Days spent: 4
Come here if you want:

• To see African Wildlife, The “Big Five”: Lion, Elephant, Leopard, Buffalo, and Rhinoceros (endangered and aren’t found in many areas anymore)
• Adventure, buckle up for some off-roading in an open-top Land Rover jeep

Sabi Sabi Game Drives: Sabi Sabi is a private game reserve next to Kruger National Park in South Africa.  It was great being in a private game reserve because we were able to follow animals and tracks off the dirt roads. We were even running over rocks and trees in our jeep in order to get the best view of the animals!  In many National Parks, you are required to stick to the roads/paths. A good, knowledgeable ranger is key!!  A good ranger can help follow tracks, sounds, and behavioral patterns to lead you to the wildlife that you are looking to see.  Animals in this region are accustomed to people and safari vehicles so they aren’t shy about walking right by the vehicles. The lions and leopards were a little close for comfort, but didn’t seem to mind or acknowledge us 🙂

How we got there: 

• Flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Johannesburg (JNB- via Atlanta)= 20 Hours total
• Overnight at Intercontinental InterContinental Johannesburg O.R. Tambo Airport (Walkable right across the street from the airport)
• Johannesburg (JNB) to Kruger Mpumalanga Airport (MQP)= 45 minutes
• Car from MQP to Game Lodge= 2 hours

Accommodations:  Read about Earth Lodge featured on Ruth’s Raves!

Climate:  July (Winter), Low 40’s in the morning and night game drives with a average of high 60’s during the day.

Food: Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the food that we ate throughout the trip.  I will say however, that there was A LOT of red meat. I enjoy red meat, but I could have used a few more poultry or fish dishes to choose from. My husband and I vowed to try at least of bite of anything obscure by American standards, which lead us to try the following in South Africa: Crocodile, Impala, Ostrich, and Kudu.

Glad I brought:

Hair scarf/Headband
Neutral colored clothing
Wide-brimmed hat
Sunglass neck strap
Wrist or neck dangle for your iPhone
Extra memory cards and batteries
Binoculars
Layers of clothing