South Africa and Zimbabwe - Callie on Safari!

The day was finally here! I boarded the lite rail out of Seattle, tired but excited for the long journey to South Africa. The train ride gave me time to mentally prepare for the slog ahead of me: 14 hour flight to Dubai, 8 hour layover and finally a10 hour flight to Cape Town. There are several choices when it comes to South African flights, but I opted for Emirates, which has long been my favorite airline (possibly because of that “free” time in Dubai on all of their Africa connections). This first flight to Dubai was one I had done many times before, and on past flights the friendly Emirates crew ensured I was well fed and the movie selection ensured I was well entertained. I happily found this flight to be no different! We landed in Dubai the following morning without issue, and I walked laps and caught up with friends for the next 8 hours in the UAE. Unfortunately, I was not so lucky on the flight to Cape Town, and spent the next 10 hours in and out of fitful sleep, unable to quell my growing boredom. I slept no more than 2 hours, and arrived in Cape Town delirious, but extremely excited. This excitement only increased as my Adventure Life driver and I made our way toward the city. I’d dreamt of Cape Town for many years; it was hard to believe that I was finally seeing it with my own eyes!
 

I’m not a foodie by any sense of the word, but Cape Town may have done its part in convincing me that I need to become one. From a serious coffee culture, to foodie markets and world-class restaurants, Cape Town is quickly rising to the culinary capital of Africa. The cuisine is a mix of Cape Malay, South African and Indian, tastes from around the globe seamlessly come together to create a uniquely Cape Townian flavor.
 
Three meals stand out in particular, and the first of which was the day my mom finally joined me in Cape Town. We ventured to the touristy V&A Waterfront neighborhood, excited begin our travels together. We selected a restaurant just outside of the V&A Waterfront Hotel, enjoying the commotion of this lively area, where musicians proudly showcased their music, street artists organized stunts of various degree, and hundreds of tourists wandered aimlessly, all beneath the picturesque backdrop of Table Mountain.  We ordered glasses of Cape sauvignon blanc and a tray of fresh oysters and zesty ahi poke, taking it all in.
 
The second meal was at Cape Town’s Harbor House, situated along the Cape Point Peninsula toward the Cape of Good Hope. This sea-facing restaurant was famous for its fresh seafood, and we enjoyed Malay-fusion grilled calamari, grilled whitefish and, of course, more sauvignon blanc. And, finally, my favorite restaurant in all of Cape Town: the Black Sheep. The Black Sheep is located on Kloof Street, the lively main boulevard of the Gardens Neighborhood. I liked Black Sheep because it was a no-fuss, no-frills sort of place with a complete focus on the cuisine, not the décor. The place was packed, and we had to arrive early even with a reservation. The rotating menu is displayed on chalkboards situated around the restaurant, and we selected their famed fried asparagus appetizer followed by the hanger steak and sticky pork belly. Other notable dishes include South Indian Yellowtail coconut curry, roasted pork shoulder with braised red cabbage and lamb with yogurt tahini.
 
And the best part about the culinary scene? Most of it is relatively affordable, by US standards, and you can enjoy a world-class meal without breaking the bank. 
 

The Cape has 18 official wine routes, all of which are among the most scenic drives in the world and feature wine estates that date back centuries. Most Cape wine estates are characterized by large, classic Dutch-style buildings and sprawling vineyards with picturesque mountains serving as their formidable backdrop. The European influence here is stark, thanks to the arrival of the French Huguenot, Dutch and German settlers in the 18th century.  
 
I’d dreamt of the South African winelands about as long as I’d dreamt of Cape Town, so I was naturally very excited about today. We departed early from Cape Town, making the short one-hour drive out of the city and toward Stellenbosch. Stellenbosch is a university town, and it had the air of many college towns around the world. The tree-lined streets were lively and well maintained, busy with students, professors and tourists dipping into one of the many cafes for a quick coffee and discussion. Stellenbosch is also an excellent stop for curios, so we did some quick souvenir shopping before continuing toward the gem of the winelands: Franschoek. The French widely settled in this part of South Africa, and their influence is unmistakable. Vineyards and colonial buildings stretch as far as the eye can see, and if it weren’t for the towering cliffs jetting up from the vineyards, I might have mistaken this area for the South of France. Our guide took us to his favorite vineyard, a family-run place up a winding road above sprawling acres of grapevines. I never imagined that such a beautiful place existed! We tasted fine roses, whites and reds, and discussed politics with our guide and the Zimbabwean server, enjoying the view and the lively discussion.
 
