SOUTH AFRICA – Safari in the Rain (Kruger Natl. Park – Part 2)

My second day of safari started with heavy rain, spreading great joy, especially among the animals!

While December is at the heart of rainy season, it hadn’t rained much yet this year and the river beds were dry. It was a big problem and the rare instances of rainfall were always welcome.

After a gorgeous, sunny first day, a safari in the rain allowed for a completely different experience – and in a good way!

We left again at 5:15am with Ronnie as my guide, and soon after encountered the first heavy downpour of torrential rain.

It was magnificent!

The first sighting of the day was this guy, a hyena, sleeping off the adventures of the night….;-) – he occasionally moved, so was definitely not dead or injured, just exhausted…

And then…..one of the rarest of sights – a magnificent leopard enjoying a walk in the rain:

He was only visible for a few minutes before disappearing into the bushes again, but left a lasting impression that set the tone for the rest of the day.

Next, we saw 2 monkeys with a baby clinging to the mother’s belly – such a beautiful sight!

Both monkeys started drinking water from the road, so happy that it was finally raining (the park provides water reservoirs for all animals, so they don’t have to go thirsty, but nothing beats the enjoyment of fresh rain water):

And would you look at those guys! – Appearing like 2 majestic marble statues in the rain, drinking with their tusk directly from the downpouring rain and enjoying the refreshing cool of the water:

Zebras frolicking in the rain…

…and a lion’s couple resting between mating sessions (they mate up to 4 times a day…..and the male has to wait patiently until the female is ready again…..):

Many different types of antelopes – Waterbuck (Wasserbock), Kudu among others…

Birds…. –  3 vultures on the left and a white-headed eagle on the right:

…..an alligator chillin’ in the water…..

And then – after lunch…..the sun finally broke through – with blue skies….

Tomorrow, we go on a sunset drive…

More Southern Africa Posts:

A Visit with the Local Villagers (Kruger)

My Encounter with Tembo, the Elephant

ZIMBABWE – My Walk with Lions

NAMIBIA – Swakopmund, the Belle of the Sea

Why I did not like Mauritius

Road Trips SOUTH AFRICA – The Garden Route

AFRICA on SASSYZENGIRL