Emu
Weaver nests
Croc
The beautiful face of a Warthog
Both of us woke up with excitement as today was the day we were going to dart from a helicopter! We all got up early, packed up and checked out of the Kokoriba resort. We then traveled to the original game farm and while waiting for the helicopter, Tertius gave us a lesson on what to do and expect while shooting from a helicopter. There were no actual live animals to dart at this time, so instead the guys had rigged a target to the top of the bucky and were going to drive the bucky like how an animal was running so we could get as much of the fullest experience we could. Chris was driving the bucky and just asked that we don't hit his head or the window (it has happened before). Soon the helicopter arrived and we met our very easy on the eyes pilot, Dolph. He explained how to buckle up and put on the head set.
With this, Mel went first. She got all geared up and then was up in the air. They had taken all of the doors off of the chopper so you could lean out with your gun and aim properly. First Dolph took us up and showed us some animals and then explained when to turn the gun off safety and aim. Our adrenaline was rushing at this point, but not from being scared, from utter excitement! The feeling was so cool and the view was amazing! As soon as the chopper came around the bend, Chris started driving and then we aimed and fired! Mel was 1 inch away from the bulls-eye! This was a pretty big deal as she had done extensive practice on the ground for this. After we had our 1 shot, Dolph took us back up and we followed some animals and then landed. This was definitely a highlight of the trip and we wished it would have been longer!
After everyone had their turn, we went back to the house and made some breakfast and said bye to our pilot friend. After this we were going to go to a campsite called Sondela, but before we left Pierre took us to a crocodile farm as one of the girls really wanted to see a crocodile up close before she left SA. We saw some pretty big crocs getting fed and then were able to see some warthogs up close and personal.
With this, Mel went first. She got all geared up and then was up in the air. They had taken all of the doors off of the chopper so you could lean out with your gun and aim properly. First Dolph took us up and showed us some animals and then explained when to turn the gun off safety and aim. Our adrenaline was rushing at this point, but not from being scared, from utter excitement! The feeling was so cool and the view was amazing! As soon as the chopper came around the bend, Chris started driving and then we aimed and fired! Mel was 1 inch away from the bulls-eye! This was a pretty big deal as she had done extensive practice on the ground for this. After we had our 1 shot, Dolph took us back up and we followed some animals and then landed. This was definitely a highlight of the trip and we wished it would have been longer!
After everyone had their turn, we went back to the house and made some breakfast and said bye to our pilot friend. After this we were going to go to a campsite called Sondela, but before we left Pierre took us to a crocodile farm as one of the girls really wanted to see a crocodile up close before she left SA. We saw some pretty big crocs getting fed and then were able to see some warthogs up close and personal.
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