Safari in South Africa

One continent we have never been to is Africa and the first thought that comes to my mind is going on a safari. For whatever reason, Kruger National Park in South Africa stands out. After finding out that Kruger is surrounded by private nature reserves that allow off-roading, we were all excited. In addition, there are no fences anymore between the National Park the the private reserves. The animals can freely roam as they like. Kruger has very strict rules as they allow self-driving and that is not something we wanted to do anyway. We were more interested in a guide showing us wildlife.

Initially, we wanted to spend 10 days in just one camp because we didn't want to spend time to travel from one camp to the next. However, the travel agency Icon Expeditions highly recommended 2 camps so that we would be able to experience different landscapes.

Fortunate for us, there was a direct flight from the US to Johannesburg, where we spent a couple of days to acclimatize to the time zone. A very friendly driver called Siyabonga (meaning thank you) picked us up at the OR Tambo International Airport and drove us to the 4 Seasons Hotel situated on a cliff. We enjoyed a great view towards the local zoo.

From Johannesburg we took a flight to Hoedspruit Airport, where we were picked up by a professional driver who safely navigated the dry landscape. For the first time in our lives we saw wild giraffes. They were just there grazing along the road and I was trying not to geek out. After about 90 minutes he dropped us off at Kings Camp in the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, where we were greeted by the staff. Because the plane was a little later than usual, we were encouraged to go on our first safari before we even saw the room and changed. So, we grabbed our cameras and took a seat in the open jeep and off we went.

At the first water hole we saw two lions (king of the jungle) resting on one end and on the other two white rhinos taking a mud bath.

Eventually, a heard of elephants showed up and the male and female lion took off because they didn't feel safe. Who's the king now?

The animals were not bothered by our presence at all nor were they intimidated. It seemed that they are used to the jeep and they just see us as a blob. We are amazed how close those animals came and simply ignored us. They went on with their daily activities.

Our daily routine started with a phone call at 5:00 to make sure that we were up and running for the day. We headed over to the lodge where they served coffee or espresso and some snacks. At 5:30 it was time to hop onto the jeep and head out to track and find animals. You never know what you're going to see today. The rangers were in constant radio contact with each other and if one jeep found something interesting he'd let all the other know about the location.

Another group found this female leopard early in the morning. As soon as we arrived one jeep left so that a maximum only 2 jeeps were with this gorgeous animal. This rule really makes a lot of sense to minimize the human impact on wildlife. In contrast, Kruger doesn't have this limitation and this might cause self-drivers to surround wild life, which is less than ideal.

Kings Camp is a five-star resort and its décor is very colonial. The cabin is very generous and there is a lot of accessories that one would have to make it nice and comfortable to feel at home. Each villa had their own private plunge pool and an even more private outdoor shower. There was a real zebra hide on our bathroom floor. From the deck one can observe wild life down by the water hole and we had a herd of impalas to come right through our camp. Who knows what's coming through here at night when it's all dark.

Not too long ago Kings Camp built a hide by their water hole to see animals up an close. We spent a couple hours here during the height of the day when the temperature hovered around 100°F. A live feed allows anyone to see what's going on. For this one does not need a long lens, on the contrary, the animals can get really close.

On every game drive our ranger Grant and tracker Goodman showed us something we haven't seen yet. Grant was very knowledgeable not just about facts but also about the behavior.

Did you know that a group of zebras are called a dazzle?

And did you know that a group of giraffes are called a journey? Who comes up with this stuff, anyway?

After having high tea at 3:30pm it is time to get ready for the evening drive starting at 4:00pm. Later on one of the days, Grant stepped on the gas pedal and we ask why the hurry, but he would not give away the surprise. I'm sure the last row experienced some air time. After maybe 20 minutes driving on dirt roads we started off-roading and eventually saw why. Another group spotted a young male cheetah, who recently lost his brother in a lion attack. What a sight. The cheetah walked very slowly and eventually laid down to rest. If it wasn't for the other jeep no one would have spotted the resting cheetah because they blend in so well.

Next day we visited a hyena borrow where only one adult was left to look over multiple cubs. They look menacing.

We stumbled upon a family of white rhinos one of which presumably the male had a huge horn. They would not stop grazing.

They seem to be safe from poachers here in Timbavati because we needed to pass through a security check point where we even had to open the trunk.

The park is full of all different kinds of antelopes, such as waterbuck or wildebeest, the poor man's buffalo. There is also tons of impalas, a staple food item for many predators

Originating at a time when hunters would go to Africa during the colonial times and shoot wild life with riffles and not cameras, many would not stop before they killed the "Big Five", elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo. The most feared one was the buffalo, probably because people underestimated the potential. So far we have seen four of them.

On our last day our tracker managed to find a small family of buffalos. They were ruminating and very relaxed. Our ranger Grant didn't like the Land Cruiser from Toyota as much as the Land Rover: "It has way superior suspensions". As soon as his colleague pulled up with a Land Cruiser, the buffalos got up and Grant remarked: "See, not even buffalos like Land Cruisers"

Grant was like a walking encyclopedia as he knew a lot about so many species, for example birds. Many visitors don't pay much attention, but some are very colorful. There is different species of eagles, vultures and marabous.

Our last drive was exciting before and after the obligatory G+T sun-downer somewhere in an opening, which Grant would check out before he told us that it's safe. This was a welcomed opportunity to answers nature's call and make room for an ice cold drink of your choice. Our choice was always gin and tonic to which we grew accustomed to very quickly.

Anyway, the exciting part was finding a leopard with it's kill on a tree branch. As you may know, leopards are excellent climbers and we spotted a female with her kill.

