Date: September 2017

A safari in South Africa is one of those experiences guaranteed to stay with you for the rest of your life. These trips are full of exciting adventures. On our itinerary for this particular trip, we had planned historical tours, whale watching, sightseeing, curio shopping, and of course, epic game drives! Our tours may take unexpected turns due to unforeseen circumstances, however, an advantage of choosing our hosted offering is that we are able to draw on our extensive local knowledge to substitute with equally exciting alternatives. There is always something fantastic to do when you need a backup plan! We were so honoured to share in this unforgettable adventure with Christy and Marty from Virginia, USA. They brought a lively sense of humour and a willingness to adapt themselves to any changes that arose.

Day 1

We met Christy and Marty Martin at the airport in Cape Town after their flight from London. After freshening up at the hotel, we enjoyed an outdoor lunch at Life Grand Café at the waterfront. We then headed to the Cableway Base Station on Table Mountain. We enjoyed the breathtaking views. We could see Table Bay, Robben Island, Camps Bay, and the Twelve Apostles. After a rest at the hotel, we went to Camps Bay for sunset drinks and dinner at Zen Zero. Returning to the hotel, we took the Signal Hill route which offers amazing views for our guests to enjoy. A great end to the first day.

Day 2

After a gourmet breakfast at the hotel, we were off for a beautiful day of sightseeing. The views along Victoria Road from Camps Bay to Hout Bay were amazing. We could see the towering Apostles on your left and the Atlantic on your right. A particular highlight was seeing baboons at Cape Point. Christy and Marty enjoyed watching them interact with visitors. Being a photographer, Christy relished in the views at Cape Point. The magnificent landscape below gave her a great opportunity to experiment with her camera.

Our next stop was at Boulders Beach, the unique African penguin haven. The Penguins provided ample entertainment, surfing in and out of the waves. These little guys have so much character, boldly stating their claim to the beach. We also saw the breaching of Southern Right Whales a short distance off-shore. We continued, visiting Kalk Bay next.

Here, we managed to catch the fishermen returning from the day’s catch. A beautiful kaleidoscope of fishing boats lined up, with seals waiting to scavenge a scrap of fish. Later, we visited Bombay Bicycle Club for dinner and Africa Café at the end of the Evening.

Day 3

After an awesome breakfast at the hotel, we set off for a guided tour of the District 6 Museum which was extremely informative. We followed this with a drive through District 6 itself, fully grasping the magnitude of its history.

We grabbed a quick bite of fish and chips, at Snoekies in Hout Bay, then back in the car and off to Stellenbosch and a delightful visit to the nearby Tokara Winery. It was beautiful, nestled below the mountains with vineyards and various pieces of art displayed on the property. After a snack and a bottle of wine, we returned to Cape Town on a scenic route via Bloubergstrand, and finally back to the hotel. Dinner at Kloof Street House, later on, was amazing!

Day 4

Bike rental was on the cards for the morning in an effort to work off some of the calories from the fantastic cuisine we’ve been enjoying! We collected our bikes at the V&A Waterfront and cycled all along the water’s edge.

Our planned afternoon excursion of Whale Watching was unfortunately canceled due to very high winds in False Bay. We changed plans, opting for a historical guided walk through BoKaap instead. This was a real photographic treat, thanks to all the willing residents on the streets.

Day 5

The day started with a flight from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth. When we arrived at our lodge, we were shown to our beautiful rooms at Eagles Crag in the Shamwari Game Reserve. The rooms boast indoor and outdoor showers. Folding glass walls open the rooms to a private pool. We enjoyed high tea at the lodge and an introduction to our personal guide, David. In no time, we were on our first 3-hour game drive, enjoying the elevated views this terrain allows over the game plains below.

The highlight of the drive was seeing 2 female lionesses with their 6 cubs on a warthog kill. The adults had already had their share and the cubs were now squabbling to ensure they got a portion. Other sightings included a small herd of inquisitive buffalo, a rhino adult with its calf, and a large family-herd of elephants.

The veld in Shamwari at this time of the year supports an abundance of game, such as eland, hartebeest, bontebok, gemsbok, and springbok.

Back at the lodge, we were treated to a scrumptious dinner and a choice of South African wines around the open fire under the stars.

Day 6

Early wakeup call – 5 am!

After a cup of coffee, we headed out in the dark hoping to see some nocturnal animals before sunrise. We drove up and down the escarpment with mist hanging in the valleys as the sky turned a rosy pink – ethereal! Our game drive was dotted with more sightings of white rhino, impala, giraffe, waterbuck, kudu, and warthog. The highlight, however, was seeing a cheetah with her four teenage cubs.

There’s nothing better than to sit and observe the behaviour of animals in the wild, how they interact with each other, they’re so interconnected.

During the morning, we had an interesting visit to the Born Free Big Cat Sanctuary where lions and leopards have been rescued from abusive situations around the world.

After a morning break, we set out on foot for a ‘walking safari’. We were accompanied by two armed guides. They told us to stay close to each other, in single file, so that predators we may come across would not be able to single out any particular individual.

We then returned to Eagles Crag for breakfast followed by a few hours of relaxation. We had a light lunch and reconvened in the late afternoon for high tea and another game drive. Lazily lying in the open, enjoying the warmth of the soft afternoon sun and unperturbed by our intrusion, was ‘The King’. A gorgeous, blond-maned lion, kindly giving us an amazing photo opportunity.

We found a spot for sundowners at an old abandoned kraal. Later, the English family that shared our game drive vehicle with us, joined us for dinner as we reminisced over sightings and activities of the day.

