Naked and Afraid: Safari Edition

  

Last week, I traded in my tailored khaki shorts, boat shoes, and pastel polo for a Wild Thornberrys' get up. We woke up at 5:00 a.m. and travelled six hours to our Safari location, but on the way we stopped to take in the view. The Blyde River Canyon is the third largest canyon in the world behind the Grand Canyon, which is number one and a canyon in Namibia, which is ranked number two. It is definitely the second most breathtaking instagrammable view I have ever seen (the first being Keating back in the boogie down).

When you go on Safari it is essential that you prepare both physically and emotionally for what you are about to see. Our Safari lasted three days and we stayed with Africa on Foot, which specializes in Big Five safaris as well as walking safaris. It is located in the Greater Kruger wildlife area, which is a a group of privately owned unfenced nature reserves. Each morning woke up and went out from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. and then at 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. to avoid the brutal midday sun.The big five animals that you search for on safari are: Lions, Rhinos, Leopards, Water Buffalo, and Elephants. Sadly, we only saw three of the big five, but we did spot a dilf in a jeep that passed us, so I count that as a win. 

 

 

Every night all three jeeps would meet up to watch the sunset to celebrate another successful day on the reserve. We drank our Savannah Lights and chewed down on some beef jerky, which is basically a main food group for South Africans. At night, we were given the option of staying in tents out on the nature reserve or we could stay at the main camp with indoor plumbing, plush beds with nets, and stand up fans. Since I am basically as outdoorsy as a Meredith from the Parent trap, I knew that camping would be a challenge, but I am always up for an adventure. 

 

The first night, I shared a tent with Rita, CG, and Libby. Our guide for the weekend, Ryan, drove us to the camp site in complete darkness, told us to get out and then before he drove away he said, "Once you are in your tent, stay in your tent until we come and tell you its safe to come out in the morning. You will hear animals and they will be walking though your camp at night. If you have a problem yell my name and I will come over from the Treehouse I will be staying in nearby."

Smiling despite the Hyena outside our tent

Before I could even ask him, "why the hell are you staying in a tree, while we are on the ground?", he had driven off into the darkness. As the red break lights faded out into the distance, a sense of fear settled in all of us. We all piled into our tents and zipped the tarp door as tight as we could. As the pillow talk and the creation of flash-light animals on the roof of our tent commenced, the temperature inside the tent began to reach a record high.

We all closed our eyes and tried to sleep, but the miscellaneous sounds of footprints, growling, trees swaying, really did not put us at ease. As it progressively got hotter, I had no choice, but to begin to strip down to nothing.

National Geographic does not even begin to capture the beauty I saw in our three day excursion. This truly was an amazing experience despite the fact that I was naked and afraid for most of it.

Sincerely,

Stephen