A trip of a Lifetime

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My bucket list has always included a trip to Africa and seeing the animals on a safari. I finally got my chance, and In July 2022, I took the trip of a lifetime to South Africa.

We divided our trip into three parts: Cape Town, the Greater Kruger Area, and Victoria Falls.

After many long hours on an airplane, we finally arrived in Cape Town, one of South Africa’s three capital cities, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest after Johannesburg.

After checking into the hotel and resting for a few minutes, we decided to get some lunch and explore the city. Cape Town, like most of Africa, could be described as having two sides. There are moments when you think you could be in any western city with skyscrapers and modern buildings. Then there are moments when you see the ghettos and the aftermath of many years of poverty and government corruption.

That evening we met with Dee our first CEO (Chief Experience Officer) and some of our fellow travelers.

All our days were jam-packed, and I say that in a good way.

We spent our second day discovering the area around Cape Town. We started at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, named one of the Top 10 gardens in the world by National Geographic Traveler.

Situated on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch is internationally acclaimed as one of the most magnificent botanical gardens in the world. The estate, approximately 1300 million acres, includes a cultivated garden and a nature reserve. The developed garden displays South Africa’s exceptionally rich biodiversity.  We were lucky enough to catch the last cable car to the top of Table Mountain.

We stopped to see the penguins at Boulder Beach, then the Cape Point lighthouse, and the Cape of Good Hope, the southwestern most point in Africa. Obviously a very full day!

South Africa is known for having some exceptional wines and we spent most of day three touring wineries in the area and getting private tastings with food pairings. Fortunately, we were able to order wine to be delivered to us back in the U.S.

After three short but wonderful days in Cape Town, it was time to head to Johannesburg. We took a short flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg, colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold.” It is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world.

 

I will say that I was impressed by the quickness and ease of flying in Africa. We had a brief one-night stay in Johannesburg and got a private tour in Soweto where the residential area was created under apartheid and played a significant role in bringing the issues of segregation to the forefront. Nelson Mandela launched the Anti-Apartheid movement here.

 

Our guide was a lovely lady who participated in many of the apartheid protests. We stayed near the airport at the lovely African Safari Lodge where the owners hosted us with a wonderful braai (South African Barbeque)

We headed out early the next morning over to Kruger National Park, a vast conservation area extending nearly five million acres along with private unfenced game reserves. It offers some of the best access to wild animals in Africa, including The Big Five – buffalo, elephants, leopards, lions, and rhinos.

The road trip was about 11 hours, and we made a few stops along the way to break up the trip. That night we checked into the Hippo Hollow Lodge, which had wild hippos on the property. We got a glimpse of a hippo that night while we were eating dinner at the lodge.

As I quickly learned, part of the Safari experience was early morning and late evening trying to see all the animals when they prefer to graze. The park opened at 6:00 AM and we were there promptly! I would say Kruger was like many national parks in the United States with nice, well-maintained roads.

I was in awe of the sheer size of the park which is seven times the size of Yellowstone and similar in size to the country of Israel. We spent the entire day with our guide exploring Kruger, and saw four out of The Big Five. The lion was elusive to us on this first day. But it was great to see so many animals up close in their natural environment. So different than seeing them at a zoo.

After two lovely nights at Hippo Hollow Lodge, we headed to our next stop, Krawogwe Private Game Reserve, one of the many that surround the park. We stayed in the reserve and did some glamping at Chisomo Safari Camp where everything was top-notch! The lobby and restaurant were beautiful, and our private lodge was beyond elegant.

We went on our first Safari shortly after we arrived.

On Day Eight, we explored the reserve in an open-top safari 4x4 in search of The Big Five. We got to see 3 lions in the Private Game Reserve, so we completed our Big Five List. After Safari each day we would return to the lodge for brunch and leisure time, then we would have another safari drive in the afternoon.

On day Nine, we headed back to Johannesburg, then flew to Victoria Falls on Day 10.

Victoria Falls, also called “The Smoke That Thunders,” is one of the world’s largest waterfalls at 355 feet. It is located on the Zambezi River in Southern Africa and provides a habitat for several unique species of plants and animals.

I must say the falls are magnificent and I’m happy I had the opportunity to see this beautiful natural wonder.

On Day 12, we made the long trip back home, exhausted, happy, and filled with wonderful memories.

 

                                                                                                     #CruisePlanners-DaniellePetty #BucketList #traveladvisor