I recently embarked on a trip of a lifetime. A 17-day, five country, South African adventure. The tour was organized by my former business partner. …
Every day was a unique experience. I was part of a group of 10 friends and we meshed with a larger cadre of travelers for a total of 39 adventurers.
This was my first trip to Africa and it was everything and more than I expected. We were escorted by two tour operator groups—Gate 1 and Africa Incoming. The tour was organized by my friend and former business partner Marah Walsh, who is now a professional travel agent with her own company Girls Travel Tours. I would absolutely recommend working with a tour operator as navigating the logistics through the five countries we visited would be almost impossible on one’s own.
From the moment we landed in Cape Town, South Africa, to our takeoff from Johannesburg back home no detail—big or small—was overlooked, which made the travel experience stress-free and even the 16-hour flights enjoyable.
Day 1 – Sunday: Depart from Newark International Airport. (My group upgraded to the bulkhead seats in economy; well worth the extra money.) We departed at 8:55 p.m. and landed the next day at 6:12 p.m.—flying time plus a six-hour time difference.
Day 2 – Monday: Check in at the Rockefeller Hotel & Residence in the heart of Cape Town. While we were a bit travel weary, the staff was extremely friendly and helpful and made check in easy. After a light supper in the hotel, it was an early night as we had a 7 a.m. breakfast and 7:30 a.m. meet and greet with the rest of the group and our Gate 1 tour operator.
Day 3 – Tuesday: Early morning call—breakfast in the hotel (delicious buffet) then an orientation meeting with our tour manager and a chance to connect with our fellow travelers. We then got on our home-away-from-home tour bus for a half day Cape Town city tour. We drove to Kloof Nek and Table Mountain, where we took a cable car to the top. Even though the weather was less than optimal—rainy and cold—it wasn’t windy, which let us ascend to the top. Table Mountain can be best described as an alien-esque looking landscape—beautiful yet haunting. After a brief stop to buy our first souvenirs we descended and boarded the bus to view famous landmarks such as the Castle of Good Hope, City Hall, the Grand Parade, and St. George’s Cathedral. Our next stop was to Shimansky, a premier South Africa diamond and jewelry store. We then ventured to Cape Town’s Victoria & Albert’s waterfront for lunch before boarding the ferry to Robben Island, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Robben Island is where Nelson Mandela and other apartheid prisoners were held. Our tour was led by one of the men who endured decades of torture and isolation in the prison. This was a very solemn and heart-wrenching experience. After the tour, we ferried back to the waterfront for some downtime before dinner. Upon docking we had a delightful encounter with, not close enough to touch but certainly to smell, about a dozen huge southern elephant seals. Some did some shopping, while others visited one of the many restaurants for a bite to eat. The group dinner was organized by our tour host and was the first of many opportunities to try Malva Pudding, one of the most prominent traditional desserts of South Africa. Then it was back to the hotel.
Day 4 – Wednesday: Early morning call—We were up early again to depart on a full day Cape Peninsula Tour. We traveled along the magnificent coastline to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. On the way, we visited the penguin colonies at Boulders Beach and the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens. Then, following the coastline along False Bay, we returned to Cape Town after lunch. That evening we had the pleasure of attending a traditional African dinner experience with live dance and drumming performances and enjoyed delicious African gastronomic dishes.
Day 5 – Thursday: Another early morning call—We were back on the bus for a ride along the country’s principal wine route to the towns of Paarl, Franschhoek and Stellenbosch, with tastings along the way. Delicious!
Day 6 – Friday: We checked out of the Rockefeller hotel and boarded a small, but very lovely, plane for a short flight from Cape Town to Durban landing at King Shaka International Airport and checked in at ANEW Hotel Hluhluwe. That afternoon we headed out for our first game cruise in St. Lucia along the St. Lucia Estuary—home to Nile crocodiles, hippopotami, sea turtles, and even sharks. We saw our first of many hippos and crocs and too many birds to mention. It was magical.
