am. We started our day a bit late in terms of ‘safari time’ to catch up on some sleep, so we didn’t expect to see any rare wildlife.
Just a few meters from the gate, before we could even plan our route for the day, Paul spotted a large animal crossing the road in the distance. As we approached cautiously, it became clear that it was a lone animal—one of the Big Cats, the elusive leopard!
I was initially in a state of panic when I realized I had made a rookie mistake; I was so busy enjoying my morning coffee that I hadn’t prepared my camera gear! Caught completely off guard and unprepared, I thought I’d miss this ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ opportunity to photograph this stunning animal. To our surprise, the leopard appeared unfazed by our sudden intrusion into its territory.
After it crossed the road, the leopard continued to walk gracefully alongside our car, occasionally glancing at us as though it was sizing up its potential prey. I had mixed feelings about having such a dangerous animal so close to our car. Part of me was excited and captivated, while the other part—aka my heart—was pounding like it was about to jump out of my chest.
Suddenly, a stretch of dense bushes and lush trees obstructed our view, and we temporarily lost sight of it.
“Oh shoot!”, I thought. Please don’t eat us.
With an animal as stealthy and agile as a leopard, we felt uneasy not knowing where it went. We instinctively went into survival mode. Forget the photos!—It’s time to rethink our ‘windows-open’ approach”.
With incessant scanning in all directions and a bit of patience, the leopard reappeared from behind the bushes. As it continued on with its morning routine, we carefully maneuvered our car to match the speed of its footsteps.
Our game of cat and mouse continued on for another five or so minutes until the leopard snuck deeper into the bushes once more—likely to make its ‘meal plan’ for the day. Perhaps it had its sights set on a wildebeest or an antelope? As long as it wasn’t us…
The Buffalo – An Unpredictable Beast
As we puttered along in search of wildlife, we were startled to see a massive herd of buffalo crossing the road up ahead. Upon first glance, their intense expressions instantly exuded dominance and toughness. And, their constant desire to have staring contests was rather unnerving.
As we watched them approach, one by one, we lost count of how many there were. It seemed as though this buffalo herd was never-ending! With what we estimated to be easily 200+ buffalo, we had no other choice but to wait for them to clear the road.
They had a ‘slow and steady’ attitude, pausing to nibble on the grass along the way. The last thing we wanted to do was to rush them and end up with one of their meter-long horns puncturing the side of our vehicle. We felt relieved to see that they were only interested in grazing the abundant grass.
Once there was a gap in the herd, we made a break for it and slowly crept across the road, being extra careful not to make any excessive noise. We made it to the other side safe and sound, and our car remained fully intact. Phew! Time to find some animals with a little less drama.
~ Lesson Learned ~
At the time, we couldn’t understand why buffalo were such a big deal. I mean, they’re not even remotely cute, and they almost resemble large cows with oversized horns. Sure, their horns could do serious damage, but we never saw any of them show signs of aggression. They’re herbivores, so why would they be interested in us?
As it turns out, they are considered by many to be the most dangerous of the ‘Big 5’ with very few predators. Cape Buffalo are known for their moody, unpredictable behaviour, and they can attack, without any warning signs, at a moment’s notice. And the old bulls, otherwise known as the ‘dagga boys’, well, they’re simply bored and grumpy after years of being forced out of their herd. Yikes.
Although I was uninformed at the time, I feel more prepared if I’m head to head with one of these beasts in the future.
The Elephant – A Gentle Giant
On Day 2 in Kruger National Park, we felt pretty lucky. While we hadn’t spotted the ‘Big 5’ yet, we had already seen hundreds of animals. After driving north to Olifants Rest Camp the previous day, we decided to switch it up and head south, opting for the quieter, unpaved roads.
As we made our way toward the Talamati Bushveld Camp, we spotted a herd of elephants hidden among the thick trees in the distance on our right hand side. We guessed they would eventually make their way to a watering hole further ahead on the left. So, we carefully reversed the car, positioned ourselves behind the trail marked by elephant droppings on the road, and then we waited for the magic to happen.
