Easter Bunny vs Elephants

This past Easter, I decided to forgo the Easter Bunny, and instead go on my very first SAFARI!!! While Easter Baskets and eating ham with the fam at home are great, going on Safari was life changing! We went to the park closest to my house that also just happens to be one of the best in Zambia! It is just a 4 hour drive from my hut! After my first day in the game park, I called home begging my family to come and experience the adventure too. If any of you have ever been enthralled in a National Geographic special on T.V., or were one watched the Lion King over and over as a child (that’s you, Han!), trust me that this is a million times better than that, as everything one has seen on those 60 minute television specials comes to life and is walking and breathing just meters away from you!

I went with my very best Peace Corps friend, Emily, and we stayed at a beautiful lodge just across the Luangwa River outside the park. Every day we crossed the water in a small motor boat and once on the other side, hopped into cruisers and rode around to see what was out and about that day. I was slightly worried that we would not see as much during our trip as we would if we had waited to go later in the year, because we were going right at the end of rainy season, a time where the grasses and brush would be tall and visibility might not be all that great. However, I was not unhappy in the least about our experience! We spent 4 days in the park and saw plenty – lions (including a 3 month old cub, and a couple mating!), impala, water buck, tons of beautiful birds, cats of various sizes, hippos, crocodiles, elephants, zebras, giraffe, etc.

The package we had at the lodge included two game drives or walks per day, one in the morning, and one in the evening. The night drives were really fun and also a bit scary at times, as that is when we were closest to the lions. A female and her cub walked just a few feet away from our cruiser (which was completely open, I should mention). They were so close we could hear them breathing. I think I was so scared I had to hold Emily’s hand (thanks, Em!)!

This experience was unlike any I have ever had, and it is difficult to communicate in this post the excitement that had me nearly hyperventilating every time we came across a new animal in the park. I vowed that one day, when I have children of my own, this is a vacation I will save up to take them on. The zoo is nice, but after this, I just don’t think it will cut it. If you have reservations about coming to Africa to visit, I hope that this post encourages you to make it happen. Safari is an experience you don’t want to miss!

Pictures coming soon!!!