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South African Safari...Stunning Wildlife and Landscapes...an Adventure to Remember

khdeutmeyer

Updated: 6 days ago

Leopard feasting on an Impala.  Photo taken on a game drive at Motswari Game Reserve in Kruger National Park in South Africa.
Leopard feasting on an Impala. Photo taken on a game drive at Motswari Game Reserve in Kruger National Park in South Africa.

A bucket list trip for me was an African safari. As I usually do, I started my research on Africa and was debating between a trip to South Africa or Kenya and Tanzania. I also wanted to see the African Penguins. While traveling to the Galapagos last year, we met two couples from Kenya now living in South Africa. We love talking with people from other countries and while talking with them, they recommended we start with South Africa, especially if I wanted to see the African Penguins. They felt we would have no problem seeing all of the big five animals if we started in Kruger National Park. We took their advice and traveled to South Africa, starting in Cape Town and then traveling to the Great Kruger area.


I typically plan all of my trips on my own but this time I decided I needed assistance. I worked with Jenna at Timbuktu Travel. They have a great website that enabled me to research options and then I worked closely with Jenna to build our trip based on our budget and priorities. https://www.timbuktutravel.com/ I was very pleased with my experience with Timbuktu Travel.

"South Africa is located in the southern tip of Africa and has several ecosystems across the vast country. From Cape Town that sits beneath the flat topped Table Mountain to the northern part of the country where the big five game animals reside in the Greater Kruger Area, to the beaches and vineyards of the Western Cape...a visitor can spend months exploring!"

CAPE TOWN AND SURROUNDING AREA

Our trip began with a flight from Chicago to Atlanta and then direct to Cape Town, South Africa. Flights are more expensive flying direct but worth it versus laying over in London for 8 to 9 hours. The flight is 14 hours direct from Atlanta going to Cape Town and 15 1/2 hours returning to Atlanta. Direct flights from the US originate from Atlanta and Dulles in Washington, D.C. While I utilized Timbuktu travel for assisting with the planning for our time in South Africa, we were responsible for our flights to and from South Africa. Flights within South Africa were included in our package. Flights are overnight with South Africa seven hours ahead of our time in Dubuque, Iowa.


Upon arrival to Cape Town, we were picked up by Jarat Tours and taken directly to our small boutique hotel. We originally were scheduled to stay at the Clarendon Fresnaye but prior to our arrival were upgraded to their sister hotel, The Clarendon Bantry Bay. The Clarendon sits on the slopes of Lion's Head in the suburb of Fresnaye. Overlooking the Atlantic, we had awesome views of the ocean and coastline. The property is interesting, once owned by the Governor of the Cape and it also belonged to the Earl of Clarendon. Our room was amazing and the service was impeccable. I would say, we felt like a rock stars! We reserved a car for our first 5 days before heading to Kruger. The car was was delivered to our hotel for us and picked up upon our departure. It was a wonderful service. No waiting in lines for your rental car!


Our first stop in Cape Town was to see the African Penguins! As you know, I love wildlife and seeing the penguins in their natural habit was a priority! The penguins reside on Boulders Beach, one of the two colonies in South Africa. Penguins can easily be seen from boardwalks that line the beach area. Boulders Beach is located on the Cape Peninsula, in Simon's Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is also commonly known as

African Penguins at Boulders Bay heading to the beach and water.
African Penguins at Boulders Bay heading to the beach and water.

Boulders Bay. Boulders Beach is beautiful with views of the turquoise water. the bay and the penguins. There is an estimated 2000 to 3000 penguins living on Boulders Beach and they can be seen year round. Seeing the penguins was one of the highlights of our trip. They make me smile!

Betty's Bay African or Jackass Penguins
Betty's Bay African or Jackass Penguins

A second location to view the African penguins is Betty's Bay, about 75 mile from Boulders Beach and Cape Town. The penguins are part of the Stoney Point Penguin with close to 1600 breeding pairs residing here. The penguins are also known as the Jackass Penguins because of their honking sounds. There is a board walk along the rocks and beach at Betty's Beach to easily view the penguins. The location is very different than Boulder Beach and worth the drive and time to see. It is less crowded and fewer penguins but beautiful views and penguins they will make you smile! We did a day trip to visit Betty's Bay with our rental car and it was well worth our time. It was a beautiful drive and took us out of the big city of Cape Town. Below are a few penguins that make me laugh!







Below are photos of Boulders Beach and Betty's Bay and the penguins in their natural habitat. Facts about the African Penguin can be found at this link https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/birds/penguins/African_penguin.html


We were happy we rented a car in Cape Town. We were told by both the hotel manager and the driver that picked us up at the airport to not walk at night in Cape Town. They told us to be back to our hotel by dark. Cape Town has a large homeless population, high crime rate and high unemployment. Not a good combination. While it is beautiful to visit, I was happy we were only spending three nights in Cape Town at the beginning of our trip and moving on. The coastline is amazing and the iconic Table Mountain was well worth seeing. I wouldn't suggest spending more than three to four days in Cape Town. You can easily see the highlights and attractions in that time frame. Photos of the Capet Town area are below.



