Picnic with Rhino
on August 19, 2009
Rhino near Victoria Falls
Sun International Resort is situated in the Mosi-O-Tunya National Park. There is a section of the Park, where guests go for game drives or game walks to enjoy the African bush.
The Park has no predators; it has lots of antelopes – impala, waterbuck, bushbuck, sable, wildebeest and kudu. There are zebra, giraffe, buffalo, and warthog. There are baboons and monkeys. Monitor lizards wander from one waterhole to another. The elephants come and go. A special treat in the Park is a group of five white rhinos.
Our guests are picked up at the resort in a Game Viewer vehicle. These 4×4 vehicles have been specially designed in Africa so that people can sit comfortably on the back in two or three rows of seats. At this time of year there is often the need to cuddle under a blanket and wear a woolly hat; it can be cold on the back of the open vehicle in the early morning.
Driving from the Sun International Resort, it is a short hop along the main road towards Livingstone, taking a left back down towards the Zambezi and to the Game Park entrance. As soon as you get into the Game Park the animals can be seen – usually impala are the first to be spotted. Driving along the river visitors are likely to see many of the animals which have come down to drink.
Game Drive near Victoria Falls
As the tour goes away from the river, guests are likely to see buffalo, giraffe, zebra and rhino. There are small waterholes away from the river so the animals can always get a drink. The rhinos are found together away from the other animals; they seem to like their privacy.
The final part of the tour is a picnic. There are tables and benches at the far end of the Game Park very close to some rapids in the river. The table is laid with either a late breakfast or a high tea, depending on the time of day. And, also depending upon the time of day, our guests can enjoy a hot cup of coffee or a cold beer or glass of wine. While listening to the water as it rushes through the rapids with the sound of hippos guffawing in the distance is an idyllic way to end a few pleasant hours in African bush.
For those looking for a little more experience you can always try a walking safari, but that is a subject for another time.
