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Kwa M''Bili Game Lodge is set in the Thornybush Nature Reserve, and offers abundant bird and game species including "Big Five" sightings. Qualified game rangers (the incredible Duane) and game trackers (the skillful Franck) will help make your voyage of discovery an unforgettable experience. Whether on foot or in open game viewing vehicles, you will enjoy real true African''s safari.

After your jaunt in the wild, come back to the coolness of a shady camp, take a drink near the pool, and enjoy the sunset. Hearty Bushveld meals served in a boma (Zulu name for dining room) will round off your day. I remember incredible discussion about rugby with Albert and the rangers.

Night circulation is prohibited, be careful because the night falls quickly, and numbers tourists were trapped and has to spend one night additional in the lodges. There are seven different access gates. The entrance fee is about $5 per person. Maps of the park are available. They are very useful to locate the water holes and to define its way. Many and comfortable bush camps strew the reserve, the largest are those of Skukuza and Satara.

2) How to organize your day? It's best to rise with the sun around 6 o'clock. This is the best time for the safari: the animals are more numerous, the weather is cool and the light perfect for photography. You can return towards 9h30-10h00 to the camp to eat a solid breakfast or brunch. Then come the hot hours, you could rest or participate in other activities (shopping, reading, writing postcards). It is useful to go to the rangers headquarters--you can find out which places the elephants or the lions were spotted that day. After midday you can hit the road until 17h30-18h00. Make sure you return before nightfall because the gates of the camps close at sun down.

3) Types of safaris. The basic idea is to mix the pleasures--you'll have more chances to spot the famous " big 5 " (lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard). In addition to the traditional safari in an individual car, the camps propose " game watching ". This is tour organized in 4WD or truck with qualified rangers. Of course you lose some personal freedom (you would share the vehicle with other tourists), but the vehicle goes away from the usual zones, and the guide knows the places where animals go. The price is $15 for 3 hours. To get information, contact the rangers headquarters. It is recommended to book in advance (the morning for the evening). The third manner is the pedestrian safari. Organized only by the camp of Skukuza, it offers a marvelous proximity with nature. Two or three rangers armed with rifles escort a half-dozen of people; emotions guaranteed!

An old African proverb says: "the brave man knows the fear 3 times in his life. The first is when he sees footprints of lion, the second when he hears the lion, and the third time when he spots the lion". Then we follow a fierce river. Along the shore of the river we spot some movements. After a while we see the ears and the nostrils of a hippo. Despite its funny face the hippo is the mammal which killed the most people in Africa. The attack of boats is the main cause. It could be probably the "big 6". The veldt is the Afrikaans 's word for bush. Most of Kruger Park is covered with a woody savanna called thorny-bush. The rainy season comes in the austral summer. One of the typical points of veldt is these big rocks named the kopjes.

To finish this drive we spot an elephant! What animal represents Africa better than the elephant? This wise big man could be dangerous in several occasions. To avoid problem it is useful to learn the alarm signs of irritability, such as the presence of a liquid near the eye called "muth". When we return to the camp of Satara, a huge shade comes from the neighboring wood. Except its size, the most amazing thing about giraffe is its ability to move in silence. With its long moves it seems to be in a replay sequence. Its heart weighs about 50 kg, which is the heaviest among ground mammals.

Where to see of the " Big 5 "?:

Kruger Park is one of the best places to see the "Big 5". The elephant and the buffalo are most easily observable. For lion and rhino you need more patience. On the other hand the leopard is a very discrete animal, unless you're on a night-drive with a powerful projector, you will be lucky to spot even one leopard.

And if there was a " Big 6 "?

If it is a question of which is the most fatal animal, the champion is by far the hippopotamus (by capsizing boats without any reason in particular).

" Brave man is frightened 3 times in its life: by seeing the first time footprints of the lion, by hearing its howling the first time, and by seeing it the first time " (African proverb). According to these testimonies, " Big five " or not, the lion remains the king of the animals.