On Safari in South Africa

Very recently one of Disney‘s hit films premiered – The Lion King. A remake of one of my favourite cartoons from childhood, which became a legend with its epic characters 25 years ago. Leaving aside the incredible story told by the ’94 classic, something else impressed me – the incredible African landscapes shown in the new version of my favourite film, and all those majestic animals we’ve only ever seen in a cage at some zoo or in the circus, but not in their natural habitat.

I came home after the film impressed, though not so much by the film itself as by Africa. In fact, until now this part of the world had always been low down on my list of dream destinations, but I said to myself “Why not?” and here I am a month later in Johannesburg, South Africa. To be honest, I was a bit sceptical because of everything I’d heard and read about this continent – murders, robberies in broad daylight, barefoot people in loincloths, hostile towards white people. Nothing of the sort! South Africans turned out to be very kind and friendly people, and truth be told, the infrastructure is no less developed than that of a medium-sized European city, while the corruption is no lower than in Bulgaria. I felt right at home.

After my eight-hour flight from Dubai, I arrived at the hotel early in the morning, caught my breath and was ready for my African adventure. I had no time at all for any other sights because of my shortened schedule there, so we set off for the park straight away. We had organised everything in advance, thanks to friends who had already been and had been truly impressed by the safari. We got in touch with Paul, a local guide who organises the whole adventure, and the only thing required of you is to be on time, ready and enthusiastic.

Paul was really very kind to us. He picked us up from the hotel and drove us to the park, which is about an hour from Johannesburg. We chatted a lot with him on the way; he was genuinely interested, because Bulgarians rarely came there. His ancestors were French settlers who had arrived back during the colonisation of Africa (for those of you who don’t know, South Africa’s population is mixed – white and people of colour).

The Lion Park is a nature reserve that has been attracting tourists for more than 50 years. It covers about 600 hectares and brings together some of Africa’s best-loved, most interesting and most impressive animal species. As well as the Big Five, here you can see giraffes, zebras, antelopes, leopards, wild dogs and dozens of other species up close, most of which I’d never even heard of. The animals roam completely free in their natural habitat, though some species are kept apart from others – for example, the lions aren’t in the same place as the antelopes, and understandably so. But that in no way means the animals go hungry. Quite the opposite! The predators are fed on meat donated by local farmers. Part of our safari was watching the lions being fed.

Important!

• Bring comfortable closed shoes, as well as clothes that cover your arms and legs, especially if you’re visiting Africa in summer
• Bring mosquito repellent, because in Africa malaria is one of the most easily transmitted and dangerous diseases
• Don’t wear expensive clothes or jewellery, and avoid the outskirts of the city. It’s also not advisable to go out alone in the evening