Safari Heaven!

After a fabulous few days in Cape Town, it was time for us to head North and up to the wilds of Kruger Park to begin, what was for me the dream of a lifetime – a safari. Our onward journey consisted of two plane rides. The first, an early morning flight from Cape Town into the Kruger National Park airport. A flight time of just over 2 hours, but the change from the city to the bush seemed worlds apart. At Kruger airport we transferred into a tiny six-seater plane and flew deeper into the national park. We felt like VIPs in our own small plane for our 30-minute flight, but this was long enough for us to be transfixed by the vastness of the view below which was hard to comprehend. In no time at all our little plane was landing on the private airstrip of Londolozi Game Reserve. Londolozi Game Reserve was one of South Africa’s first game reserves. Situated on the banks of the Sand River, in the heart of the Sabi Sand Game Reserve it has found the balance between allowing its guests to have an exclusive and luxurious stay, whilst always prioritizing conservation and the local community, and this was important to us. We were greeted from the airstrip and taken in a comfortable jeep to our lodge. One bedroom, one enormous bathroom, our own plunge pool and complete privacy. Built at a raised angle to allow us to see safely over the bush, and hopefully spot some wildlife. We had a short chat with our hosts to cover off some safety considerations, “don’t leave the lodge on your own, call for a guide to accompany you” was one that stuck in my mind and had my heart racing just a little faster. As much as I had desperately wanted to go on a safari, I was secretly harbouring three worries. How would I feel if we witnessed a ‘kill’? I wasn’t sure I could cope with that. I also worried about being attacked, were we safe? And…perhaps more importantly, where do you go to the loo while you are out on a Drive? I now know the answers to all those things! We spent five days at Londolozi. Our days consisted of a similar routine. At 0530 (yes…I know…but it was so worth it!) we were woken by a gentle tap-tap on our lodge window from our guide. It was time to get up and ready before he would come back to escort us to our first breakfast of the day. The food was sensational, even at this time of the morning. We would leave for our early game drive at about 0630, and the rangers & trackers in the park would already have been collaborating to establish the best route to take to give us the best chance of seeing some wonderful sights. Our objective, if possible was to be able to see the ‘Big Five’ – Leopard, Rhino, Lion, Elephant & Buffalo. We would be out for a few hours at a time, before returning to the lodge for breakfast number two, and a chance to excitedly discuss whatever we had been able to see. Daytime was spent in a haze of spa treatments, visits to the educational centre, hot bubble baths in our lodge and dips in our own pool and plenty of time for a snooze to catch up with the early morning. A light tea was served, before heading out again each evening to go and see what we could find next. After each evening drive, we headed back for an amazing evening meal, singing from the resident group and an early night so that we were ready to do it all again the next day. We travelled in June. Winter in South Africa, but it is a time where water is scarce and it leads to animals congregating at watering holes and gives the very best chance of up-close viewing. To this end, over our visit we managed to see all the Big Five and so much more. Our Ranger and our Tracker were so knowledgeable and passionately shared their knowledge with us. We always felt safe, reassured that although they carried rifles with them, they had never had to be used. And, yes, I answered both of my other questions too – seeing a ‘kill’ in progress is unusual, but we stumbled across two brother lions that had captured their Buffalo dinner only moments before. We watched closely as they did what they had to do to feed themselves. And not one bit of it bothered me in the way I was worried it would – it was just an incredible sight that we were privileged to see. And the other question…there are plenty of bushes in the bush!!