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That time I almost didn't see a lion in the grass in Kruger National Park, South Africa.
(lemmy.world)
The best time of the year for going on a self-drive safari is the next two-three months. It's dry season, so not too much green for the animals to hide in. (Some animals still manage to hide just fine, though, as seen here.) And there's no mosquitoes to worry about until the rains begin, so no malaria either.
There's a fairly high entrance fee for the park per day for foreign visitors, but if you buy an "annual pass" (the Wild Card), after a week you're there "for free" for as long as you want. And it's really, really easy to spend two or even three weeks just driving around in this huge park, staying in a different camp every night.
We saw Lions at pilanesberg in a similar setting
And by "saw lions" I mean 3 appeared from a bush immediately next to our Van while we were looking at elephants
Earlier, on a guided trip the ranger told us about people who had gone out of their vehicle, thinking they were safe, and getting immediately mauled by stealthy predators.
We all believed him, but everyone was floored that 3 Queen's of the jungle were chilling within 5 feet of the vehicle, while we are all actively looking for animals, and we had no idea they were there.