My African Experience

My heart will always beat in rhythm with the African drum.

It was 7am when we awoke, looking out of our tent to what I could only describe as a painting, it was an African sunrise. A day ahead of us full of adventure, it was the first overland safari I was going to have experience, eager to go I was thinking of what we were going to see. I had watched endless documentaries from a young age on Africa; from the largest land mammal to the smallest insect it all fascinated me. We put on our insect repellent, layered on the sun cream, packed our cameras and boarded the vehicle.

We were driving along this small dirt road in the heart of Botswana, feeling every pothole, crack, and rock vibrate through the tires, a dirt cloud being through up behind as we pass. Our guide was teaching us about the local flora and fauna, and how local tribes use them still, he was so passionate about his country, it was admirable to sit back and listen. He expressed his love for nature stating, “No safari is ever the same, I'm always guaranteed a new experience.” Time had passed and we still hadn’t seen a single animal, taking in the scenery we were just waiting for that rush, when suddenly the vehicle came to a halt. Our guide stood tall in the cab of the vehicle, pulled out his binoculars and looked into the distance. He spoke to his fellow colleague in Setswana their local language; from what I guessed by his following actions meant ANIMALS. He pointed to a group of small dots in the distance, he instructed that there were a herd of a dozen or so springboks in the distance, our driver started the engine and we were off.

Coming to arrival of the herd, my heart was racing, this was going to be the first encounter I was going to have with African wildlife, all the memories from the African documentaries came flooding back. I had my camera poised and was ready to get my first photo. We got to where this magnificent herd was grazing, the early morning African sun beating down on them enjoying their morning meal. We sat admiring their beauty, the whole vehicle in awe, there was a moment of silence only the sound of camera shutters and chomping on grass could be heard. Reluctant to move on, our guide started the engine and carried on with the drive, there was a buzz in the atmosphere everyone was talking about the experience of what just happened, it made me even more excited of what was about to come.

As the day continued, we had many a more encounters with Springboks, Kudu, Zebras, and endless elephants. Our day was coming to an end, returning back to camp our guide stood up and thanked us for the day, when a round of applause erupted. He announced “Before we return to camp, I want to show you one last surprise,” turning the vehicle around and driving for another 20 minutes we were welcomed to this amazing site. An open plain, where an array of animals were grazing all together in harmony, it was late afternoon and the warm sun beating down creating a warm colour on the dried floor, giraffes, elephants, zebras, were all drinking at the watering hole. The guide explained that this was his favorite place in the whole reserve, this to him was a true African landscape. A sense of all different emotions came upon me, not knowing how to react.

This was definitely a dream come true.