Day 7

Yet another early wakeup call to a heavy misty morning! On our morning drive, we could only see about 50’ from the vehicle, making it difficult to spot any game. We did get to see three adult rhino sleeping perfectly in line in the middle of the road, enjoying the warmth from the ground. We backtracked and took another route down the escarpment to avoid disturbing them.

We came across the same two lionesses and cubs that we had seen on the warthog kill previously. The cubs were rough-housing and stalking each other. Their mothers were incredibly tolerant of the cub’s boisterous behavior. Once again, it was a great photo opportunity.

Our guide picked a brunch spot with a great vantage point over the plains below, allowing us to observe the game while enjoying our meal.

After brunch we had another walking safari. This time our guide picked an area that we had enjoyed from our brunch spot and we already knew that there were elephant and rhino close by. We pulled over at a waterhole and set out to see how close we could get to the rhino without disturbing them. We kept a safe distance from a nearby bull elephant who looked tense about our presence.

Three giraffes ran down the hill toward us, allowing us to see how the other game on the plain reacted to a danger call. The animals became very attentive, observed, and then reacted accordingly. It was amazing to see them using each other’s senses and reactions to keep themselves safe. In the meantime, the bull elephant had come down to play in the mud at the waterhole. He gave us a great show, spraying water and mud all over himself and us on the odd occasion. Yes, we were that close!

We spotted the cheetah with her teenagers across the valley. They were on the move, using their elevated position to observe impala in the bush below them.

En-route to the lodge, we could hear elephants trumpeting so we took a short detour and found them at a waterhole. They were the same large family herd we had spotted at dusk previously. We followed them closely, allowing ourselves to be absorbed within the herd. We watched the little ellies fool around with each other, every now and then running to mom for protection when they felt a little threatened. We also got to see a raft of hippos in the river, amazing!

Day 8

After our early morning coffee, we flew to Hoedspruit for our next adventure. We arrived around midday and reached Hamilton’s Tented Camp in the Kruger National Park, just in time for the afternoon drive. Hamilton’s was such a contrast to Shamwari and the Eastern Cape.

We had a later start to the drive due to our late arrival, but nevertheless saw a male lion. We also got a rhino sighting in before we lost the light of day to a gorgeous fiery sunset behind the Drakensberg mountains in the distance.

We had dinner on the deck of the open-aired lodge tent, with tables dressed in white linen. Period silverware, crystal glasses, kerosene lanterns and pith helmets set the scene for the 1880 themed lodge. Our server was also dressed in 1880’s colonial safari attire in accordance with the decor. At the end of the evening guides escorted us (in case of predators) along the elevated walkways to our luxury tents. Welcomed by soft lighting and a turned down mosquito net draped bed. This was the guarantee of a good night’s rest.

Day 9

Early morning calls were now becoming second nature to us. We followed a similar routine at Hamilton’s with a morning coffee before our game drive. We then had breakfast, a few hours of rest at camp, lunch, high tea, and an evening game drive.

One of the animals we happened upon during a morning game drive was a hyena, lying on a game path, right on the edge of the road. It was great to see it up so close and appreciate its purpose, design and cleanliness.

There are only 200 cheetahs in the whole of the Kruger National Park. We were fortunate enough to see an adult walking along the dry riverbed.

A lovely feature at Hamilton’s is the river the lodge is built on. It provides water in the dry season to much of the game. Sitting on your porch at camp you are constantly privy to the coming and going of the animals.

Christy and Marty had an exciting encounter when attempting to return to their room! One elephant was against the elevated walkway and another right at their front door. Vervet monkeys played in the trees above, waiting for an opportunity to scavenge food.

We enjoyed dinner in the bush not far from the lodge, around an open fire and under the star-studded sky. Our night watch was constantly vigilant in scouting the area for uninvited predators – a little wild!

Once tucked safely in bed we listened to the troop of baboons settling down in the trees across the river and roaring lions in the distance.

Day 10

We arranged to have a walk at first light with our guide. The terrain on the walk was densely populated with shrubs. The grass was much taller, adding an element of surprise when sightings occurred.

Our guides educated us on why a rhino midden is made and how to tell if a rhino has recently visited the midden. Marty volunteered to test the temperature of some rhino dung to determine how fresh it was. We also came across a porcupine den in an old termite mound with a number of quills scattered around. We saw deep, narrow, water holes in the sandy river bed that the elephants had dug with their trunks.

Back at camp Marty and Christy relaxed around the pool. During lunch, we noticed an impala carcass in the water below the camp. Every so often the resident crocodile would feed on it, causing it to bob in the water.

Sightings on our game drive that evening included giraffe, wildebeest, impala, zebra, baboons, steenbok, duiker, a side striped jackal and a hyena during happy hour. A new guest at the camp joined us at our table for dinner that evening. We enjoyed great conversations and new connections.

Day 11

This was our last game drive of the trip. We saw two large adult white rhinos on the morning drive amongst other game sightings. Christy and Marty returned to their room before breakfast to pack when they were surprised by a pride of lions a few feet from their room. The lions were not that comfortable hanging around and moved on fairly quickly. What a great sighting to end their visit!

Leaving the lodge with just enough time to make Christy and Marty’s flight in Hoedspruit, we knew that we did not have any extra time for sight-seeing along the way. We came across the same lions they had just seen at camp and we just had to stop. We then bumped into a herd of buffalo and again, just had to stop! We then came across two cheetahs at the side of the road, and of course, we just had to stop. We couldn’t have planned a better last few hours! Thank goodness we made it to the airport on time!

“Corinne and Collin made the perfect guides and are so knowledgeable about animals, nature and the bush, that I can’t imagine doing this with anyone else. I feel we’ve become family and will certainly miss hanging out and enjoying South African life. Thanks for creating memories that no photos or video will ever be able to replicate – but forever be imprinted in our hearts and minds!” – Christy and Marty