Technology and the African Safari

First, I planned and booked our whole African adventure online. I used Travelocity to book flights and then keyword searches to find safari operators in South Africa & Namibia

Don't underestimate Africa. Everywhere we went people had smartphones. As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, Blackberry has an African special $50 rand a month (=5 US $) with unlimited text, data, and phone.

While on safari in Kruger our guide was part of a coalition of guides who shared information about animal sightings. Each would text the location of rare sightings (lions, leopard, cheetah, wild dogs and rhinos) to the group so that everyone could benefit. That kind of technology based cooperation really helped us see a lot of wildlife.

I bought a new Wi-Fi enabled camera that was small enough to fit in my money pouch out if sight, unfortunately the Wi-Fi required drivers be loaded thus did not work effectively. I didn't need the Wi-Fi feature at home where I have a computer and fire wire, but I really needed it at a free, public Wi-Fi and it didn’t work.  I would recommend not buying a Wi-Fi camera until the technology improves. 

                                                          Photo Credit: Micah Costello

The iPod touch 5 was invaluable. When traveling with a child you must have a second camera, and my son used it a lot. We tried to take pictures on the camera and the iPod at each location and animal sighting. I had forgotten about the video option, but Micah remembered and we were able to record several animal events. A child with a camera does require some deletion time each evening though, as many, many pictures are taken at each sighting, and of the ground, the sky, funny faces and the back of the mother’s head.

                                                            Video Credit: Micah Costello

The blog was intended to give my family piece of mind while we were away. I needed a simple blog application, and Blogger by Google was perfect. We downloaded the Blogger App onto the iPod Touch, and were able to communicate throughout the whole trip. It was difficult to type blog posts on such a small screen, and auto correct and African words added to the challenge.

The PicStitch App allowed me to make collages of photos and crop pictures of faraway animals. This was important when I wanted a visual of several items, but didn’t want to clog the blog with images. 

Communication with family was extremely important as there were many concerns about me taking my eight-year-old son to Africa. I checked with my cell phone carrier before my trip to see if my phone would work either in Europe or Southern Africa, and it would not so I had planned to buy a phone when I landed in South Africa. However, before our departure I downloaded the TextNow  App hoping that might save me from having to buy a phone. TextNow proved to be invaluable!  At every leg of the trip I was able to text my sister who then conveyed to the rest if the family that we were safe and at out next destination. The TextNow calling  feature even worked in Africa. The call I made to my mother had audio issues but I merely texted my sister who gave my mother my TextNow number and in 2 minutes she called us and we were talking via the Outlook Lodge’s Wi-Fi system and our iPod Touch.

Finally, Dropbox also proved priceless. Whenever, we had Wi-Fi access, the pictures would automatically load to the Dropbox. However, the free Dropbox account does not hold all 2281 African Adventure photos so I did have to clean up the Dropbox, and re-upload the best of the pictures after we returned. 

What I learned from Dung

It's important when on safari to have a guide who is a good tracker. We met many South Africans who had been to Kruger many times and not seen a lion for example and they were shocked at the wildlife we saw. The key is having a good guide. South Africans use their parks just like Americans use theirs, jumping in their cars and drive through a park like Yellowstone. But going with a guide brings not only luck which you will need but skill. Analyzing dung on the side of the road tells you what animals are around, how long ago, and what they eat. For example, all rhinos defecate in the same spot. It is how they mark their territory, these are called a midden. 

           white rhino midden, Kruger National Park, South Africa
                       Photo Credit: Rachael Costello

But one can also tell the difference between white rhinos and black rhinos by their dung. White rhinos eat mostly grasses, while black rhinos eat twigs and branches. These are visible in the dung. Elephants and giraffe defecate anywhere but the size of their dung is vastly different. Giraffe dung scatters like a Pollack painting since it falls from so high and it looks like goat droppings. 

                                                                    giraffe dung

                                                           Photo Credit: Rachael Costello

On our way out of the park we saw what appeared to be loose big cat dung with flesh and blood still whole in it. I was told it was indeed a big cat but one who was running hard who didn't have time to digest his meal.  

Safari guides use other indicators as well. The morning we left the park we saw no animals the  bush was really quiet, which was an indicator that the big cats were out hunting and their pray was hiding. Tracking footprints is another skill of the guides. They analyze the type of animal, the direction, and the age of the print.

