Conscious of the thunder, we moved briskly on, seeing fence signs for a bat-eared
fox and Bengalese tigers. A water spray switched on deep inside the bush. ‘They are
making a jungle for tigers,’ said David, our smart 6-year old. We pushed on past
a foul smelling den area and a couple of tigers graciously draped over a concrete
view point. They had their backs to us so we rushed onwards towards the hippo pools.
The raised wooden viewpoint offered a great view of a large hippo watching us. Ears
flicked and bubbles were blown before it ducked underwater and out of sight. We followed
the path towards the next hippo viewpoint but were stopped in our tracks by the sight
of an almost white tiger. Siamese? The thunder rolled overhead and we turned tail
and headed back towards the car. Lo and behold a magnificent Bengalese tiger emerged
from David’s ‘jungle’ and paced along next to us for a while. Only an electric cable
and a diamond mesh fence were between us, so we were literally walking with a tiger.
What a thrill!
The experience didn’t end there. As we drove away from the Rhino and Lion Reserve
entrance we saw several more camps of lion next to the main road. Clearly, the white
lion is well at home in the Cradle of Humankind. Our kids’ safari was a great experience
and one we shall definitely re-do, but next time we shall allow more time because
we are planning to have a safari-themed birthday party with a camp-out picnic in
the kiosk area. When the little one is bigger we shall definitely return to visit
the Wonder Caves.
Part 1, 2, 3, 4
