"REACH OUT AND TOUCH AFRICA" Hoedspruit by Bert_Pearson

Tshukudu is a Sotho name for Rhino. It is a protected ecological areal of some 5000 ha of African bushveld. It is situated along side the wold famous Kruger National Park.

It is run by the Sussens family. They take care of wounded and orphaned animals to introduce them back into the bush.

There you are sure to see the BIG 5. That is the 5 most dangerous animal of the bush:
ELEPHANTS, LIONS, RHINOS, BUFFALOS AND LEOPARDS.

The day I arrived, just at the entrance of the Game lodge, I saw a wounded Cheetah a few meters away. It was licking its bleeding wound and did not leave his eyes from us, ready to run away.

I was assigned a bush camp near the Lions' corner. The accommodation were very typical of the bush and very comfortable.
Early morning I could hear the lions near my room. It was scary.

Every morning we were awakened to have a first walking tour around the bush. That morning game walk gave us the chance to spot animals as they return from their nocturnal hunting.

Early morning and late afternoon are traditinally the ideal times for game watching, as the animals tend to hide from the sun in the middle of the day.

We were following the Bush Trainer to various spots, specially to the water hole where the animals go to drink in the morning. We were followed by young lions cubs. They were running around, passing between our legs. It was awsome.

On the Trainer's call, the elephant would come tramping loudly the ground in great speed to get mouthfed by the Trainer. We could touch it without making any abrupt gesture.

Then we had breakfast looking out over the African bush.

We got into war jeep and drove around the bush in the morning and in the afternoon looking for big games. We met with two huge Rhinos, lots of Lions, Buffalos and Leopards. When he open the gate of the leopard's area, the leopard came running around us and jumping on the jeep. We were all a little afraid. We we told not to move. It was great fun.

Then dinner was a treat, outside under the stars in a traditional South African "Boma".

We did night game drives too with spot lights. We could see the light reflecting in the eyes of the animals.

The weather was great and no bugs to bother us.

The game and food are amazing and we had so much to experience and learn. The variety of home cooked food is interesting and of good quality.

Before going to sleep I would sit on the verandha, sipping a last tea and watching the animal orphans running around.

IT WAS AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE. A MEMORY TO CHERISH FOR EVER.

• Pros:Unique experience in a warmth and friendly atmosphere
• In a nutshell:Real encounter with African big 5.