Australians Marg and Dick Guit first travelled with us in August 2013. They loved South Africa so much they had to come back as soon as possible. With our travel consultant, Geraldine as their guide, their dream came true and they spent Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Africa.
The couple enjoyed a 14 day holiday exploring the best lodges in Southern Africa and revisiting their favourites of the bunch. They started in Johannesburg before heading to Singita Pamushana in Zimbabwe and Singita Lebombo in the South Eastern corner of the Kruger National Park. They celebrated New Year’s at Londolozi, moved on to Khaya Ndlovu Manor House and ended their adventure at Camp Jabulani in Hoedspruit, a small town between Kruger and the Blyde River Canyon.
Below Marg and Dick share their holiday memories…
Marion on Nicol | Johannesburg
“An ideal place to spend the time we had to fill. We took a trip to Sandton Centre – how amazing is the shopping there!”
Singita Pamushana | Zimbawe
“Location and accommodation was just superb. Food was just so good! Game drives were just great and our guide was so keen to share his knowledge about even the stars as night fall came when we were on game drives. The second night we went to the river, took a boat and had a ‘close encounter’ with a rhino who got quite upset with us for being there. That added some adrenalin to the experience, as did an upset elephant on another game drive. The service was warm and welcoming. The manager and all of the staff were so wonderful. There is a sincerity about the nature of the people there that touched our hearts! One of the most beautiful aspects happened on Christmas Eve.
“After a game drive we didn’t go back to the lodge. We were taken to a place under the stars where dinner was all set up. It was under a massive boabab tree, beautifully adorned with lanterns. Apart from the additional lanterns and silver service, we had a fully-stocked bar which was just amazing! During this time we were guarded by fully armed rangers so our safety was guaranteed. When we got back to our accommodation that evening, Santa had delivered a gift for us, which was sitting on our pillows. How magical?”
Singita Lebombo | Kruger Park
“This was a good experience, though very different from Pamushana. It was very wet and so game drives were only on the main tracks. We did see a few animals at a distance. Food was sensational here! Dick had a lesson on how to open a bubbly wine bottle with the sabre and was then afforded the opportunity to perform that himself! We have the two tops as a souvenir.
“It is just great how those little touches add something special! The morning we were to fly out, it rained and rained and rained! The flight was cancelled so a road transfer to Londolozi was arranged for us. The organisation of this transfer was seamless, efficient and most appreciated!”
Londolozi | Sabi Sand
“Our anticipation was high and we were not disappointed. There was a different camp manager, different guide and tracker, but all superb. Both Erin and Mark (previous manager and ranger) made a point of catching up with us more than once to renew our acquaintance. Duncan (general manager) claimed we were the quickest turn around guests ever for Londolozi. So how is that? A little record. New Year’s Eve Party was just fabulous. They do nothing in half measure at Londolozi.
Watch the video: New Year’s Eve at Londolozi!
“The theme was drawn from the Great Gatsby. All the staff were dressed 1920’s style and we guests did our best. The whole setting was amazing. What a night! Three days was short so we are happy to know that in September we have five nights there which we are already looking forward to so much! From Londolozi, our road trip took us along the Panorama Route (of Mpumalanga) to Khaya Ndlovu Manor House in Hoedspruit. The tour was spectacular with many photo opportunities along the route. Jeffery, our driver, was great and shared lots of information with us during the trip. The Bourke’s Luck Potholes are an AMAZING phenomenon. It is hard to do the scenery justice with pictures.”
Khaya Ndlovu Manor House | Hoedspruit
“The place itself is lovely but our experience there was not so great. The suite itself was lovely and very well appointed. All in all, the Manor house location is beautiful, but service and personal attention is lacking.”
Camp Jabulani | Hoedspruit
“A different experience again! The location and accommodation are out of this world! Food was exceptional. In Marg’s opinion, this was the most gourmet and wonderful of all our destinations! We had a massage in the bush and it was beautiful and so peaceful! We had a personal guide who was the most perfect gentleman. He was reluctant to go off road. We visited the endangered species centre and we were able to experience patting a cheetah. It was altogether out of this world to be so close to such beautiful animals. All in all our time at Camp Jabulani was good. It is a bit more regimented than the other camps we visited but we were well looked after!”
Final Words…
“We could not recommend Singita Pamushana and Londolozi highly enough. They were our absolute highlights in every dimension! We are already counting down the time until we visit again. Sincere thanks for creating a memorable trip for us, Geraldine. We look forward to consulting you again for our next adventure.”
To find out why Marg and Dick keep coming back to Africa, contact one of our travel consultants and start planning your African escape.
Have you travelled with Rhino Africa? | We’d love to hear about your trip too so please feel free to mail us at mytrip@rhinoafrica.com and share your words and photos with us and the world.
rhinoafrica We hope they loved every minute of their second trip 🙂