Travel Photo of the Week – Giraffes in Kruger, South Africa

Giraffes in Kruger National Park, South Africa

 

It is so incredibly amazing to be driving along through Kruger National Park in South Africa and to see your first giraffe!  For me, it wasn’t just one giraffe, but two!  I wish I could put into words how mind blowing it is.

Imagine yourself in this little minivan or land cruiser meandering through the park “on safari”.  The windows are open and you have a breeze ruffling your hair.   You’re feeling a bit drowsy due to the heat, but excited, well, because you’re on safari!  All of a sudden out of the corner of your eye you see the tell tale brown and white pattern of the giraffe.  You have to blink a couple of times in disbelief because your eye level in your vehicle is hitting somewhere along the leg line!  It is such an brilliant experience to see these wonderful creatures in the wild.

 

Their legs are so long they just keep going on and on – typically at least 6 feet! And that graceful neck all the way up to their cute little horns is just a bit boggling as to how far it stretches!  Average height for a giraffe is 14 to 17 feet!  Apparently their necks are approximately 6 feet in length!  Most of you could walk right through the giraffe’s legs without even brushing the top of you head!  So in your car imagine how small you feel next to this amazing creature!

 

These two cutie pies performed what appeared to be choreographed dance for us called “necking” or neck fighting.  They would take turns hitting their necks against each other in such a graceful way.  It didn’t appear to be violent, so I’m assuming these must have been juveniles just playing around.  Apparently, it is intended to establish dominance, but to me it was just beautiful to watch!

 

What is your favorite wildlife experience?  Would love to hear about it, please share in the comments below.

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