                                                                                   tracking the big cats, a print
                                                               Photo Credit: Rachael Costello

There is a little luck involved too. As Shawn Anchor said in The Happiness Advantage positive thinking brings positive results. Also, Simphiwe reminded us yesterday that when we left the Apartheid Museum we threw a rock on their cairn and made a wish. Micah also had a good charm. Our first morning game drive was uneventful, but Micah bought a lion tee- shirt and wore it on our next two game drives. He says it's a combination of the tee-shirt and a ritual of putting one of the warm water bottles on the lion image, patting the bottle and rubbing in a circle. This ritual brought us luck on the game drives. Hahaha!

Ten Things We Learned on Safari

1. The most dangerous animal on safari is the make African buffalo called duggars. They have been kicked out of the protection of the herd, and are old and ornery. They are stressed and very unpredictable. They are smart and when being hunted they will often double around and the hunters become the hunted.

2. The animal that kills the most people in Africa is the vegetarian hippo. Hippos are extremely territorial. You may have heard of canoe safaris, well unknowing guides paddle over their territories and attack the canoes. One either dies from the bite of their huge teeth and strong jaws or they drag you to the bottom and you drown. They only come out to eat at night otherwise they are beached in the sand or cooling off in the water. Also, hippos don't swim they walk on the bottom of the river or watering hole. 

3. Giraffes have a powerful kick that can kill a lion. The darker their colors the older they are. Males have bald bone spots at the top of their horns and females have hairy horns. Although, males don't stay with females, giraffes are social so males come and visit sometimes. A group if giraffes is called a journey or kaleidoscope. 

4. Rhinos come in two types: black (rare) and white, both endangered. One can tell them apart by their mouths. Black rhinos are broad mouthed which is how they got their name...the word broad in Dutch got lost in translation and morphed into black. Thus the others became white.

5. Precisionary caterpillars. When caterpillars are migrating to a new tree they form a train to cross open expanses.  The theories are they may do this to look bigger, like a snake to avoid being eaten or run over. 

                 Precisionary caterpillars
               Photo Credit: Rachael Costello

6. Cheetahs are poor hunters when alone. We witnessed first hand that they are good in a group but once grown usually don't form a coalition (a group of cheetahs). First, they are picky eaters. Second, to hunt they expend a lot of energy, So they often have to rest between chases if the first isn't successful. Once they get their pray they have to eat quickly before lions or a leopard smell it and easily chase them off, but they have expended so much energy they need to catch their breath before they can eat. This delay to rest before eating is when they are most vulnerable to other predators stealing their food.  Because cattle and goats are easy prey they come into conflict with farmers outside of the reserves. A cheetah mother teachers her cubs to hunt by first wounding an animal to slow it down so the cubs can then have a successful hunt.

7. All African buffalo in Kruger have bovine tuberculous and thus all the lions who eat the buffalo have tuberculous too.

8. Hyenas are not dogs or cats they are more closely related to mongoose.  They are the CDC if the bush. They can digest diseased meat and not get sick themselves then digest it in a way to kill the disease And not allow it to spread. If a disease breaks out in the bush the hyena can as a species clean it up and snuff it out.

                                                                                                      Spotted hyena
                                                                      Photo Credit: Rachael Costello

9. The big male baboons who are not normally caregivers will grab a baby baboon when they have done something wrong to avoid being hit. They also sleep in the trees near a water source. They all get a drink before going to bed in a tree to avoid being a lion's midnight snack.

                                                            Baboons in Kruger National Park
                                                          Photo Credit: Rachael Costello

10. Impala are called McDonald's because they are around every corner and they are also "fast" food and they have black markings on their butts in the shape of an M . They are they main prey if the big cats. They have gland at the bottom of each leg with a black tuft of hair. If they  get startled they all run in different directions and gland secretes an odor. The theories are that this may cause confusion in the prey chasing them b/c they don't know which way to chase, or that the smell leads the impala back the each other to herd up again. 

                                                                                  Impala
                                                       Photo Credit: Rachael Costello

11. A bonus... Elephants have a preferred tusk like humans have a preferred hand. One can tell which tusk is dominant by a tusk that is smaller or even broken from over use on that tusk. We spent the last day analyzing each elephant for its tusk dominance.

