Hoosier Cruiser

March 29-30, 2026

After my less than spectacular safari experience in Mombasa, I seized the opportunity to go on some more safaris. These would be on private game reserves of which there are several in east Africa.

First up was Richard’s Bay which is a major coal shipping port. We were advised to wear a face mask when exiting the ship and walking to the coaches. Upon returning to the ship it was evident that a lot of coal dust had been tracked inside. The ride to the Bonamanzi Game Reserve was pretty boring; we passed thru thousands of acres of eucalyptus trees on either side of the highway.

The reserve is on fairly flat terrain with a few different habitats: sand forest, riverine and savannah. Due to recent rains, some of the reserve was closed to all vehicles which was unfortunate since that’s where the rhinos hang out. However, we did see impala, red duiker ( rare), nyala (everywhere), wildebeest and a warthog named Bacon. Before returning to the ship, we had a late lunch at the lodge restaurant. (no bacon on the menu)

DURBAN TO GWAHUMBE GAME RESERVE

The journey from the Port of Durban to the Gwahumbe game reserve was a much more scenic one. On the outskirts of Durban, the countryside is verdant with vast tracts of farmland set amid rolling hills. It is very reminiscent of Midwestern America. While quite a bit of acreage is devoted to sugar cane, there were many family farms with other crops.

On arrival around noon, we had lunch before setting out on safari. The 4×4 loading was a bit helter-skelter and I ended up on a 25 passenger re-purposed troop carrier instead of the more nimble 10 passenger Land Cruiser. Starting out we saw zebra, wildebeest and ostrich. The ride became rougher as we descended into a river valley. (Think the roughest theme park ride during an earthquake). We spotted a pair of rhinos on the left fork and a pair of giraffe on the right fork. Our driver-guide took the left fork and introduced us to Valentine and Maximus, white rhino brothers. Next we caught up with the mating pair of giraffe and later saw them again from a better vantage point. After a well deserved pit stop, we headed back to the lodge and boarded our coach for the ride home.

DURBAN TO GWAHUMBE GALLERY