Day 7 – Saturday: Yet, another early morning call. After a quick breakfast, we traveled to the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve, situated in northern KwaZulu Natal, which is famous for its conservation of black and white rhinos. Home to Africa’s “Big Five”—the lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo. We weren’t in the park for 20 minutes before we had an elephant and rhino sighting. While we didn’t have any luck with Africa’s “Shy Five,” we did catch several of the “Ugly Five”—warthog, hyena, vulture, marabou stork, and wildebeest. Warthogs were a plenty as were the impala, which natives call McDonald’s because of the distintive “M” on their rear ends and their abundance. After the game drive, we traveled to the Kingdom of Eswatini, an independent kingdom within the borders of South Africa. We had an opportunity to boost the local economy with souvenir shopping at a local handicraft market before arriving at the Mountain View International Hotel in the early evening.
Day 8 – Sunday: After breakfast, we visited the Ngwenya Glass factory, where we watched glass blowers create a range of African animals and tableware made from recycled glass. Lots of great shopping and wildlife viewing—birds galore. We then went to visit the Matsamo Cultural Village, where we learned more about the Swati traditions and customs, enjoyed traditional Swati cuisine, along with dance and song performances. We then continued to ANEW Resort Hazyview in time for dinner.
Day 9 – Monday: A very, very early start. Before sunrise we headed out to Kruger National Park for a full day, open-vehicle game drive. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate—rainy and windy—but this did not dampen our enthusiasm. We did see a few giraffes and elephants. After stopping at a rest camp for lunch, we continued through the afternoon hoping to glimpse more wildlife in their natural setting, but by then most of the big game were hunkered down.
Day 10 – Tuesday: Checked out of the hotel and traveled via bus to Johannesburg and arrived at Southern Sun Sandton Hotel. Along the way, we made several pit stops at local markets and shops.
Day 11 – Wednesday: We embarked on a half-day tour of Soweto, with a drive by the former residence of Bishop Desmond Tutu and we visited Nelson Mandela’s former home. We also had the opportunity to visit the Apartheid Museum, where we were immersed in the journey through the racial segregation experienced by millions of South Africans—a very powerful and moving exhibit.
Day 12 – Thursday: We checked out of our hotel and boarded a plane for a short flight to Zimbabwe and started our private 9-person tour with Africa Incoming. Once again, all of the logistics were handled flawlessly. After checking in at the Elephant Hills Resort, we set off on a sunset boat cruise down the Zambezi River. We saw elephants, hippos, colorful birds, crocs, and the most amazing sunset.
Day 13 – Friday: Early call to visit the magnificent Victoria Falls. This guided half-day walking tour did not disappoint. We went past one of the biggest baobab trees in the region. These gigantic and ancient trees are characteristic of the African bush. From there we toured around the falls taking in a number of different viewpoints, including the Devil’s Cataract, Danger Point, and others. One vista was more spectacular than the last. After seeing the Falls from the land, several of us opted for a helicopter tour to view the scenery from the skies. We were not only treated to amazing vistas, but we had the chance to see both giraffes and elephants migrating across the land.
Day 14 – Saturday: After checking out of Elephant Hills we crossed the border into Botswana for our final destination at Jackalberry Chobe Lodge near the Chobe National Park. This was an excellent last accommodation as we stayed in deluxe, elevated tents. After getting settled, we hopped into our private jeep and headed into the park. What an outstanding experience as we saw large herds of elephants, Cape buffalo, giraffes, antelopes, monkeys, and hundreds of birds. We left the park as the sun was setting and it was just amazing.
Day 14 – Saturday: We were back in safari mode—for a morning game drive. We entered the park as the sun was rising and our guide got the call of a lion and lioness sighting—fulfilling our final “big five”—what a thrill. We returned to the lodge excited and ready for our next adventure that afternoon a boat cruise down the Chobe river. We were treated to multiple hippos, one even chased our boat, a pride of lionesses, Cape buffalo and another spectacular sunset.
Day 16 – Monday: Before heading off to the airport for our trip home, we capped our African Adventure with a sunrise boat cruise. The juxtaposition between the timing of these experiences was remarkable.
This was truly a trip of a lifetime!
