While in South Africa we stayed at an Air BnB on the Mjejane Private Game Reserve that backed onto land that shared space with Kruger National Park. There would be something new to see daily. We ate breakfast while watching a mother warthog and her piglets graze in the backyard of what would be our home for the next 7 days. On an afternoon car ride back into the park, we witnessed a lioness on the side of the road with her two cubs. She was exhausted, too tired to feed her hungry cubs. It wasn’t hard to feel heartbroken for her. We were reassured that what typically happens in the pride is that other lioness will continue on the hunt for food and when something is caught they will call her over to where they are. I really hope this was the case. A hippo crossing the road caused a small traffic jam, something you would never witness here.

On the Kruger Natural Park side I witnessed the bond between male elephants, observed rhinoceros safely sleep and lots, I mean lots of impalas grazing. We were lucky enough to come across four of the Big Five before leaving. Seeing predators and prey in the same area yet completely ignore each other. Animals don’t kill for fun, they kill for the need of food. The authenticity of the ecosystem there was beautiful, everything there had a purpose. From the highest member of the food chain right down to the dung beetle. Inhaling the earthy scent of the environment was an overwhelming experience for me. Africa was life changing, it reminded me of how precious our planet truly is.