When I arrived in South Africa, my thoughts quickly turned the wildlife.  Having grown up in the United States on a steady diet of the Discovery Channel, I knew I my first trip to Africa wouldn't be complete without seeing some African wildlife.  And not just any wildlife, I wanted to see the so called "big five," that is, a lion, an African elephant, a Cape Buffalo, a leopard and a rhinoceros.  To fufill this goal, I decided to head to Kruger National Park, one of the largest parks in the world.

As I set out to plan my three weekend trip to Kruger (this was a business trip, so time was limited), I began to hear that my dream of seeing all of the big five in such a short timespan was a bit optimistic.  I was told stories by people who had visited for weeks at a time, many years in a row without seeing all of the big five.  The missing animal was usually the leopard.  To expect to see all of the big five in two days of viewing was simply not likely, I was told.

Slightly saddened, but still excited, I set out early on a Friday morning from Pretoria to get to Kruger by mid afternoon.   After an amazingly scenic, twisty mountain drive, I arrived at the gate for the park.  Excited to get going, I immediately began scanning for wild life.  For a while, I saw nothing but dead brush (this was at the end of winter).  Then, suddenly, a giraffe appeared from behind a ridge!

My first real, live, big African animal!  A childhood dreamed fulfilled!  Not one of the big five, but I was beginning to become more optimistic.  As I was driving down the road, looking for more animals, an oncoming safari jeep flashed it;s headlights at me and rolled down the windows.  I pulled up alongside it.

Man In Jeep:  Would you like to see a leopard?

Me, freaking out inside:  Yes, I would.

Man In Jeep:  Go down the road, turn left, and travel for 1,700 meters.  There is will be one near the right side of the road.

Me: Thanks!

Now absurdly giddy with anticipation, I drive off down the road, watching my odometer carefully.  Sure enough, 1,700 meters after the fork, I see this amazing creature:

Now I'm officially thrilled.  After hearing all the stories of people never having seen a leopard after years of trying, I see one my first few hours in the park!  Quite an amazing feeling I must say.  On the way to my rest camp, I come across the first of many elephants I would see during the weekend.  Nothing says "Africa" to me like an elephant, so this was also an exciting site for me.  At this point, I've reverted to my childhood self who used to sit on the couch and read National Geographic all day.  Being there and seeing these animals was truly a dream come true.

Later in the evening, after settling into my rest camp hut, I join an evening game drive.  Happy to be able to focus on wildlife spotting rather than driving, I immediately start scanning around.  Not too much later, someone in our groups spots a white rhino:

Three down, two to go!  As night began to fall, it became harder to see animals on the drive.  We were using little spot lights, but weren't seeing much until...

Four out of the big five in one night!  I realized I had had quite a fortunate wildlife viewing experience for one day.  Still, I was feeling slightly disappointed that I hadn't see the Cape Buffalo yet.  Still, tomorrow was yet another game drive.  I went to sleep in my rest camp, and dreamed of what I would see the next day.

I went all the next day without seeing a buffalo.  I saw many other amazing animals, and enjoyed myself greatly. Still, the completist me wanted desperately to see this last member of the big five.  That evening, I grilled a steak outside, drank beer, and looked up at the amazing bright southern sky before spending my last night in Kruger.

The next day, I awoke early for a morning game drive.  I got to see an amazing sunrise, and quite a large number of interesting birds.  We pulled in close to a tree to get a closer look at an eagle, when we heard a rustling sound in the brush.  I pulled my camera up to my face just in time to catch this bounding from the bush:

At last, the illusive Cape Buffalo!  My big five quest was complete.  As I drove home, I was thinking how fortunate I really was to see all I saw.  I hope to return to Kruger someday and spend some more time.  I can highly recommend it as a destination for anyone visiting South Africa.  I spent very little for the weekend, and had one of the best times of my life.  If you choose to visit one day, I'm sure you will too.