Game show: South African preserve offers an intimate look at nature in the wild

Spring comes to the Timbavati Game Preserve on the western edge of Kruger National Park not a blade at a time, but in a surge of color. Overnight, trees and bushes that looked lifeless are now dressed in a green hue that grows bolder with each new day. Blossoms pop out; leaves take full shape; grass gets lusher, almost before our very eyes.

There is no time to waste, after all. In this part of the world, growing time is limited. Both plants and animals must take advantage of sparse rains and stingy resources.

But it is a magical time to be here, not only to watch the beginning of nature's grand color show, but also because it's a good time to view wild game. Lightly colored and foliaged trees don't provide the cover that fully staffed ones do, so we can see farther distances. Plus, after a winter of foraging for food among old and brittle plants, birds and animals find the succulent buds of spring a welcome change.

And viewing those animals is what this part of the world is all about.

Kruger National Park is the largest game reserve in South Africa. Covering some 7,332 square miles and stretching 217 miles from north to south and 37 miles from east to west, it is roughly the size of Israel or Wales. The official list of species it accommodates is awe-inspiring: 1,982 plants, 336 trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, 507 birds, 147 mammals.

We will not see them all in our little corner, or course. Kruger is roughly divided into six different ecosystems, each with varied flora and fauna.

The Timbavati reserve is actually a private game reserve at the edge of the park, sharing an unfenced border so animals can move freely wherever they want. This area is considered "bushveld," covered with shrubs and trees and rocky outcroppings, but also with adequate watering holes and streams. Here, we will not see the huge herds of animals that move across the plains. But we will see enough. In Timbavati, they tell us, 250 species of birds and 24 species of larger mammals have been recorded, and we have a very good chance of seeing many of them.

So it is with a great deal of anticipation that we set out for our first safari ride. We had arrived at King's Camp, which will be our headquarters for the next several days, just a couple of hours earlier, time enough to settle into our luxurious bungalows. It is a small camp, allowing a maximum of 20 guests. Our group of 12 takes up a lot of the room.