or – How I bagged a future wife
My nerves were starting to get the better of me. I’d been planning this safari and it’s purpose for nearly a year now and to my mind it could still all go wrong. Thankfully the safari bits, including transfers and accommodation, were already sorted with the help of Anton De Wit, the Rhino Africa reservations manager, so I had no worries regards that. Plaguing my mind, though, were questions of how to do it, when to do it and maybe a tiny bit of worry about how she – Tessa – would answer. Would I be able to keep it secret? Would she be surprised?
We landed at the Kruger Mpumalanga Airport on Saturday and our friendly Mfafa transfer driver regaled us with tales of the bush as we made our way from the airport to our first port of call in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve – the sensational Lion Sands Ivory Lodge. I was only half listening; the ring in it’s hiding place (deep inside my glasses case) was burning a hole in my pocket. This was going to be tough.
In my favour were several factors. Tessa had never been on a safari of this caliber and the lodges we were visiting are firmly placed in the upper echelons of Kruger Park Safari lodges. I was hoping the amazing luxury on offer would distract her from any thoughts that might give away our tour’s true purpose. I was right. From the moment our gracious host Robyn opened the doors of our suite at Ivory Lodge and Tessa caught her first glimpse of the decadent interior and fantastic view over the perennial river… her jaw was never far from the floor. Lion Sands is quite fantastic and, yes, jaw-droppingly good.
Game Drives & 6 Meals a Day!
All this worrying had worked up an appetite. With six chances to eat on an average day on safari, my hunger was soon sated. Our butler Jabulani (whose name means ‘Happiness’… how apt) was always on hand to see to our needs and his daily delivery of coffee made the early morning wake-up bearable. It’s essential to rise early and get out on the game drive, you don’t want to miss a thing!
Fortunately, our first game drive was an afternoon one and we were soon surrounded by the sights and sounds of the African bush. Not that our room wasn’t equally surrounded – on the second day we even watched a leopard sleeping and drinking from the river directly opposite our room. Elephants, fish eagles and even rhino made appearances too. On the game drives, we had the spotting prowess of Lucas and later Sam, our two trackers over the course of our three night stay, and we had the knowledge and experience of Izak our ranger. With fifteen years of experience as a ranger, Izak was a veritable fountain of knowledge and there was never a question we could ask that he didn’t know the answer to or couldn’t find out for us.
Top Safari Tip:
Your rangers are experienced and extremely knowledgeable – make the most of them, ask the burning bush questions you’ve been thinking about and they will provide the answers.
That first night we came face to face with a massive lion who regaled us with his best roar. If you’ve never heard a lion roar up close you’ve missed out. It’s so loud and deep your stomach churns!
Listen to a Lion Roaring on our Youtube Channel
Family Run since 1933
Lion Sands Private Game Reserve is run by the More family and on our trip Mrs. More happened to send our vehicle in the right direction for not one but two awesome sightings! A leopard kill stolen by hyenas and the confrontation between them thereafter, and later on the same day, a serval hunting in the grass, the African cat I had always wanted to see.
Top Safari Tip:
The South African winter is a great time to go on safari in the Kruger National Park. There’s no rain, the grass is short and dry, the animals frequent water sources and best of all… very few mosquitoes!
Private Dinners & Nerves
Throughout our three night stay at Ivory Lodge there was always that burning question in the back of my mind; when would be the best time to bend the knee?
At Lion Sands there is the fantastic Chalkley Treehouse where you can spend the night alone together under the African sky… that was one option. My golden opportunity came on our final night. We returned from a game drive to find Jabulani awaiting us at our suite and inside was a candlelit dinner for two, a roaring fire and a bath filled with foam, rose petals and surrounded by tea-light candles. But I faltered. The ring was hidden in the safe, I wasn’t quite ready… even several glasses of champagne couldn’t get my courage up! I was sure she suspected at this point, but my indecision and general fumbling served to throw her off the scent for a little longer.
The romance of Lion Sands Ivory Lodge was undeniable and despite my nerves getting the better of me, the safari had started on an incredible high with great animal sightings, fine dining and love in the air. A special thanks to Robyn, Izak, Jabulani, Sam and Lucas who made our stay so very special.
Would I get my act together? Find out in Part II & Part III.
Some Important Links:
Read part II Here and Part III.
See more photographs from Lion Sands, the first part of our safari on Facebook or on FlickrRead all about Lion Sands Ivory Lodge on our website
Read more about Lion Sands Private Game Reserve in our we recommend section
Watch our Lion Sands video on our Youtube channel
She must have been impressed by the size of the horn…
[…] our safari at Lion Sands Ivory Lodge and a not so fantastic start to my bid to bag a future wife (read why in Part I), I was determined that I would get it right, sooner rather than later. Although there were still […]