South African Safari...Stunning Wildlife and Landscapes...an Adventure to Remember
- khdeutmeyer
- Sep 9, 2024
- 14 min read
Updated: Feb 6
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
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!
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
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.
Shiduli Private Game Lodge
We left Motswari and were transferred to Shiduli Private Game Lodge located about an hour from Motswari on the southern end of the Greater Kruger Area giving us another perspective of the Kruger area. https://shiduli.karongweportfolio.com/ Shiduli is a different landscape and ecosystem from Sanbona and Motswari. Shiduli is situated against the backdrop of the Drakensberg Mountain Range. Beautiful views of the mountains with cold mornings and very hot afternoons. Shiduli is much larger than Sabona and Motswari. The level of service is not as personalized. There are 34 rooms, semi-detached buildings, with thatched roofs and doors that lock. The baboons and Vervet monkeys roam Shiduli Game lodge and required that we lock our doors and windows when we are not in our room. We were warned that the baboons are persistent, can be mean, and they love to terrorize the lodge rooms. The baboons broke in and vandalized two rooms while we were staying at Shiduli and fortunately, we weren't one of the guests that had baboon issues.
Due to Shiduli being a larger game lodge, it is our opinion based on our own experience, they cater to larger tour groups. We were not impressed with the way we were moved around between trackers, drivers, and jeeps our first four game drives. They had a group of 20 and a group of 15 so their accommodations came first. They fit us into different vehicles with 10 passengers being maximum plus the driver and tracker in the front. I know that on a future safari, I will make sure to stay at a smaller game lodge and ensure we will have the same tracker and guide for our entire stay. At Motswari we never had more than five guests total including is in our vehicle and at Sanbona we had four guests in our vehicle including us, so 9 to 10 people was crowded and not as personalized or comfortable.
We had eight successful game drives plus we did an all day game drive with a private guide and vehicle into Kruger National park. We enjoyed the day on our own with our own driver and guide. It was worth the additional money to get away from the larger groups. We saw four of the Big Five while at Shiduli. We didn't get to see the elusive leopard. Our
most exciting experience at Shiduli was a male lion calling his pride. It was an experience guests rarely see according to our driver. The video is posted here. We also saw a herd of elephants that decided to block our jeep and not let us pass. Another amazing sight. Our driver ended up backing up, turning around and watching them from the back of the jeep so we could make a quick escape if the elephants moved closer. The elephant video is below.
The hippopotamus were more visible and active at Shiduli. I enjoyed watching the hippos and saw that as a positive for Shiduli. We didn't see one hippo at Sabona and the guide at Motswari didn't show interest in taking time for us to spend time watching the hippos. They are fascinating creatures.
Overall, we had a good stay at Shiduli, and successful game drives, but do not plan to return to Shiduli or stay at a sister lodge. Below are photos from our game drives in Shiduli and with our private guide in Kruger National Park.
Overall, we loved our trip to South Africa and the safari game drives. Of course, I also loved the penguins! If we do it again, I will use Timbuktu Travel; stay at smaller, more intimate lodges like Sanbona and Motswari; try another country for our safari, like Tanzania or Namibia; and enjoy every moment! This was an experience of a lifetime! It was not a vacation but an ADVENTURE!
I have been asked what are the necessities to take with you to Africa for a safari. The list is below:
Old walking or running shoes. It is dusty, so don't buy new shoes. Hiking shoes/boots would be good too.
A coat with a hood such as a lightweight winter coat, rain coat, or a fleece jacket. Layer your clothing. Don't overpack. Luggage weight limits are lighter on the flights inside Africa.
I didn't wear shorts. I wanted to avoid mosquito bites. Comfortable pants or capri pants. We didn't have issues with the mosquitos. I didn't wear black. The flies like black.
It is not true that the animals don't like certain colors or that you need to wear muted colors. We work neutral tones most of the trip but other guests wore whatever color they wanted. The animals are not bothered by bright colors. I wouldn't recommend buying specific clothes for game drives.
Socks, gloves, scarf and sunglasses.
Hat like a sun/safari hat and a stocking cap for cold mornings.
Dress clothes for dinner...I didn't bring anything dressy. Some people chose to dress up but it was far from necessary. Majority wore comfortable safari clothes.
Bug spray and suntan lotion/spray.
