Day 4:

This day begins with another SA tradition (and soon to be road trip staple): breakfast at Wimpy.  Muriel, our waitress, is a scream and full of banter.  

We are joined by a J-burg celebrity, Andrew, who is a local radio DJ and gave us a mention on his show yesterday.

We stock up on picnic things and head out to a private game reserve.   Initial excitement turns our to be a fibre-glass elephant, giraffe and zebra at the entrance gate.  

We see (real) white rhino and baby, ostrich, and many types of Bok, wildebeests and birds.  

Visiting the predator enclosure, we stop beside an extremely lazy pile of lions snoozing in the grass.  There’s not much going on there today, because they apparently know it’s Monday, when they’re not fed.   

We visit the Wondercaves, under the game park, a steep climb down then a ancient-looking lift into the gloom.   This huge cave system is famous for the natural limestone formations and our cheeky guide tells us stories and jokes as he shows us around.  

(A large iron ore deposit here means that lightening strikes are extremely common here, and as a result the park has had no giraffes for many years…)

We pass zebra, more rhino, ostrich and warthog on the way to the picnic area, and then explore the crèche, baby rhino, hippo, lion cubs and a multitude of other animals are here.  

The tigers and cheetah look bored and depressed. I hope I’m wrong.  

For about £3 I’m allowed into an enclosure to play with four 3-month old lion cubs. They’re inquisitive and playful, smell like horses on a hot day and their short fur is surprisingly wiry (though their ears are fluffy).  

I am bitten a couple of times, but the handler assures me “they’re bored, it’s because they bite” and not hungry…

That evening we eat Italian at a restaurant inside a gaudy and noisy casino, but the main attraction are the huge colourful waltzing waters, which, despite the cold, we dance and sing along to.