Lessons From A South African Safari

I went on a 3-day/2 night safari at Baobab Ridge Lodge in Klaseri Private Reserve in Greater Kruger. This was the most expensive part of my trip so I humbly ‘downgraded’ myself to a hostel in Cape Town.There’s so much to planning a Safari y’all, I did not expect it! I’m working on a separate post to share on the different options (with added tips for last-minute planners like me). Right now, I’m going to get right into my experience.

The Welcome & Facilities

Since I didn’t drive from Johannesburg, I got on the Ashton Shuttle from Jo-Burg airport to the Greater Kruger area (5-6 hour drive starting at 6am) and was picked up by a representative (Jess) from Baobab Ridge at the drop off point. As we drove, Jess told me about the Lodge, and the area. On our drive, we saw impalas but we turned off the main road and arrived at the lodge.

Baobab Ridge  Lodge is beautiful, you drive in and pull up past the barb-wired gates (separating it from the bush).  You walk through the imposing entrance (past the safari vehicles parked outside) and are welcomed with a hot towel and a fresh drink by sweet Lebo. You might see Tuna, the one-eyed cat, roaming around, she might follow you to your room. Lebo showed me around the facilities. I’m allergic to cats though.

The all-inclusive package came with food/ and drinks (soft drinks, tea, coffee, beer and wine), plus two game drives a day. There’s a Boma (enclosed area with a fire pit) where some evening meals are served around the fire under the stars. Near the pool, is an outdoor area with the most comfortable daybeds to just chill, nap, work, read, have a drink, or just be. There’s also a nearby watering hole where you can watch animals drink.

Now to my room… well it was its own standalone building (I did have occasional thoughts of receiving guests from the wild at night haha)! There’s a kitchen area with a fridge, two reclining chair that look out to the wide tall window. A very comfortable king-sized bed, a wrap-around porch with views of the bush, and a beautiful tub for… (fill in the blanks depending on who you’re with).

 

How It Went Down – The Game Drives

Jason was our guide throughout my stay and boy did he do an amazing job! We went on our very first drive the afternoon I arrived after eating a delicious lunch. We were in one of those open Safari vehicles you see in pictures, and I thought, man, this is the real deal! Right as we started, we passed three giraffes and Jason stopped the vehicle to give us time to watch the giraffes do what they do best…nibble away! We saw Zebras, and then searched for a parade of elephants spotted earlier in the day. Jason kept in touch with the other trackers and we found them. We parked the truck and sat in silence as we were surrounded by about 30 elephants (including two babies) eating in the bush.

Throughout my time here we saw giraffes, zebra, mangoes, Wildebeest, Impala, Bambi!!, kudu, crocodile, hippos, squirrels, lilac breasted roller (the most beautiful bird), elephants, warthogs (Pumba!), rhino, lions.   The most exciting thing about it is that you can never tell what animal lies around the corner in the bush!

Halfway through our drives we’d stop for a break in the open. The front of the jeep could be opened us as a ‘table’ to hold the food and drinks. In the evenings, we’d have a beverage, peanuts, and biltong as we watched the sunset. In the mornings, we’d have coffee, tea, and cookies.  Sometimes we’d banter, other times we’d stand in silence and just really take it in.

The guides know the bush so well, their knowledge is underrated. They have a deep love and appreciation for the bush, the animals, and the environment. This was more than just a Safari, it was a 3-day hands-on class on about life in the bush and I’m better for it. The trackers see the trails of leopards, elephants, and lions (where all I saw was sand until they showed me otherwise) and know to follow them.

As you drive, they explain what happened to each tree and how the elephants ‘destroying’ trees is part of the cycle of life here. They explain how sometimes hyenas (in groups) fight lions for their kill. They tell us about poaching and hunting. They’re an opinionated bunch. There are unspoken rules in the reserve and there’s respect for the animals, the environment, and for each other.  Not more than two vehicles near an animal at a time. When a sighting occurs, the trackers radio each other, and they don’t ‘jump’ the lines.

 

Anecdotes

‘Look up’: After sunset towards the end of the first evening drive, it was dark, chilly as we were looking for the last few nocturnal animals.  Jason found a clearing and stopped the vehicle. ‘Look up’, he said and so we did! Lo and behold, the most spectacular display of stars danced above….it literally gave me the chills I got emotional at the attention to details in creation.

It also reminded me of how often we end up looking in one direction for too long when we need to look elsewhere (in this case upwards) to find ‘amazing.’ Sometimes we are looking for love, for faith, for affirmation, friendship, purpose, jobs, or heck even for keys! Therefore, we need a little nudge from the guides in our lives to ‘look up.’ The following evening, you bet I did not wait for that nudge before I looked upwards.

Representation matters: As a black female traveller, I’m quite often one of the few or only black females at many destinations. While this was not the case in the rest of South Africa, it was the case at the lodge. Lebo (a thirty year old mother of a six-year-old) was so excited to see me. She had not seen a black guest in her time at the lodge. She told the rest of the kitchen staff and these ladies all came out to say hello.

Again…cue emotions. I’m NOBODY, yet to them, I represented something. There’s something about seeing someone who looks like you (or that has similar challenges as you) be present in spaces you previously assumed or were told was out of your league. For some, it lights a fire and for others it turns a candle light into a full-blown raging fire. Perhaps Lebo now has bigger dreams/expectations for herself and her daughter. You just never know what you represent to someone by being you and doing things you enjoy.

There’s more to a Safari than animals: I didn’t see the Big 5, I saw 3 out of the Big 5 and while I’m usually a goal getting kinda person, I was surprised (in a good way) that I was not disappointed. Why? Maybe because I was too taken aback by how much more there is to being in the bush than seeing animals. I found that I was equally happy to see Pumba as I would’ve been to see a Buffalo. My absolute favorite part of the Safari was just driving through and looking out into the wild, listening to Jason’s ‘ bush lectures’ and things just making sense in my head. It’s amazing how much we do NOT know!

What To Wear on Safari

You’ve seen the pictures of people wearing ‘safari’ gear. So, I did a little research before I left and those things are expensive. I mean those colors do not look good on my skin, thankfully, google told me it didn’t matter. The only thing you shouldn’t wear on Safari is white as the color may be jarring for the animals. So, I did not buy or wear typical safari wear and my bank account is high-fiving me for that! wear layers as it’s typically cold at the beginning of the morning drive and at the end of the evening game drive.

Pictures:

You’re probably like ok, so much talk where are the pictures!! Here are a few of my favorite. I think I’ll also do a photos-only post as well at a later date.

 

 

 

 

 

Have you been on Safari? Did you self-drive, going a group, or stay in a lodge? Was is what you expected? Am I getting to deep for nothing 😉 ? I plan to go on other safaris in my lifetime, but this was an incredible start! Share your thoughts in the comments section below!