This is what you (and I) have been waiting for!
Yes, you probably guessed it – we went on SAFARI !!!
We wanted to get a feel for seeing all of the incredible wildlife in South Africa before we go to Kruger National Park, so we made the trip from Plettenberg Bay up to Addo National Elephant Park for two days.
This is my first safari video at my first sighting of elephants at a watering hole:
In Addo the elephants are protected from poaching for their ivory.
The rangers patrol in helicopters, planes, and high profile vehicles looking for illegal activity.
At one time, the elephant numbers were down to 11, and now there are over 500 elephants in the park! YAY!
What I like the most about elephants is that they are friendly giants. They are large and social and beautiful!

They typically hang out in herds of 5 or so to 50 – here we see a mom, dad, an adolescent and a (approx) three-year old and one-year old
The very first animals we saw when we went on our first game drive in our car were zebras…
And more stripes!!!I
Then elephants…..
Then kudu…..
Then red hartebeasts….
Then black-backed jackals….
Ostriches and blue cranes….
The amazing African buffalo….
Eland…. (picture in next post)
100’s of birds, and Springbok (in next post), and many, many more species…
And the very funny warthogs….
More on these guys from Kruger, too!
All the animals would appear around every corner!
As my Mom says, HOLY MOLY!

Gives you a perspective of the ‘great’ plains of Africa….check out the car and the animals in the distance
The next day, we were just driving along the road and then saw two snoozing lions, resting by the road!

Check out this — you can clearly see how they confuse their predators. Are there one, two, or three zebras here?
Boy, going on safari is going to be quite fun! Much more animal fun to come!
Well that’s all for Addo, except that we saw tons of wild African animals — I hope you have enjoyed the amazing pictures and videos; plus, we did stay in this really fun chalet as you will see below:

The “Dung Beetle” is protected in SA. They are pretty rare, close to extinction. They move/roll elephant dung to a safe place, and bury a ball of feces 250 times it weight in one night. They make a nest, lay their eggs, and they also eat the dung for the nutrients.
Stay tuned for more Safari treks from your Junior WorldTrek Reporter — because next, we are headed up to Kruger National Park – a national park in South Africa that isthe size of Israel – there is bound to be some really cool stuff!
Keep Calm and Travel Around the World
This is amazing! I love animals, and something like this – seeing them in their natural habitat – is awe-inspiring! I am so glad you get to have such amazing experiences. I love your sketches of the animals and that you are learning so much firsthand!
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Hi Mrs.Perry! Seeing the animals was awesome!!! I heard that you are the new school principle !!! Good luck!
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