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| WAVE Journey |
| Women's Adventures, Vacations, Experiences ~ Your Journey Starts Here! |
Tracking Rhinos in Zimbabwe -
Article & photos by Deborah Vandruff
Article & photos by Deborah Vandruff
| Pg 1 of 2 / Next Page |
A Woman's Directory For Travel and Life.
WAVE Journey is your one-stop online resource for women-oriented businesses and
services around the world.
WAVE Journey is for every woman to enjoy. If you love to travel, cook, read or revel in outdoor activities this
website is for you. If you are looking to connect with other like-minded women or if you are interested in
finding businesses or services that cater to women, WAVE Journey is your number one online resource.
WAVE Journey is your one-stop online resource for women-oriented businesses and
services around the world.
WAVE Journey is for every woman to enjoy. If you love to travel, cook, read or revel in outdoor activities this
website is for you. If you are looking to connect with other like-minded women or if you are interested in
finding businesses or services that cater to women, WAVE Journey is your number one online resource.
The rhinos had been allusive on the trip thus far; in the Serengetti, we saw some small dark
shapes far in the distance. When they moved, we could barely make out the shape of a large
horn on the head of a bulky animal. We took the sighting anyway and felt happy to "see" one of
the "Big Five" (rhino, Lion, elephant, buffalo, and leopard) - so called because they are the most
dangerous African animals to hunt.
Not seeing a rhino close up was not a big source of angst actually since we saw so many
wonderful animals up close and in large numbers. What are the chances of seeing a rhino,
anyway unless you go to a preserve or the zoo?
On our visit to Hwange National park in Zimbabwe, we saw even more lovely animals, countless
zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, even a group of kudu - the males with graceful curled horns and both
sexes sporting their attractive white stripes down their sides.
We went on 4 game drives seeing something new everyday including a large family of lions
lazing in the shade. And on the last day there, our guide stopped the truck suddenly and
pointed to an animal that looked to us like yet another wildebeest. It was, however a white
rhino. Before we all had a turn at binoculors the animal went behind a bush and that was it. On
most game drives, you only get to see what you can see from the vehicle and luckily for the
animals, the guides can't just make their own trails, so vehicles stay on the network of
maintained roads. There is no getting out of the truck for the visitors except at designated
areas. Guides need certification to take people out tracking and most don't have it.
We had not expected rhinos when we signed on to spend a day at Motopos National Park in
southern Zimbabwe. The big attraction we expected to see were the huge balancing rocks that
Zimbabwe is known for and the cave paintings done by the bushmen thousands of years ago.
But when the guide came to tell us about the trip we were on for the next day, tracking rhinos
on foot was most of the day's activity.
Our guide for this trip grew up playing as a kid in this area. You could tell he could be doing no
other job as he was so enthused about showing us this park. So, off we went in the morning to
find the rhinos. We were able to see the plants and rocks and terrain that the animals live in.
The amazing rock paintings are still so vivid and clearly show depictions of people and animals of
long ago. The balancing rocks that are a result of ancient volcano activity are everywhere to be
seen and in particular abundance in this area.
shapes far in the distance. When they moved, we could barely make out the shape of a large
horn on the head of a bulky animal. We took the sighting anyway and felt happy to "see" one of
the "Big Five" (rhino, Lion, elephant, buffalo, and leopard) - so called because they are the most
dangerous African animals to hunt.
Not seeing a rhino close up was not a big source of angst actually since we saw so many
wonderful animals up close and in large numbers. What are the chances of seeing a rhino,
anyway unless you go to a preserve or the zoo?
On our visit to Hwange National park in Zimbabwe, we saw even more lovely animals, countless
zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, even a group of kudu - the males with graceful curled horns and both
sexes sporting their attractive white stripes down their sides.
We went on 4 game drives seeing something new everyday including a large family of lions
lazing in the shade. And on the last day there, our guide stopped the truck suddenly and
pointed to an animal that looked to us like yet another wildebeest. It was, however a white
rhino. Before we all had a turn at binoculors the animal went behind a bush and that was it. On
most game drives, you only get to see what you can see from the vehicle and luckily for the
animals, the guides can't just make their own trails, so vehicles stay on the network of
maintained roads. There is no getting out of the truck for the visitors except at designated
areas. Guides need certification to take people out tracking and most don't have it.
We had not expected rhinos when we signed on to spend a day at Motopos National Park in
southern Zimbabwe. The big attraction we expected to see were the huge balancing rocks that
Zimbabwe is known for and the cave paintings done by the bushmen thousands of years ago.
But when the guide came to tell us about the trip we were on for the next day, tracking rhinos
on foot was most of the day's activity.
Our guide for this trip grew up playing as a kid in this area. You could tell he could be doing no
other job as he was so enthused about showing us this park. So, off we went in the morning to
find the rhinos. We were able to see the plants and rocks and terrain that the animals live in.
The amazing rock paintings are still so vivid and clearly show depictions of people and animals of
long ago. The balancing rocks that are a result of ancient volcano activity are everywhere to be
seen and in particular abundance in this area.
After several trips out into the bush looking for rhino sign and seeing "only" giraffe and zebra,
we ate lunch by a small lake with an active group of hippos. It was such a treat to get out of
the truck and be on the same level as the animals. We traveled through the bush single file and
silent...
we ate lunch by a small lake with an active group of hippos. It was such a treat to get out of
the truck and be on the same level as the animals. We traveled through the bush single file and
silent...
After much walking and being gawked at by giraffes, it was in the truck that we came across the
big mama and baby rhino pair. We got out and tracked behind them as they foraged for food -
they were pretty calm because they are the more mellow "white rhinos". We were told that we
could never get this close to a black rhino. (white rhinos are actually grey in color. The name
"white" comes from a translation error when scientists noted that this type of rhino had a "wide"
mouth - oops!)
big mama and baby rhino pair. We got out and tracked behind them as they foraged for food -
they were pretty calm because they are the more mellow "white rhinos". We were told that we
could never get this close to a black rhino. (white rhinos are actually grey in color. The name
"white" comes from a translation error when scientists noted that this type of rhino had a "wide"
mouth - oops!)
