Saturday, June 18, 2011

Safari in South Africa

No visit to South Africa would be complete without a safari. Renee and I continued our journey to the Sabi Sand Game Reserve near Kruger National Park. A two hour flight from Cape Town brought us within driving distance to our next stop, Singita Boulders.

If you have an aversion to high thread-count sheets, gourmet dining and fine wine, keep driving. We, on the other hand, enjoyed every bit of luxury that Singita dished up! Beautiful suites with walls of natural stone and glass have views looking out onto the grasslands and passing wildlife. After settling into our suite, we grabbed a quick snack and were ready to go out on our first game drive. We were introduced to our Ranger, Brett, and Tracker, Solomon, who expertly guided us through the bush.


During our stay at Singita, we saw four of the Big Five: Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Elephant along with Zebra, Impala, Wildebeest, Giraffe and too many other to mention. Renee and I toasted our successful game drive with a traditional sundowner - a cocktail hour in the bush! I've written more about Singita in a previous post from May 2010, and I still feel that this is one of the most luxurious safari experiences out there. The Singita Ebony Lodge has just completed a renovation, refreshed, but still maintaining the colonial feel and decor.


After our two night stay at Singita Boulders, we moved on to check out neighboring Leopard Hills Lodge. Singita is a hard act to follow, but Leopard Hills did a fine job of keeping up. This small lodge has eight suites, built into the hillside, each with its own private deck and plunge pool. We particularly enjoyed the "Boma" dinner that night - an outdoor dinner served under the night sky - lovely.

Our driver guide at Leopard Hills was Dangerous Dave. We thought perhaps it was a misnomer because with his red hair and wide smile, Dave didn't look all that dangerous. We soon learned how he got his name as we tracked a pack of endangered African Wild Dogs to their den site. We sped along in our open-air 4 wheel drive vehicle, on the road, then off the road, bumping over the rocky terrain and through the thick brush. We found our dogs though, and we could hear the yelping of newly born pups in the den.

The next morning, Dave was determined to find the Buffalo for us, so we would be able to complete our Big Five game-viewing for this trip. We drove and drove with the crisp morning air whipping our faces - did I mention that morning game drives start at 6:00am? I was about ready to give up, when we suddenly came upon them: a whole herd of hundreds of buffalo! What an exciting way to finish our safari!

Are you ready to book YOUR African safari adventure?
Call the safari experts at Bee Kalt Travel today!
Phone: 248-288-9600 or toll-free 1-800-284-5258
http://www.beekalt.com/
email: travel@beekalt.com