Again, we weren’t sure exactly what to expect – but we were surprised when we came across baboons and even a young hippo on our short drive to reception. Aren’t these animals supposed to be fenced in? We would learn more about the set-up of the reserve later.
We were immediately met by our safari guide, Juan, who would prove to be our fearless leader during our stay. He showed up to our lodge, showed us around, and explained what we would be doing over the next two days. He also casually mentioned to watch out for the giraffe who likes to come up to the lodges and drink from the plunge pools… um, excuse me?
Now, lest you think we were really roughing it in the wild, here are some photos of the resort:
We were staying in a luxury resort on a game reserve -- pretty much the best of both worlds. The food and drinks were all you can eat and drink (South African wines, yes please!) and the service was great. We had to keep pinching ourselves to make sure it wasn’t a dream.
We went on our first safari that afternoon. The weather was gorgeous and the scenery was absolutely breathtaking. The reserve is divided into two sections. On the first day, we did the sections that is mostly open plains. Here, there are mostly antelope species, buffalo, giraffe, and rhinos. Unlike Addo park, Juan could take our vehicle off-roading so that we could get really close to the animals. A fully-grown rhino was within 5 feet of our open Jeep! And apparently, she was in a sour mood due to being pregnant (according to Juan). Luckily, we made it out unscathed. Right away, it was clear just how knowledgeable our guide truly was. He knew so much about every single animal that we saw. He also explained a lot about their behaviors. This made me feel much more comfortable, as I had been a bit nervous about getting so close to completely wild animals.
After about two hours in the Jeep, as the sun was setting, we parked the vehicle among a small group of giraffes. Then, Juan told us we could get out of the Jeep. Wait, what? Basically everything we read had told us that you are 100% completely safe from the animals as long as you stay within the vehicle. We were both a bit hesitant, but Juan assured us that it was perfectly fine here. Then, he brought out a cooler full of wine, beer, and appetizers, so we were pretty much sold. Is this real life? We’re in South Africa, on a game reserve, standing 100 yards from a bunch of giraffes, drinking wine, while the sun is setting. It doesn’t get much better than that.
When we arrived back at the lodge after the safari, we were greeted with hot towels and brandy to warm us up. At this point, we had basically decided to stay here forever. Just kidding. Dinner was a buffet of pretty much every type of meat you could imagine. Delicious.
The next morning, we were up bright and early to depart for our morning safari at 6 AM. Another gorgeous day. This time, we would be heading over to the second part of the reserve. On our way there, we came across a young hippo. He was eating grass around the Jeep, and even sniffed the vehicle’s tire! I can’t believe how close these animals get to us!
Next, we started off the safari by hunting down the lions (figuratively, not literally, of course). Juan spotted some lion tracks and so he had a pretty good idea about where they had headed. When we found them, they were already lying down in the grass. Juan informed us that they would remain this way pretty much for the entire day. Honestly, I was really excited to see the lions so close, but I was a little relieved that they weren’t being extremely active. It was thrilling enough just to have them so close to the Jeep. One of the lionesses did get up to eat a bit, so we had the chance to see truly how impressive these animals are. They are basically pure muscle. Incredible.
After the lions, we drove around and spotted some more animals, including a family of 3 rhinos – with a baby rhino! So adorable! They also came pretty close to the vehicle. The baby was jumping around, too. So cute! Also, it is worth noting that none of the rhinos at the reserve have their horns. This is due to the severe poaching problem that is going on in South Africa. Poachers will enter private reserve at night and take the horns from the rhinos, often leaving them bleeding to death. Now, many of the reserves cut off the horns proactively in a painless way to deter poachers. It is incredibly inhumane and very sad. Honestly, learning so much about all of the animals really gave us a new perspective. It was great to have a safari guide who is so passionate about the animals.
After the morning safari, we had the afternoon to ourselves, so we lounged by the beautiful pool. We went on another afternoon safari – this time, we got to see a ton of elephants up close. Even though we had seen so many elephants at Addo, it never got old. One huge male elephant passed within a foot of our Jeep. Matt could have reached out and touched him! Amazing! We also saw a lot of them bathing in the mud, which is their way to cool off. I just can’t explain in words how incredible this experience was.
This is actually a baby lynx (rare sighting) - it looks like a house cat, but it'll kill you.
Our dinner that evening was Kudu, which is a species of antelope. The meat is very similar to beef – very delicious!
The next morning, we had our final safari. This time, we also took a short cruise on the river. It was nice to enjoy muffins and coffee on the boat. After that, we also saw a ton of giraffes! We even saw two meeting up with another two giraffes from the neighboring game reserve. It was pretty funny to see them “chatting” over the fence. We also had time to see the herd of hippos from a bit farther away. Although, they weren’t really doing much at the time. Fun fact: Did you know that hippos cannot swim? They stay in shallow water where they can walk across the bottom of the river.
The view of the river from the boat:
Here are the hippos:
We had brunch back at the resort, but then, sadly, we had to depart from the game reserve. It was a once in a lifetime experience that we will truly never forget!
