The Big Five

This weekend I learned 3 things...
      1. Buffalo are the most underestimated, dangerous animals
      2. Cheetahs WILL try to eat small children when given the chance
      3. Elephants are still the best ever

We just got back from our first excursion of the trip to The Garden Route Game Lodge about 4 hours away from Cape Town. The drive there was almost as beautiful as the views on the safari. It was really awesome to get out of the city and see the savannas of South Africa. Within only an hour of driving we were surrounded by only mountains and rolling hills of grass. Beautiful.

When we arrived at the site for the safari we could see a zebra and an elephant off in the distance and any tiredness from the drive there was wiped away! We checked into our two-person chalets where my roommate and I were greeted by a spider the size of my dog with a face only a mother could love... not beautiful.

one of the chalets we stayed in overnight

We had a couple hours to enjoy the pool overlooking the safari lands before we departed on our first game drive... the only thing I could think as we started to move was "CHECK" because the first item on my bucket list  was to go on an African safari and here I was at the beginning of one. We got to see a cheetah that hadn't been spotted for "awhile" and we even got to see it attempt to attack an antelope running by it (she made it thought!). I literally got to see every single animal I would have hoped to have seen... lions, giraffes, rhinos, buffalo, antelope, cheetahs, and so many more. Next, we went on a (very quick) walk through a building with snakes in different displays... I only went in to get pictures for Steve because I don't think he would forgive me if I didn't ;). We ended the weekend with the Cheetah Conservation Sanctuary which housed 5 cheetahs being integrated into the land. The guide warned that parents should keep their children close to them and away from the fences... and we found out there is a reason. I was standing right behind a little girl who almost became lunch for one of the female cheetahs! She was hungry and saw the perfect sized meal for her... and she didn't hesitate to pounce right at the fence and to all of our horror (and excitement) her entire head and one of her paws made it right through and almost swiped the little girl... woah. That was a nice little ending to the weekend and we were on our way back to the city.