#FlyWashington Magazine Fall 2017 | Page 30

SOUTH AFRICA BY MICHAEL SHAPIRO View from Lion’s Head in Cape Town, with Table Mountain in background. It was the splashing, crashing sound that announced the elephant’s presence. A large bull elephant was stomping through a watery marsh at South Africa’s sprawling Kruger National Park, sending out a rippling tidal wave with every step. At Kruger, located in northeastern South Africa, you can hear and see elephants from your tent cabin — you don’t have to be on a safari excursion to see them. But everyone who visits South Africa should go on at least one safari to see the towering giraffes, imposing rhinos, resplendent zebras, and menacing hippos. No TV nature show can prepare visitors for the exultant feeling of seeing a pride of lions in their natural habitat. Whether they’re lounging and snuffling during a mid-afternoon nap or on the prowl at dawn seeking prey, seeing the great cats is, for most people, the highlight of a trip to South Africa. Leopards are more elusive but if those who are lucky may see these spotted cats in a tree feeding on a fresh kill, or perhaps a cheetah perched atop a rock scanning the horizon. Beyond the big animals are the birds. The lilac-breasted roller, with its azure and turquoise coloring, is one of the most beguiling little creatures on the continent, and great storks linger by the edges of ponds. Let’s not forget Africa’s quality of light. There’s a warm golden hue at sunrise and sunset that’s like no place else in the world, and the ritual of the sundowner, a cocktail at sunset in the great outdoors, ideally with a view of a magnificent landscape replete with wildlife, is one of region’s enduring travel traditions. FLYWASHINGTON.COM 28 AUTUMN 2017 Kruger allows visitors to drive themselves through the park, but this often creates clusters of vehicles that outnumber wildlife. “Kruger gets a bad rap as the Disneyland of safari parks,” said Perry Robertson of Blue Odyssey, a U.S.-based outfitter that leads tours in South Africa. “If you’re on a budget this is a great way to go, but you will often see crowds of vehicles. Much better [is] to book a lodge in a private concession like Sabi Sands where there are a limited number of lodges and a big focus on conservation.” These concessions have some of the “best wildlife viewing on the planet” he said. “You can see the Big Five almost on demand” at some of them. “The Big Five is a term from the bad old days of hunting as these animals were the most dangerous and difficult to kill (lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino, elephant). Top lodges in Sabi Sands include Lion Sands, Londolozi, and Sabi Earth Lodge.” Throughout South Africa are gorgeous lodges such