The Perfect Day (Part 1)

Have you ever had one of those days that just is perfect from start to finish? That was today for me in Zimbabwe.

Because it was so perfect, I’m going to split this post into three parts from the three distinct events that we did today.

Let’s start with private game drive to The Stanley and Livingstone Private Game Reserve, on 4,000 hectares of land and home to the big 5, including the critically endangered black rhinoceros. These animals are poached for their horns, which have been used in Chinese medicine for years to cure a number of ailments. According to our guide there only around 5,000 left. Today, their horns are removed so the animals are not poached/killed, and grow back within two years.

Our wake up call at 5:00 am. We were out in the jeep, bundled up, and ready to go by 5:30 am. It was a chilly start to the day but on our drive to the private game reserve we saw three shooting stars and knew it would be a memorable morning.

Upon entering the reserve, we saw the most beautiful sunrise

While on our way to find the rhinos, we ran into a small herd of elephants. It was quite the encounter. The guide stopped the Jeep and we stood motionless as the bulls crossed the road. A mother shook her head at us as a warning to stay back as she crossed with her baby. Then a teenager had a stare down with us before we proceeded on our way. Incredible experience where my heart skipped a few beats. It’s always the goal to stay a distance from the animals; however, in this case, they were right there!

We then found the black rhinoceros. In fact, we found two of them! What a sight to see as they snapped the branches from the trees and ate the leaves along with it. They are quite noisy eaters! The black rhinos can also lift heir heads quite high, unlike the white rhinos who are ground grazers.

The morning continued with sightings of: giraffes, warthogs, the elusive Roan Antelope (our one guide said she may see one every 2-3 years!), zebras, kudus, impalas, and baboons. Here are a few pics/videos.