The Gift of Life

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December in Kruger National Park is always hot, the vegetation is generally lush and green, and very colourful, making it ideal for photography. Many animals give birth to their young during theses months and I was fortunate enough to witness one of these births.I was based at Crocodile Bridge and I decided that I had to travel north on the famous S28 Nhlowa Road. It’s a road that is usually ideal for predators and I was hoping to see some big cats, but I was in store for something else - something very rarely seen, and something I consider as my best sighting to date. There were several impalas grazing along the road, and most of them had young, always a lovely sight to see. To my amazement, as one of the antelopes turned around, I noticed it was actually giving birth.The impala was fairly calm as the lamb’s head and front legs emerged; she moved around and even fed while she was giving birth, very relaxed. At the last stage, she decided to sit down and gently pushed her baby out, then quickly got up, turned and started inspecting her newborn. She licked the calf clean and ate all the birth fluids, warding off any predators that might have gotten the scent. Within minutes the little one stood up gingerly and began to run about, exploring its new surroundings.

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4.9
out of 5 based on
Dec 12, 2024
Anja Is A Fabulous Travel Consultant
Anja Mayer was extremely knowledgeable, patient, prompt with her responses to questions, and always very helpful. She was also a pleasure to work with. I would highly recommend to anyone that asks that Anja is the right person to contact if they are interested in travelling to South Africa or Botswana.
Lewis Warren
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US
Dec 12, 2024
Anja did a fabulous job!
Anja was knowledgeble, patient prompt with her responses to questions and always very helpful. In addition, it was a pleasure working with her. I would recommend her to anyone without any reservation.
Lewis Warren
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US
Dec 10, 2024
Mel du Toit was the perfect person to…
Mel du Toit was the perfect person to arrange and organize our trip!! She was on the ball, made sure everything was in place and travel arrangements secured! I highly recommend her!!
JUDITH ANN
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US
Dec 9, 2024
Great support from Shann
Shann made the booking experience seamless - provided very helpful information to ensure we fully understood what the experience would be like and made sure we felt safe with experiences we have booked.
SUE And Bryson STEIN
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AU
Dec 9, 2024
Quick & efficient
Very fast response, polite - impressive
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BR
Dec 7, 2024
Went through Newmarket travel and Hays…
Went through Newmarket travel and Hays travel ..information about flight changes hard to get..but on arrival the holiday was taken over Safari.com..amazing ..experience everything was fine tuned and the staff ..guides drivers fabulous and friendly ..lots of knowledge..lots of fun and the surprises they did was so lovely ...loved every minute ..Paris our guide was amazing..10/10 and Eric driver ..the waiters and waitress every and everyone in the hotels .smiling and friendly..Best holiday of my life
Gillian Dodsworth
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GB
Dec 7, 2024
Anja at Safari.com was a great partner to work with!
Working with Anja at Safari.com was great. She was able to work some magic and got us a few nights at the safari lodge we really wanted, Ngoma. Unfortunately, our flight from the USA to South Africa was canceled and we were rebooked a day later but Anja was great about making sure our lodge and the transports knew about the change in plans and made sure we got to our trip as soon as we could. She was a great partner to have and communicated quickly whenever we reached out. I would highly recommend using her when planning a trip to Africa!
Joanna
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US
Dec 4, 2024
Prompt & knowledgeable
Prompt & knowledgeable
Scott Millar
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ZA
Dec 4, 2024
Great service from Denise at Safari.com
Denise from Safari.com was extremely helpful. She responded promptly, provided good advice on safari lodgings options and worked up a couple of itinerary options to suit our budget. Denise also organised flights and transfers very quickly so that we could finalize our booking in a short time. Much appreciated.
Noelene Hosking
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AU