Refillable water bottle. Plastic water bottles are available at the camps. You cannot drink the water. I would fill my water bottle up at the camp regularly using the water bottles.
Your favorite snacks. If you bring them, keep them locked in a safe so the Baboons don't get in and get them. I was glad we brought some of our own snacks and favorite food since I didn't love some of the traditional African dishes.
150 to 600mm camera lens if you have a DSLR camera. Many people used their Iphone but couldn't get close enough or it got too dark. I also had a second DLSR and used an 18 to 400 mm lens. We used both lenses and cameras along with our cell phones for video. A GoPro would be useful too.
Multifunction power outlet and power adapter based on the country. Outlets are not abundant in the huts so a multifunction outlet was very useful.
Small bills such as ones and fives for tips. You are constantly tipping. They like US dollars. Our US dollar and the Euro go along way in Africa.
We did the Malaria pills, and yellow fever shots prior to our trip per our doctor's recommendation.
TIPS TO TRAVEL ECONOMICALLY AND GET THE MOST FOR YOUR TIME AND MONEY
I also get asked many times, "How do you travel so often and keep it affordable?" A few tips are below:
For me, planning and researching is part of the excitement of the trip! Visioning is so much fun!!!
I plan all of my own trips and research, research, research on the internet. I utilize TripAdvisor, Frommer's, and blogs from other travelers to find the information I need for my trip. I do ALOT of reading and researching. It takes patience to plan a good affordable trip!
I have a budget in mind for each trip and challenge myself to stay in the budget. Depending on the location, I typically start planning and booking hotels, cars, etc., approximately 9 months out. Hotel prices usually get more expensive the closer to the trip unless you are willing to do a last minute internet deal. Car rental and airline prices also go up the closer it is to your trip. Occasionally you can get a last minute deal but something else may be more expensive and you are really not saving. I like to plan!
For hotels, I use Orbitz.com, Hotels.com, Booking.com, or Priceline.com. I look for hotels with good reviews, pay when you stay, and free cancellation in advance.
We have done all-inclusive in a couple of tropical locations years and years ago but found that we do not eat and drink enough to make it worth the extra expense. We like to go off site from the hotel and experience the local cuisine and traditions. We have not done all-inclusive in the last 15 years. However, all-inclusive is wonderful if you want to stay at the resort for all meals, not rent a car, and have the hotel shuttle you to your destinations. That has worked for us in Jamaica and it was very relaxing! But I would not drive in Jamaica so all-inclusive was the smartest option! If you enjoy all-inclusive, the earlier you book the trip the lower the price. Unless you are game and are not a planner, and are willing to travel where the last minute deal is advertised. Then you could get a great all-inclusive deal!
If we are flying, I use the Skyscanner app to check airfare prices and I try not to buy until about 60 to 75 days out. There are times where I will by earlier if the price is super reasonable. I usually do not book on Skyscanner. It will tell me the site that is the most affordable to purchase the tickets and if it is a more well known trust site, I go directly to the site to purchase the tickets. Many times Skyscanner will take you right to the airline website. Skyscanner will search all airlines and will sort by price, times, shortest trip, etc.
Have a credit card that gives you miles or hotel points. We will use points for many of our trips. We are American Advantage members and have an Advantage credit card. We try to fly American as often as we can to earn points and then use those points for future airline tickets. Our credit card is tied to our Advantage numbers and awards points as well.
We drive if the location is in the United States and we can drive and sightsee along the way. If we need to rent a car, we reserve online using Booking.com, Orbitz.com, or Priceline.com. They are usually the most reasonable. I watch for specials and never book a luxury vehicle! We also have a credit card with a low limit that we use for vehicle rentals that provides insurance as a credit card benefit. We always decline the insurance when we are in the United States. If we are traveling out of the United States, we check with the credit card if the insurance is valid internationally. We have found it is valid in Europe, Canada, U.S. Virgin Islands, but in other locations, we are forced to purchase the liability insurance from the rental car company.
While there are free maps online for most destinations, I always go onto Amazon and buy a map of my destination, especially if it is international. I do not buy maps for tropical Caribbean islands. I just get one when we arrive. But for countries like Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, England, Canada, Germany, France, etc., I always purchase a good map. As you do you research, you can use the map to highlight the places you want to visit and the sites you want to see. I have it as a reference later for putting my memories and photos into a photobook!
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