South Africa:
Is there any place safe?
Black rhinoceros
Strangely enough, the safest place to
be in South Africa is in a game park
surrounded by wild animals. It certainly
is safer than walking the streets of
Johannesburg. The real danger to a
traveller in South Africa is not from
wild animals, but from the people. So,
the most harmless way to immerse
yourself in the beauty of South Africa
is to head directly to the nearest game
park.
Edeni, Kruger, and Mkuzi are three of
the many game parks in this stunning
country. They offer different terrain,
animals, and game park experiences.
Edeni
private game reserve is 32.8 square
miles and straddles four rivers. The
place teems with an abundance of
wildlife, birdlife, and diverse dense
vegetation, which provides the perfect
habitat for the most secretive of
Africa's large cats, the leopard. Edeni
offers a variety of accommodations
options from, South Africa's version of
luxury 5 star, to simpler tented camps.
It is possible (and recommended) to fly
to Hoedspruit and transfer from the
airport to the park.
Kruger
National Park is massive at
7,332 square miles. It extends 220 miles
from north to south and 40 miles from
east to west. Kruger has many
accommodation options from
well-appointed campsites to luxury
lodgings. Because of its size your
chances of seeing the Big Five increases
with a visit to Kruger. Coined by
big-game hunters the phrase Big Five
refers to the five most difficult
animals in Africa to hunt on foot. Most
wildlife guides that discuss African
safaris still use the term, but less
destructive camera-toting tourists have
mostly replaced big game hunters these
days. The five animals in question are
the lion, African bush elephant, Cape
buffalo, leopard, and black rhinoceros.
Video from Kruger
Mkuze
KwaZulu-Natal game reserve is 154 square
miles, has 62 miles of tourist roads for
game viewing, and is a World Heritage
site. The accommodation options are
basic, but adequate. Mkuze is the place
to spot the black rhinoceros. If you
have missed them at the other parks, you
will most likely encounter them at
Mkuze. The park is renowned as a mecca
for bird lovers with more than 420 bird
species on record.
South Africa is well worth a visit
and you will be relatively safe as long
as you keep in mind where the real
danger lies. You do not get to be the
dominant species by being mister
nice-guy.