While we watched them march closer, the sheer size of the elephants made us wonder if we made the right decision—after all, they could easily flip our car in an instant with a flick of their trunk!
Once the elephants arrived, we were ecstatic that our plan worked. Though, instead of maybe spotting a handful of them, the parade of elephants didn’t seem like it would end.
One by one, the 50+ elephants created a cloud of dust as they crossed the dirt road directly in front of us, and eventually blocking us all sides. Initially, it felt a bit intimidating to be surrounded by them with no exit plan, but these particular elephants seemed very calm and undisturbed that we were on their land unannounced.
We slowly drove forward, inch by inch, following along in our Toyota Urban Cruiser, as they marched towards the Fairfield watering hole.
With playful baby elephants in tow, as well as towering male ‘bulls’ over 10 feet tall, we were mesmerized—It felt like something out of National Geographic. For a moment, these elephants invited us into their herd.
Our initial 5 minutes with the elephants would’ve been amazing on its own, except our time with them lasted over 40 minutes. As the minutes passed, another five cars joined in behind us.
With a heightened level of communication, many of the female elephants, known as the cows, along with their calves, displayed an immense curiosity, pausing occasionally to make direct eye contact and greet us with their trunks.
Eventually, our elephant friends had to part ways and we continued on with our safari. However, this unforgettable experience will remain etched in our memories for a lifetime. Who would have thought that waiting a few extra minutes for the elephants to join us could lead to something so magical?
A gentle reminder that “Good things come to those who wait”.
The Rhinoceros – A Master of Intimation
After a long safari day and lots of animal sightings, we were ready to sign off for the night to start fresh again in the morning. But, we underestimated the length of our drive back to the gate. It turned into a race against time to exit the gate before the park closed—if not, we might get slapped with a nasty fine.
We frantically scanned the signposts at intersections, trying to figure out how to get ourselves out of the park on time. Unfortunately, we accidentally made a wrong turn and ended up lost!
Our error in navigation was a blessing in disguise.
Just ahead, casually strolling along the roadside was a rare sight—a magnificent white rhinoceros. While their substantial size can feel intimidating, white rhinos are considered much more docile compared to black rhinos, which made us feel relatively safe.
It was clear that the rhino was uninterested in us or the nearby safari vehicle, as it kept munching away on the tall grass that lined the dirt road. We continued to gawk at its presence from a safe distance.
This momentous occasion was our final checkmark on our safari bucket list—we had officially seen the ‘Big 5’!
After a short visit, we seriously needed to find our way out of the park quickly—the clock was still ticking.
So, we quietly asked the safari guide for directions. ‘Paul Kruger’, as we affectionately nicknamed him, epitomized every stereotype we had of the real Paul Kruger, a South African hero and pivotal leader in the creation of Kruger National Park.
With an eloquent South African accent that instantly captivated our attention, the safari guide seemed to be a natural born leader. Before we could even ask for directions, he enthusiastically told us about a family of lions further down the road that we should check out.
My brain instantly thought, “What!? You’ve gotta be kidding me!” First a rhino, and now lions!? The universe has a twisted sense of humour. How can we possibly drive away…?
The 21-year old version of me might have made a different decision, but sadly, we had to be ‘responsible’ and drive back to the gate.
We barely squeaked by, with just enough time to see the sunset over the Paul Kruger bridge—a perfect way to end the day.
Final Thoughts
That sums up our search for the ‘Big 5’, all while ending on a high note. Kruger National Park is one of those special places in the world that offers something new with each visit, year after year. Over the course of ten days of safaris, we experienced an action-packed adventure filled with numerous chance encounters with some truly incredible wildlife.
Don’t miss my other Kruger post to uncover more of the intriguing wildlife hanging out in the park!