                                                               Elephant in Kruger National Park

                                                                Photo Credit: Rachael Costello

Choose Outlook Lodge and Safari

I am so happy about our safari tour operator in South Africa, Outlook Lodge and Safaris. First, the staff in Johannesburg and in Kruger are nice and sooooo accommodating. The food in both places is wonderful. I was hoping to lose weight in Africa but I think I am gaining. The Lodge in Johannesburg is located in a very safe suburb of Johannesburg. The lodge would be considered a mansion by American standards surrounded by other mansions with tons of outdoor seating areas and birds (it's near a bird sanctuary). It's very clean and the beds are comfortable. The drive to Kruger is long but our driver, Willie, was so sweet and gregarious and knowledgeable. The drive was really like a tour instead of a transfer. We stayed inside the park at the Skakuza Restcamp.  We wanted to tent but they also have chalets with bathrooms for those less inclined to roughing-it. There is a good restaurant and huge gift shop/grocery and even a pool (we didn't see it though). Our tent was along the fence and every night a hyena was just on the other side of the fence. I tried to get a picture but it was too dark.

                                                            warthog beside our tent at Skakuza Restcamp, Kruger National Park
                                                               Photo Credit: Rachael Costello

One night I got up at 12:30 to go to the bathroom and I could hear him start vocalizing and run up to my tent... Maybe 5 feet away.

The food served was so good, you can't imagine it could be produced in a tent kitchen. Micah's favorite was the chocolate cake with caramel filling and second was the ice cream with caramel sauce. I had to be rolled back to my tent every night. However, the main reason to go to is Debbie, the safari guide. She was amazingly knowledgeable. She volunteered to take us on a half day safari when we were only expecting a morning and evening game drive. That turned into a full day 6:00 am- 4:30pm. That's the day we saw most of the animals. The feature that puts Outlook Safaris above others is the insulated ponchos and hot water bottles that they provide for the morning game drives. Remember its only 30-40 degrees in the mornings and you sit up high in the safari vehicle with the wind blowing on you. Those two little luxuries made our safari perfect.

                           hot water bottle and insulated poncho                       

                             Photo Credit: Rachael Costello

The Luckiest People On The Planet

I am feeling like the luckiest people on the planet today. While in Kruger we saw all of their endangered species. Our guide, Debbie, told us she had never had guests see all the Kruger endangered species in one visit. There are 120 cheetahs in Kruger and I knew not even to hope to see one. To be able to see 7 was mind blowing. We saw a white rhino and her baby and later in the day a male black rhino alone. They are endangered by human poachers for their ivory tusk. Most visitors to the park don't get excited about Wild dogs but they are also in danger of extinction and there are only 113 in Kruger. We saw nine, almost 10% of Kruger's population.

The final endangered species sighting was a bird, the Southern Ground Hornbill. They are endangered by elephants. Their nesting habitat is a tree that is a favorite of elephants to knockdown. Micah wasn't grasping the significance of seeing these animals until I explained to him that if measures weren't taken to protect these animals that by the time he was an adult they may be extinct like the dinosaurs. He would be a witness to their existence and their extinction.

                                                 Photo Credit: Rachael Costello

Kruger Safari

We are back from our first safari in Kruger National Park and it was amazing. It felt like we were in a National Geographic episode. We saw many elephants one even touched the truck, thousands of impala, hundreds of monkeys and baboons.

                                        Photo Credit: Rachael Costello and Micah Costello

There were lions, warthogs, kudo, waterbuck, bushbuck giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, African buffalo, wild dogs, hyena and tons of birds. We didn't see leopard or Zebras. But the highlight was two separate sightings of a total of SEVEN cheetah. Cheetah are usually solitary animals but there was a family of cheetahs; a mom and her 5 cubs (which were now her size) spotted near The Skakuza Restcamp where we stayed. On the last day as we were driving back to camp a man stopped us to tell us the cheetah family had just been scene on the parallel road and they were headed right for us. We waited and sure enough first came mom and then a few minutes later the 5 cubs.

                                                                                                family of cheetahs 
                                                                Photo Credit: Rachael Costello

Then we got to witness the most amazing thing: a cheetah hunt that resulted in an impala kill. We saw them running and we turned the corner of the road just in time to see them push it to the ground and start devouring it. In about 30 seconds the sky was filled with vultures. I have goosebumps even now thinking about it. Our safari guide, Debbie was out of her mind ecstatic. In eight years she had never seen a live hunt and kill, let alone 7 cheetah in one day. After the cheetah kill Micah said " this was the best day of my whole life" 

Mairyn, Micah and I want you to know that several times while on safari we said out loud that you would have loved this and we wished you were here to see it.