Unlike other wild life, the leopard was not bothered by the spot light and it was great seeing this well fed predator enjoying a relaxing evening.

What a great experience and we have so many more days ahead of us. Typically, after we got back from the evening drive, dinner was prepared and it was outstanding. The wait staff was great and every night we needed to be escorted back to the cabin because the wild life is right here and everywhere. We were also told to lock our door and not just close it because the baboons will open the door and ransack your room. It's always funny to see those monkeys run around with your underwear on top of their heads.

On the next day our plan was to drive from one game reserve Timbavati to Sabi Sands. On time, we were picked up by a driver from Sable Tours. It was all organized by our travel agency Icon Expeditions. 

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Leaving Timbavati meant to exit through the gate where we were checked again for contraband by armed rangers. After a 3 hour ride were we learned so much about families getting land from the chief so that they can build a home on it. Most of the homes weren't finished yet because they built it themselves whenever they can afford building material. A cinder-block cost about 5 pennies and it takes a lot of then to build a home. 

When we entered Sabi Sands through another gate we noticed a sign stating that one should NOT follow GPS. Our driver knew exactly where to drop us off.

Like so many other unique hotels we have visited before, we found Silvan Safari through Relais & Chateaux. These hotels are family-owned and every single one is always special. We were greeted by the super friendly staff with a refreshing towel and drink, which was so refreshing after sitting in the car for so long.

Our butler David, our driver/ranger Tendai and our tracker Remember were assigned to us and we felt so lucky to have such a personalized service. It was great to get to know them better through our stay.

The entrance to the main building was very inviting and open. Someone with a lot of taste put together an eclectic collection of art.

Different colors, textures and material made up not just the public areas, but also the private villas, which were all different. We ended up in the Blue Guarri Suite which was absolutely fabulous. We had our own plunge pool and outdoor shower and a huge bathroom with 2 shower heads. The villa was build on the banks of a now dry river, overlooking the other side were elephants and antelopes would wander through. Our camp had a resident leopard (they call her Tiyani) which a few days ago had brought up a kill onto our deck. We never saw her, but we are convinced that she saw us. 

On one of our morning drives we spotted another female leopard. She was just resting on a rock and she seem to enjoy the raising sun the same way we did.

The white rhinos here have smaller or even removed horns for their own protection. We stumbled upon a family that was grazing. No surprise here because they spend about halve the day eating up to 120 pounds of grass.

One difference we noticed immediately and that was that the landscape was different. The terrain was more open which allowed our guide and tracker to follow some lion tracks.

After some off-roading we came found a family of mostly lionesses soaking in the warmth of the morning sun.

Even though it's the dry season there are still some water holes that are big enough to be home for a family of hippos. Their living space is severely limited every year and eventually, the rain will start again and allow them to wonder off to other holes. Just imagine, what it feels like if you're trapped with all your in-laws.

This elder bull was very much concentrated on the branches that only he could reach. Was that branch really better than anything else laying on the ground. It all looked so dried up. Overall, elephants are very destructive. If they feel like eating fresh roots, they just push over the entire tree.

This hairdo seems to be fashionable for warthogs. When they run, the hair flies like a flag. Even thought they don't look aggressive, they are capable of creating some damage with their tusks, especially when they defend their offspring.

This older termite hill now serves as a hyaena den and is conveniently located underneath a nice shady tree which is very much appreciated in the summer.

Typically, there is only a single adult watching of the kids, while the other adult are hunting.

On one of the evening drives, the ranger rushed us up North where we encountered a herd of buffalos. Tendai estimated the size to be about 700 individuals and it was quite a sight. They were absolutely not intimidated by us, in other words: size matters.

Here at Silvan Safari, the morning drive starts at 6:00, because "they are civilized". For the afternoon drive, starting after high tea, our butler David prepared a sippy cup for us. It was a G+T (Gin and Tonic) with a lot of ice. Now imagine, we had to hold on to the jeep because the road is bouncy, but also to the camera besides the cup with only two hands. The solution was to keep the cup between the feet so that we could take pictures. But even that was quite "challenging".

One of the highlights was spotting a pride of lazy lions. They were just resting from the hunt during the previous night.

All of a sudden we hear commotion and then our tracker spotted a big male leopard cautiously waking up to a hill where he could observe the lions. They were not even 50 yards apart and we were right in the middle. It was a standoff and no party would concede. 

We left the leopard and on our way back to the dirt road, we spend a little more time with the lions  and discovered that they had a cup. They eventually got up and moved to another location.

On our last evening drive we just came around a bend to head down a ravine when a herd of elephants came out of the bush very quietly. Obviously we stopped immediately. Lead by a juvenile, they headed somewhere in a single file without making any sound. It was surreal.

Each evening, before heading home we stopped somewhere in the bush and had a sun-downer. There is nothing like a sunset in Africa. It is really spectacular.

Here's a couple observations:

• There is poop everywhere. All dried up but everywhere.
• At the end of September it was cold (in the 50s) in the morning and late at night, so bring your beanie and gloves, especially for the drives.
• At noon the temperature could easily reach 90s, so the spread was incredible. So, prepare to change your attire a couple of times. Bring loose clothing also.
• It was very dry and we didn't see or feel any mosquitos. However, we still taking our regiment of anti-malaria pills.
• Going on safari is like going scuba diving. You see a lot of wild life, but you never know what is around the corner.
• We both used a mirrorless Nikon Z8 camera with a 28-400mm f/4-8 VR lens. Even though the lens is not as light sensitive as I wanted it to be, it was ok. The camera was fabulous, especially the 3D tracking.
  

It’s not an experience of a lifetime, it’s a life experience that creates a memory that will not be forgotten.