Rain….Rain….Rain

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IMG_1822It has been a HOT and DRY summer so far! The whole of the Country of South Africa has been experiencing some of the worst droughts in 20 years! We had just started to see the impact the drought has had over Hoedspruit and surrounds – on the reserve the water holes were drying up and parts of the Kruger National park is close to crisis situation regarding water supply.

 

 

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IMG_0037And then…..the biggest, darkest clouds that I have seen in while started to build in the South – and this is usually where we get the majority of our Thunderstorms from in the summer. We were all a bit skeptical as the clouds have built up a couple of times now but no rain yet… It was a matter of minutes, the sun disappeared and all went dark and gloomy when the first hail stone fell! I, myself was in the town of Hoedspruit when the storm hit. Had some little hail stones hit my car – but luckily for me the storm was moving North and I was travelling South back into the direction of Vuyani Safari Lodge. The majority of Hoedspruit town and surrounds to the West, East and North had been hit quite badly by the hail. In the centre of town, photos have been circulating on social media with hail stones as big as Cricket balls! Some areas north of Hoedspruit experienced flash flooding…..it was bizarre!

 

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Despite all the devastation caused to Citrus and Mango farmers in particular, the rain was an incredible welcoming factor. Everything cooled down immediately and I am most certain in less than a week it will be lush and green! We are truly hoping for some more rain – so that the dams and lakes can be filled, so that the Hippo and Crocs (not forgetting the fish) have somewhere to stay J

 

I managed to capture some clouds and a beautiful rainbow! If you are due to come on Safari at Vuyani or surrounds, make sure you pack at least one “Raincoat” We do provide ponchos on the vehicles – and most of our guests are loving the experience of a Drive in the “storm”