For wine-enthusiasts and those that just enjoy a glass here and there, the winelands are definitely worth a visit. 
 

Days in the game reserves are both busy and relaxed, and one should be ready for early mornings and early evenings, with plenty of free time to read, nap and relax in between the 2 daily game drives. The day begins with a 4:30 wakeup call, either on your bedside telephone, or, if there are no phones in the room, by a ranger knocking on your tent’s door. Everyone then gathers in the lodge around 5am for a quick bite to eat and, in my case, as much coffee as I possibly slurp down in 10 minutes. You then head for your vehicle with your safari crew and your guide, getting ready for the dawn game drive! The morning game drives typically last between 3-4 hours, with a short break for coffee and snacks along the way. Dawn is one of the best times of day to spot wildlife, when things are still relatively cool and the heat of the day hasn’t yet set in. Nothing can compare to a sunrise in Kruger!
 
Everyone returns around 8:30 or 9am for a full breakfast, which generally consists of a cold buffet and plated eggs or pancakes. The time between breakfast and lunch is then fairly relaxed, and travelers head to their rooms for a mid-morning nap, to the viewing deck to look for wildlife, or to the pool to read or journal. Lunch is served around 1pm (if served at all), and is typically the lightest meal of the day, with a small buffet of cold cuts and cold salads. This small meal is a welcome one, as while on safari you find yourself consuming far more food than you ever thought possible! The second game drive kicks off around 3:30pm with high tea and cakes in the lodge (again, more food). The dusk game drives follow the same pattern as the morning’s, and you stop for sundowner drinks and snacks at a picturesque location within the reserve. The drive back to camp is intended for observation of the nocturnal wildlife – we rarely saw much, but when we did it was spectacular! On one particular night drive we saw 4 of the big 5 within just a few hours: rhino, elephant, buffalo and lion.
 
Finally, as if you needed more to eat, you return to the lodge for dinner. It’s hard to imagine hunger after sitting and eating all day, but once you see the food that’s prepared you somehow find more room in your stomach….at least that was my experience! Dinner is generally plated, but most lodges will also offer a brie – the traditional South African BBQ – several times a week. These are big events, and you are seated in the Boma BBQ area with your safari group and your guide, indulging on grilled zebra, impala, kudu, ostrich, steak, chicken and vegetables. The night ends around 9pm, and most folks will retire to bed and prepare for the 4:30 wakeup call, only to do it all over again! 
 

Kruger is South Africa’s largest national park and one of Africa’s biggest, covering an area of 7,523 square miles. Kruger is also home to the Big 5 – lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino – and is one of the best places on the continent to see these formidable animals. Kruger National Park itself is quite busy, and traffic within the park can become quite cumbersome in the winter high season months. For Montanans, visiting Kruger in August is akin to visiting Yellowstone or Glacier in July and August; traffic jams, trail jams and the concentration of humanity can sometimes take away from the magnificence of the scenery and wildlife.
 
Flanking the parks Western boundary are the private concessions, which are undoubtedly the place to head for unspoiled wildlife viewing away from the crowds and traffic. These reserves are owned by freehold landowners and concession-holders with traversing rights. The fences that historically separated the national park from the concessions have largely been removed, so wildlife roams freely between park and reserve. The accommodations within the reserves afford supreme privacy and luxury, and the drives are led by highly-trained rangers running a continuous commentary on the wildlife and environment in this northern part of South Africa. The reserves restrict both entry and vehicles per sighting to 3 or 4, still a lot but far fewer than the 30 or so vehicles that may converge on a lion kill within the national park itself. Off-roading is also permissible within the reserves, meaning you’re encounters with wildlife are much more intense and likely.
 
Choosing a reserve is a tricky science and will often come down to budget and lodge availability. The 3 largest reserves are the Timbavati and Manyeleti in the north and the Sabi Sand in the south. Each of these reserves features the Big 5, as does Thornybush, a relatively small reserve next to Timbavati in the north. All will feature un-paralleled game viewing. The Sabi Sand reserve spans 163,000 acres, and is famed for being the most game-rich area in the country. It’s no surprise, then, that Sabi Sand lodges also carry the heftiest price tag of all the reserves.  
 
We stayed in 4 lodges within the Greater Kruger area: Timbavati, Thornybush, Sabi Sand and Jock Concession, a small concession within the park itself. We witnessed 4 of the big 5 in each reserve, with Sabi Sand showing us the elusive leopard on our second to last night. I found all the lodges to be extremely high-end and unique, but Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge certainly pulled its weight in terms of luxury and the provision of creature comforts, such as air conditioning. With that being said, my taste is not that of luxury, and I found myself more drawn to the rustic and understated tents of Chapungu in the Thornybush reserve.
 
