Jabari couldn’t wait until morning. He was going on a safari with his Uncle Chima! Jabari had come all the way to South Africa to visit his uncle. He had been waiting for this special day for a long time.

Chima worked at a game preserve. He ran safari trips for tourists. He liked to take people around to see the majestic African animals.

People loved the animals. They were so excited to see them in the wild! Many of the animals were endangered. People donated money to Chima’s charity to protect them.

In the morning, Jabari and Chima got up very early. Jabari yawned. “Want to go back to bed?” asked Chima.

“No!” said Jabari. “I want to see animals.”

Chima and Jabari climbed into the truck. It had open sides. Jabari took out his camera. He hoped he could get some good pictures.

They hadn’t driven very far when they spotted their first animals. Two wildebeests were crossing the road! Jabari snapped a photo.

The truck barely started rolling again before they saw three zebras. And then they saw a giraffe. In the distance, Chima pointed out some leopards. Jabari used the binoculars to take a look.

Chima kept driving. Jabari took photos of the landscape. There were tall mud formations that looked like sand castles. Chima said they were made by termites.

Eventually they came to a clearing. Chima parked the truck. Soon, they were surrounded by elephants! Jabari was amazed. The elephants were big, but gentle. Jabari took lots of pictures. He waved at the smallest elephant.

When they got home, Jabari headed straight to bed. “Get some rest,” said Chima. “Tomorrow we’ll go on a river cruise.”

“Hippos and crocodiles!” cheered Jabari. He couldn’t wait.