We left camp sharply at 8 am and headed south toward the most southern park gates at Crocodile Bridge, which is also home to the park’s southernmost camp. The drive takes about an hour and a half if you don’t stop for animals. Of course, about 30 minutes in, a giraffe had other plans—she stopped right in the middle of the road to watch the flow of cars. What was meant to be a smooth drive turned into an unexpected 30-minute standstill until she finally wandered back into the bush.Below is a photo of our last elephant sighting. Sad to say goodbye! As we approached Crocodile Bridge—aptly named for the Crocodile River—you could clearly see the park’s boundary. On one side, lush green forest; on the other, a barren landscape stripped by the enormous elephant population. I tried to capture this contrast, but my photos didn’t turn out very well. Exiting the park, rangers checked our entry permit and inspected our van. At first, I wondered—did they think we were hiding a monkey? But no, they were searching for rhino horns. Their protection efforts are serious, and rightly so. We applaud them! 🦏
From there, our drive took us through central Johannesburg and into serious traffic. Let me just say—Los Angeles has nothing on Joburg! A detour pushed us through some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods, and it was heartbreaking to see the extreme poverty.
After 10 long hours on the road, we finally made it to Winburg. Following a much-needed dinner, we all collapsed into bed. Tomorrow, I’ll share photos of the lodge—and hopefully some wildlife sightings.
On Saturday, we’ll attend an Arabian horse auction where Douw’s brother, Marnus, will be selling around 50 horses bred for endurance racing. Marnus also owns and operates the family’s wildlife reserve and also raises cattle. Douw’s other brother, Nelius, owns and runs the auction house, which sells cattle, horses, sheep, and game animals. He’s also a helicopter pilot specializing in capturing game animals across the region’s many reserves. Quite an impressive family—and I must add, some of the warmest, friendliest, down-to-earth people you could ever meet!