Sanbona Wildlife Reserve/Camp

Our first experience with game drives was Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, in the Little Karoo region of South Africa. I had our travel specialist add this to our trip so get a taste of the safari game drives and to get out of the city and see other regions of South Africa. This experience got us out of the big city and into another region of South Africa. We were able to drive to the reserve. Sanbona is located approximately 3 1/2 hours from Cape Town and is the largest privately owned game reserve in South Africa. It is a semi-arid region flanked by beautiful mountains. We stayed at Tinley Manor, one of the lodges on site with six rooms. It was very intimate and private with large luxurious accommodations with service that made us feel like royalty! https://www.sanbona.com/


We did four game drives while at Sanbona. It was a great introduction to a safari game drives and was a wonderful way to experience our first game drives in search of the big five. The big five are the Buffalo, Elephant, Lion, Leopard, and Rhinoceros. We were up each morning by 6:00 a.m. and departed at 7:00 a.m. for our morning drives. We returned around 10:00 a.m. and had free time to have lunch, rest and be ready for our afternoon drive leaving at 3:30 and returning after dark. We did a total of four drives at Sanbona and were able to see the Elephant and Rhinoceros of the big five. We also saw the Cheetah, Zebra, and Giraffe. We were fortunate to see the Black Rhinoceros on on of our game drives. The black Rhino is endangered with only 5,000 left across Africa. They have been poached for their tusk and with conservation efforts, have increased their population from an all time low of 1600 to 5000 as of today. I would not recommend traveling to Sanbona if you have been to Kruger for a safari or other African countries for a safari. Doing a game drive at Sanbona is a great introduction to the animals and the game reserves but is not is not as vast as Kruger and Sanbona is focused on ecology and conservation. Sanbona does not have the great number of animals on their reserve as there is in the Greater Kruger area. With Sanbona in the mountains, the mornings were cold with beautiful afternoon temperatures. They provided us with blanket and hot water bottles to keep warm on the morning drives. The vehicles were partially enclosed so that helped with the cold and shaded us in the afternoon. We enjoyed our two nights at Sanbona, the lovely accommodations, and the animals we were able to experience! Below are photos from our stay at Sanbona.



Motswari Game Lodge

Our safari package through Timbuktu Travel included airfare between Cape Town and the Greater Kruger area. We flew from Cape Town to Hoedspruit Airport and were picked up by a representative from Sable Tours and transferred to Motswari Game Lodge. Again, first a first class transfer experience! Motswari Game Lodge is located in the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve section within the Greater Kruger National Park. Motswari is set on the banks of a seasonal river often visited by resident wildlife. https://newmarkhotels.com/accommodation/motswari-private-game-reserve

The lodging include a thatched hut along the banks of the river. I preferred a hut over a tented lodge. I wanted a door that locked and air conditioning! Motswari was a small lodge with 15 huts. I loved the small private setting. Motswari was wonderful! Because of the wildlife that wandered in and out of camp such as the Kudus, Warthogs, Impalas, Hyenas, and elephants, we were not allowed

The path to our hut
The path to our hut

to walk alone after dark. We had to be escorted to our huts at night after dinner or when we returned from our game drives Motswari used warning horns to deter the elephants from entering the camp and to alert people that elephants were in the area near camp. Elephants are not friendly animals and can be aggressive. We were warned to be alert for the elephants. The food was served at a campfire setting every evening with unusual food choices such as Oxtail, Impala soup, and grilled Warthog. I wasn't impressed! I enjoyed the homemade bread and vegetables but didn't like the meat choices! Note that the food is part of the vacation package. All meals are included and served on site. So, if you don't like the food, you need to find something or you will be hungry!


We had two game drives per day and had the option to do a game walk midday. We were woke up each morning at 5:15 to be ready for a 6:00 departure. The second game drive left at 3:30 daily and stayed out until dark. Game drives were cold in the mornings. Vehicles were open top with no windows or roof. So, it was important to wrap up. Motswari provided blankets but a fleece or wind jacket with a hood and a scarf are important for the game drives. It warms up quickly. From 40 degrees at 6:00 a.m. to 85 degrees at 10:00 a.m. Layers of clothing are important. We were fortunate to see all of the big five at Motswari.

We saw a pride of seven lions and a lioness, two different leopards, elephants, buffalo, and several white rhinoceros. The tracker and driver were awesome! Typically, you are assigned a tracker and driver for your entire stay at the lodge. I liked that because they begin to know you, what you like, and what you want to see for the day. It is a personalized experience. We did six game drives while staying at Motswari. I would definitely recommend Motswari! Below are photos of Motswari and our game drives.