MOMFARI - Part 2: Madikwe

On Day 4, we drove 20 minutes over the South African border to Madikwe Game Reserve, where we spent 2 luxurious nights at Buffalo Ridge Lodge. Aside from having to wake up at 5am each day for our first game drive and being served grilled ostrich for dinner, the place was perfect. However, we weren't allowed to walk from our chalets to the main lodge after dark just in case any lions or crazy baboons were lurking.


Sarah and the moms preferred lounging by the pool, but I spent just about all my free time in between the 5 am game drive and 4pm game drive sleeping, because it turns out Mermus snores like a freight train. She also prefers to check her email and surf the net at 3am, particularly after a Steelers game. I can't put all the blame on her though. Apparently, one night when she woke up craving wireless, I was sleeping comfortably with the entire comforter and one leg straight up in the air. Like mother like daughter I suppose, but I maintain that Mermus is the crazy one, and I did NOT regularly leave the house dressed in my running clothes at 2am, but I guess we'll never know.

Anyway, for our 6 game drives, we had a private truck and guide named Franco, who tracked animals like he was half wild himeslf. We would tell him what we wanted to see, and he'd find it. We saw EVERYTHING, including: a leopard, zebras, wildebeasts, white and black rhinos, elephants, impala, ostrich, giraffes, water buffalo, baboons, and we even followed a pride of lions as they stalked their prey, and then watched in the dark as they feasted on a zebra. Their slobbering and growling was terrifying, and I didn't think they appreciated the giant spotlight Franco was shoving in their faces, but luckily we made it out with all our limbs.