It’s hard to beat the multi-coloured beauty of an African sunset. The sky seems bigger, the hue of the reds and oranges more expressive, the clouds more dreamy. And the sounds of the plains around us while watching the sun dip below the horizon leave you in no doubt where you are.
We stayed in Sabi Sands Reserve at Elephant Plains Lodge. Safaris are not cheap, and I suspect whenever tourists make the investment of going to a lodge for a few days, at the back of your mind there is always that thought that maybe you won’t see anything. We were certainly spoiled for game viewing. Countless leopards and lions, elephants and rhino on most days, a pack of wild dogs (a very rare sighting), and buffalo and giraffe on numerous occasions. By our fifth and final day we had become spoilt and almost expected the animals to be waiting for us! But our tracker told us we had been exceptionally lucky.
The safari experience is something special, and nowadays can be as basic or as luxurious as your taste, and budget, allows. Whatever animals you do see, the enduring images of African nature will ensure a memorable trip. Soon after the red sunset the stars come out, and the sky is awash with a thousand million bright specks the like of which us urban dwellers can never see at home. One way or another, Africa is bound to touch you and leave you wanting to return.
(Apr 2006)
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