Page 120 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SPRING 2025 GRAND VOYAGE

Morning in the Bush

At the crack of dawn, Mary and I, and
our cruise buddies Beate and Leo, set off
for Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park, one of South
Africa’s oldest and most renowned game
reserves. This impossibly early start was
exactly why we had opted for an overnight
stay in St. Lucia. An early arrival at the
park increased our changes of spotting
some of Africa’s most magnificent wildlife
before scorching summer heat drove them
out of sight.
Founded in 1895, the park covers over
370 square miles of rolling hills, sweeping
savannahs, and lush river valleys. It is
home to Africa’s legendary ‘Big Five’—
lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and Cape
buffalo—as well as one of the largest pop-
ulations of white rhinos in the world.“It’s a
conservation success story, Ashley ex-
plained. ”Without this park, there would be
no white rhinos left in the world.”
The excitement in our vehicle was pal-
pable. What would we see first? A towering
elephant? Stealthy leopard? But as Ashley
reminded us, there was an entire world of
smaller creatures here, all equally vital to
the ecosystem. You just have to look down.
At one point, Ashley abruptly stopped
the vehicle, jumped out, and picked up a
small round ball of dirt. “This is a ball of
crap,” he announced with a mischievous
grin before launching into a fascinating
lesson on dung beetles. These industrious
insects roll dung into balls, deposit a single
egg inside, and drag the ball incredible dis-
tances to bury it underground. When the
larva hatch, the dung serves as both a
home and food source.
Later, Ashley stopped again and gently
picked up a tiny, striking tortoise. Pointing
to a hidden trap door at the back of its
shell, this hinged tortoise can seal itself in-
side, fo extra protection against predators.

120 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE SPRING 2025