Wednesday, 9 June 2010
South Africa Safari Hotspots
With South Africa featuring heavily in the media right now thanks to FIFA World Cup, we thought you’d like to hear about two of its top safari spots!
Kruger National Park
This is not just one park as we may know it. Instead, you have a government run national park called Kruger National Park. Adjoining this, are the private game reserves such as the world famous and our favourite Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve and Timbavati Private Game Reserve. Within the park there are also private concessions that feature private luxury lodges and camps.
All of this makes up the Greater Kruger Region and the beauty of this is the no fence policy which allows wildlife to wander freely throughout hundreds of thousands of acres.
So you have to be awfully unlucky to experience a bad day here. The trouble with the Kruger is its sheer enormity, so it's important you select the best possible location for your big five game viewing which makes the region so famous. The other half of the fun is in deciding where to stay.
Our favourites include Djuma Vuyatela for a quirky, contemporary and homely safari experience or Singita and Londolozi for the ultimate luxury, bush chic experience.
We recommend you fly into Johannesburg and take a flight down to the Kruger region for at least four nights. It takes a few days to get into the swing of being on safari. We always like to go for a week and experience two different lodges and landscape sceneries.
Madikwe Game Reserve
If you want to feel like you are immersed in the wilderness with other human souls far away, we recommend Madikwe Game Reserve, just an hour away from Johannesburg by air or a four hour drive. The top three reasons we love Madikwe – it is a malaria free safari zone (which means kids can go too and not worry about taking any tablets), it is home to the big five and large packs of African wild dogs. Last but certainly not least is the diversity of camps. There are just seventeen accommodation offerings yet something for everyone in terms of style, standard and price.
Buffalo Ridge is a fantastic community-owned game lodge and your money goes directly to the Lekgophung village, who own the lodge, to fund projects such as the local primary school renovation. Be warned, there are a few stairs here – worth every step because it sits high on a ridge with endless vista views out across Madikwe.
Another class is The Bush House, an old farmhouse that has been restored into a safari residence with lovely rooms, a warm atmosphere, divine African cuisine and an extremely active waterhole right in the front yard so you need not leave the comfort of home.
Whilst here, don’t forget to read one of Alexander McCall Smith’s books, famous for the First Ladies Detective Agency book series because they are set in Gaborone, just a short drive from the Reserve.
