Back from the bush…

Hi there!

It’s been quite a whirlwind of a trip with a quick tour of the Stellenbosch wineries upon arrival into Cape Town, then a flight up to J’Burg to pick up a six-hour ride to the Balule Plains for 4 days of safari.  What a way to start my adventures!

The trip out of the states went smoothly, and luckily, with only 2 hours of sleep the night before my departure, I spent a majority of my flights to Cape Town sleeping; no better way to endure 18 hours of travel.

I began my time in South Africa staying with Nicki and Andrew in the Northern Suburbs of Cape Town. It was beautiful. We spent my first full day in Cape Town out in Stellenbosch touring wineries, or wine farms as the South Africans like to call them. It was a great way to spend the day; tasting local wines and feasting on some of the regions native cuisines. 

I began my trip to a four-day safari that evening when I caught a flight to J’Burg and then a six-hour drive to the Balule Plains/Kruger the following day.  It isn’t enough to say my time on safari was unforgettable.

Not knowing what to expect when on safari, I opted for a bit higher accommodations than what I would have done in the past (although I’m finding that I am no longer a backpacker as I once was; I do love the comforts that I’ve come to like with age and have no regrets. Tremisana Lodge was the perfect place for me for it balanced comfort, cleanliness and a laid-back atmosphere I was looking for. And even better, everyone I met was amazing. There was Pearl, the mother of the lodge, who attended to anything and everything to meet everyone’s needs. There was Sydney and Abe, drivers, who endure the six-hour drives from J’Burg to Balule and vice versa almost everyday. And then there are the guides, Kuhlani and Bauthas, who makes the safari enjoyable and an amazing experience!

By my second day on safari I had seen 4 of the Big 5 (lion, African elephant, Cape buffalo, black rhinoceros, and leopard) that people go on safari in Africa to see. The only one we were unable to see was the leopard, which according to our guides is a very rare sight, therefore, I was quite happy for what we had seen. 

On my third day on safari, I was lucky enough to do a half-day bush walk then sunset and evening tour with my guide Bauthas. Because I was the only one willing to endure a 5am start, it was just Bauthas and me, which was great. This allowed us to steer off of the traditional paths mapped out by the safari and Bauthas was able to teach me all about how to track animals, live off the land and appreciate the bush. Bauthas’ forefathers arrived into the Balule Plains over 150 years ago. His forefathers farmed on the land that today his father now governs as head warden. Bauthas grew up on a farm just down the road from Tremisana, so as you can imagine, he knew the area like the back of his hand. I felt quite safe in his care, the only time I was a bit hesitant is when Bauthas pointed out some lion tracks and proceed to lead our path to follow the lions. I was a little bit frightened for the day before in Kruger a guide had been attacked by a lion when he was leading his group on a walking tour (sadly, Kruger and its surrounding area, such as the Balule Plains, is experiencing severe dryness which is affecting the animals ability to feed and receive water. The animals are very hungry and some are already falling off with weakness.)

As you can imagine, during our bush walk, I was looking behind me quite often, but it was exhilarating nevertheless and an experience I will never forget. There is so much more to the safari than going out and seeing giraffes, rhinos, lions, etc. in their native environments…there is something about being out in the bush that brings life into perspective. It brings you close to those you experience such experiences with and forces one to think about life and how we want to live in harmony with earth and its animals.

Although photos can never truly capture the beauty that is the South African bush and its inhabitants, here are some that will give you a bit of a taste my adventures on my safari. I’ll be sending a link in the next few days for a full view of my pictures.

Ciao,

Ellen

First View of Table Mountain

Motherly Love

Horizontal, Vertical, Either Way, You Look Gorgeous!

Large and Unstoppable

The Lion Track That Lead to Our Search

The Beauty of Balule Plains Shines with The Swadhini Mountains In Support

Recent Lion Kill of a Cape Buffalo

Beautiful Doesn’t Begin to Describe It

 

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