 After 4 nights of safari, I imagined I’d be a little tired of the long days and the game drives, but that proved to be untrue and I was ready to head to Zimbabwe! 
 

If I thought South Africa offered wild, intense game viewing, Zimbabwe completely blew this out of the water. There are no fences surrounding Hwange, and the atmosphere of wildness carries over into Victoria Falls town, where elephants sometimes wander outside the park and down the quiet streets of Victoria Falls. Unlike South Africa’s lodges, Hwange’s, like the park itself, are not fenced, and leopards can be found sleeping beneath the tented rooms and one can only walk with an armed ranger past dark.
 
I spent 6 days in Zimbabwe, visiting Gorges Lodge, Camelthorn and Bomani, Nehimba and Zambezi Sands. Each lodge impressed me more than the last, and I quickly discovered that 6 days was not near enough time to experience all that Hwange has to offer. The place was wild. I saw few other tourists, and it was often just myself and 2 or 4 other guests at the lodges.
 
Gorges is situated on a cliff overlooking the Zambezi River, and each morning you awake to dramatic views of the famed river rushing below. The lodge is just over an hour from Victoria Falls town, and is a great starting point for a Zimbabwean safari. From there, the usual route takes one to the Dete Railway Station and the entrance to Hwange National Park. This is where Imvelo is starting something truly unique in the safari world – a train-car based shuttle and game drive, known as the Elephant Express. The Elephant Express takes almost three hours to reach Bomani and Camelthorn, and carries its passengers along the historic rail lines of southern African freightliners and passenger trains. The game viewing, while not as good as within the park itself, is still quite decent from the Elephant Express, and travelers will often see zebra, giraffe, baboons and the occasional lion or cheetah napping along the tracks. 
 

Bomani and Camelthorn, sister lodges along the Ngamo Plains, offer some of the most intimate and quiet game-viewing experiences in all of Africa. You are guaranteed to be one of only a few people in this remote part of the park, and the experience is truly incredible because of that. While it is not possible to view the Big 5 in Hwange (rhinos have all but been poached out), the herds of elephant and prides of lion more than make up for this. For a touch of luxury, head to Camelthorn, but for a true, authentic safari tent, head to Bomani. The lodges directly support education and development in the Ngamo Village, just about a 10-minute drive from the park, and they encourage guests to spend time in the village and to interact and learn from the local community. I was able to spend an afternoon with my guide, Vusa’s, dad, who was an elder in the community. We spent about 45 minutes together in his homestead, discussing local and regional politics, village life, and our shared belief that women were the true leaders of the world!
 
In the north of the park lies Nehimba – a must-stop for elephant enthusiasts! While at Nehimba, an unfamiliar noise woke me up in the middle of the night. It only took me a few seconds to realize what it was: an elephant grazing and breathing only a few feet from my tent. Frightened, I grabbed my air horn from my bedside table and hugged it for the duration of the night. Experiences like this are only possible in Zimbabwe and some of Tanzania’s most remote migration tents, and one that will certainly bring me back to this part of Africa.
 
A night or three at Zambezi Sands is the only way to finish a safari in Zimbabwe. The luxury tents are so welcomed after the hot and dusty savannah of Hwange. Its location along the Zambezi ensures a relatively cool stay, and each tent is outfitted with an outdoor shower and a private plunge pool. I spent my final day in Zimbabwe relaxing on my private deck, drinking wine, reading and listening to the sound of the hippos not too far away. It was the perfect way to bring an incredible trip to and end!
 
 

So, the ultimate question: Kruger or Hwange? This is a tough one, and ultimately comes down to a person’s taste, travel style, budget as well past travel experiences.
 
Head to Kruger if….

1. You’re intent on seeing the Big 5
2. You enjoy creature comforts, such as 24-hour electricity, AC and Wifi
3. You would like to experience South Africa’s city life
4. You like the idea of a fenced-in lodge
5. You enjoy luxury!

 
 
 
Head to Hwange if...

1. You’d like to experience local culture and give back to the community. Imvelo lodges employ locals and train guides from the surrounding communities, and are heavily involved in community and educational development programs
2. You’re more interested in experience over comfort
3. You’re OK with long travel days and travel times
4. You like the idea of very few people
5. You prefer larger herds of wildlife over individual sightings