Today is our first day in Africa! We landed late last night after a long journey from Missoula including two missed flights and an unintended layover in Atlanta. Note to self, practice what you preach and get trip insurance! I am also wishing we would have booked our flights through Exito – live and learn.

We had a full day of touring …

Today, we started our day with an exquisite breakfast (did I mention each breakfast is started with I charcuterie board?).

After breakfast, we met our transfer to the airport. I am somewhat sad to leave and feel like there is so much of Johannesburg that we missed out on. While Johannesburg has the rap of being a dirty and dangerous city, I found …

Waking up after just one night Little Bush Lodge at Sabi Sabi Reserve was bittersweet to say the least. This lodge, being our introduction to the sort of accommodation we would come to expect over the next week or so, was beyond anything we could have ever imagined. A quick reflection on our unfortunately short one-night stay at Sabi Sabi, we …

Although it had been a blur of elephants, big cats and antelope that seemed to fly by, waking up on our last day of the safari, we reflected on all of the amazing people, animals, meals and accommodations we had experienced. It made us realize just how action-packed the trip has already been, and we hadn’t even gotten to Cape Town yet! Our …

After a much needed amazing night of sleep in our luxurious king bed, we awoke to our guide Gareth’s friendly knock on the door, implying that it was time for another day of adventure at Kirkman’s Kamp. Gathering our camera equipment and, believe it or not, winter coats and hats, we headed up to the lodge for breakfast. Our butler, …

It had been overcast the day of our arrival, so we were a bit curious about Table Mountain and it’s proximity to Cape Town. After a restful night, my husband woke up, walked to the window, opened the blinds and simply said “NO WAY!”. I walked over and dropped my jaw next to his; Table Mountain isn’t NEAR Cape Town, Cape …

Always one to take into consideration exactly what the travelers hope to see during their stay at Kirkman’s Kamp, Gareth had caught wind that hyenas were high on mine and my husband's lists. Our fascination stems from the fact that these amazing creatures aren’t canine nor feline; rather they are a species all unto themselves. We …

Although we had some apprehensions on touring a township, the second we met our guide, Wendeli, we were as comfortable as we could have ever imagined. Wendeli had been born and raised in the Langa township and had family living there to this day. Although he had moved out of the township a few years prior, he was now a full-time guide for tourists …

Today we woke up in the beautiful town of Franschhoek. Wine country has a much different vibe than the other parts of the country we have visited. While South Africa was colonized by the British and the Dutch as a whole, this wine country had an unmistakable French influence. Our hotel, the Franschhoek Country House was absolutely stunning. …