Southern Africa
South Africa
We arrived in Johannesburg completely exhausted after flying from Boston to Atlanta and then to Johannesburg. A 16 hour flight, even with really good seats in Premium Economy, was exhausting. We spent the next two nights recovering at a hotel near the airport before flying to Hoedspruit to begin our safari adventures.
Our entire trip was organized by Sun Safaris in South Africa. They coordinated our stays in South Africa, Victoria Falls, and Botswana as well as all our transportation between lodges (except for flights which we chose to do on our own). Our entire trip went just as planned and we were super impressed with not only the lodges but the transportation between lodges, especially when we were traveling from Victoria Falls and had to cross the border into Botswana. Our driver in Zimbabwe made sure our driver in Botswana was waiting for us and helped us navigate the border crossing, including cleaning our shoes for the prevention of Foot and Mouth Disease.
Umlani Bushcamp
We were greeted on our arrival and given a tour of the grounds and taken to our hut to rest before our first game drive that afternoon. We were greeted by some Bushbuck Antelope outside our hut that wander the unfenced property. There was even evidence of elephants wandering through the camp! Because the property is unfenced, after dark we had to be escorted back to our hut for safety reasons.
Umlani is located in the Timbavati Nature Reserve which borders Kruger National Park. One of the best things about going on safari in the reserves around Kruger is that guides are allowed to drive off road, whereas in the national parks you must stay on the road. This allowed us to get close access to the wildlife and was especially helpful when tracking the leopards.
Every morning we were woken up at 5:30 am for our first game drive of the day. We enjoyed the cool mornings with a blanket and hot water bottle to keep us warm as we watched the sunrise. We returned to camp around 9:30 am for breakfast and had the morning and early afternoon to relax. Bush walks were offered before our lunch at 2pm and we enjoyed going on one, although the day we went it was really hot! After lunch there was a time to relax before we left on our afternoon game drive which left at 3:30 and included traditional sundowners (drinks and snacks) on the drive. We returned around 6:30 for drinks around the boma and fire and then amazing dinners. The camp is small and intimate (4 family huts and 4 double huts) and we really enjoyed the relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Our stay was all we could have asked for!
I spy a leopard in the picture below. Can you spot it? They are camouflaged so well, we were amazed at how the guides were able to locate them!
Our guide, Elvis, was awesome! We enjoyed our game drives and bush walks with him. He was very knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor. He guided us to see all the Big 5 (Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Elephant and Cape Buffalo) as well as numerous other animals. We even got to see leopards mating, or as Elvis called it “business agenda” on multiple occasions! Unfortunately it happened so fast I wasn’t able to capture it in pictures or video. When animals left their mark in places he called that leaving their “business card”, lol! We’re so glad he was our guide!
We were able to get really close to the wildlife!
We were able to watch lions feeding on a kill, but it was really special to watch this leopard that had dragged its kill up a tree to feast on.
My favorite video from Umlani.
Victoria Falls
It was a fairly long drive from Umlani Bushcamp to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport for our flight to Victoria Falls, so we spent the night in Perry’s Bridge Hollow Boutique Hotel in Hazyview. This is a really nice resort style hotel and is close to Kruger National Park, and was a perfect place to stopover. Our driver from the previous day picked us up and drove us from Perry’s Bridge to Kruger National Park Airport. Then it was a short flight to Victoria Falls.
We stayed at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge and had an amazing view from our room. We even had a visitor come up onto our balcony! Good thing the staff warned us not to keep our doors open.
These were the coolest birds that were nesting in trees at the pool. I believe they’re Weaver Birds.
When we arrived at the lodge we were pleasantly surprised that our stay included a Zambezi River Cruise that evening as well as a tour of the falls the next morning. The cruise was spectacular, that culminated in a beautiful African sunset.
Visiting the falls was spectacular, but also very wet! It was amazing the amount of mist that came up from the falls, and this is the dry season. We enjoyed the tour, which thankfully included a poncho, otherwise we would have gotten soaked. The park has a really nice trail along the opposite side of the falls, with 16 viewpoints to stop at to see different sections. The falls are so big it’s really hard to capture how vast it is in pictures from the ground; it seems to go on and on! I think the only way to get a good perspective is from the air.
The power of Victoria Falls is spectacular even during the dry season!
We walked across the bridge that connects Zimbabwe and Zambia, just so we could say we were in Zambia. It’s hard to believe that people were actually bungee jumping from bridge! You can also view the falls from the Zambia side, but we didn’t have time as we had to get back to catch the shuttle to the hotel.
Botswana
Botswana was an absolutely incredible experience! We had been wanting to go on safari in Botswana for a long time because it is home to the largest elephant population in Africa, estimated to be over 130,000! But safaris in Botswana are typically very expensive because the government policy is to reduce environmental impacts and prevent over tourism so it limits permits. We had to save up and splurge to visit, but it was so worth it!
Chobe Bakwena Lodge
We had a great experience at Chobe Bakwena and our chalet was huge, with a gorgeous porch/deck overlooking the Chobe River (which becomes the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe). Our experience here was much different than in South Africa. The lodge was not located in a reserve or park, but right in the town of Kasane, so we had a 20 minute drive each way to Chobe National Park for our game drives. The lodge was slightly larger, so it had a less intimate feel, but it was still relaxed and welcoming. Our morning game drives were much longer (4.5 hours). This was the only part of our stay that we did not like; we felt they were too long, especially when combined with the 3 hour afternoon game drive. The lodge and our guide, TiTi, was very accommodating to our needs and shortened one of our morning game drives because we were the only 2 in the vehicle. Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly!
Since the lodge is located on the Chobe River they offer a boat cruise after lunch to see the “Four Corners”, the only place in the world where four countries meet, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia. The bridge was built only five years ago; before that trucks had to take a ferry across and the wait could be weeks to cross! Africa has the most colorful birds and there were quite a few birders on our safaris and I felt the hippo was a little too close to our boat. Hippos are considered the most dangerous animal in Africa; they can surprisingly, run really fast, love to capsize boats, and are very territorial.
Our last evening was very special as our guide took us on a boat safari (one of the great options at Chobe Bakwena). We were able to get so close to the elephants and watch a beautiful sunset on the Chobe River.
Our pilot on our Johannesburg to Atlanta flight was retiring, so this was his final flight. His wife and daughter were on the flight and the airport gave him a nice sendoff by escorting us to the runway with fire engines and the flight attendants gave him a nice tribute on the flight.
Once again Africa did not disappoint! A once in a lifetime trip that I have been able to do twice, and Brendan 3 times!
Jen & Brendan {September 2026}