October 3

My Trip | You always remember your first time

By Tamlin Wightman on October 3, 2014

Do you remember your first time? That feeling? Our clients, Tricia Soogrim and Andre Persad are in the midst of it, having just returned from their first safari. The safari crush comes with an intuition that this will not be your last safari, will not be your last time in Africa. On the flight home you’re probably already planning how to fit in another trip before Christmas. From now on, leopards leaping between leadwoods will pervade your dreams. (A little like this.) Somehow, you will always be in Africa. In those vivid film-like sequences of your dreams, in the memories that rest in a space of peace and joy in your imagination, waiting to become reality again. A space you can return to whenever you miss the wilderness.

Photos help too, of course…. Tricia and Andre shared some of their favourites with us from their time at Londolozi Private Game Reserve, the Cape Grace Hotel in Cape Town (“a beautiful hotel in a lovely location”) and Royal Chundu, on the banks of the Zambezi in Zambia. Photographs to inspire the rest of us…

Take a look at what they call

“Three perfect days exploring the bushveld at Londolozi Game Reserve”

"On our way, following the lion tracks in the early morning."
“On our way, following the lion tracks in the early morning.”
"Mark and Elmon tracking the lions..."
“Mark and Elmon tracking the lions…”
"Chilly morning... see the mist coming from its mouth?"
“Chilly morning… see the mist coming from his mouth?”
"And we found the cubs..."
“And we found the cubs…”

Tricia and Andre’s trip was organised by our travel expert, Landy Kent-Millar.

This is what Tricia had to say:

“A big heartfelt thank you for helping us plan such a magnificent holiday. Everything went extremely smoothly. We really had a fabulous time and the trip has left us only wanting more.

Londolozi was beyond fantastic. It was without a doubt the highlight of our trip. Being our first safari experience we had no idea what to expect, to say the least, we were really blown away. There is something very special about that place. Everyone at the camp was simply awesome to be around and hang out with. It was the one place that we travelled to where we felt like we were among friends and not like guests.

We really liked the camp managers, Phil and Garrett and truly appreciated all that they did to make our stay magical. Our Ranger, Mark and Tracker, Elmon were incredibly knowledgeable and so much fun. We had six drives and each one was a different adventure. They also helped us with a few photography tips which we really appreciated because we captured a few really stunning images. We hope to see the Londolozi team again soon.

"The cubs playing around at Londolozi Founders Camp"
“The cubs playing around at Londolozi Founders Camp”
"Look at this little guy just starting to get his mane..."
“Look at this little guy just starting to get his mane…”

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The Lioness
The Lioness
"Ranger Mark busy at work."
“Ranger Mark busy at work.”
"This place was very special."
“This place was very special.”
"On the go again"
“On the go again”
"At a drinks stop during our game drive"
“Tricia with Elmon and Mark at a drinks stop during our game drive”
"We were elated to have found the lions but finding this guy definitely was a bonus."
“We were elated to have found the lions but finding this guy definitely was a bonus.”
We started off looking for male lions but found this beauty instead....see his bright round golden eyes. His mom abandoned him before he was old enough to hunt on his own, all the odds were against him but lives to hunt another day.
“Beauty… see his bright round golden eyes. His mom abandoned him before he was old enough to hunt on his own, all the odds were against him but he lives to hunt another day.”

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"And he is fast asleep again..."
“And he is fast asleep again…”
"Baby Rhino and his mom"
“Baby Rhino and his mom”

Impala

Beautiful Sunrise
Beautiful Sunrise
"Early mornings... but the views were worth it."
“Early mornings… but the views were worth it.”
"Our last morning drive..."
“Our last morning drive…”
"Our last drive, we were speeding back to camp and luckily we spotted this guy!!!! Great way to end the first 3 days of our SA adventure."
“Our last drive, we were speeding back to camp and luckily we spotted this guy! Great way to end the first three days of our South African adventure.”

And as for Zambia…

Morning Mist over the Zambezi
“Royal Chundu was great. We really enjoyed our four nights there. It was filled with surprises and the views of the Zambezi were absolutely stunning. We had three nights at the River Lodge and one at Island Lodge. The River Lodges were great but the Island lodges were breathtaking. The staff were really excellent and the food good.”
Zambia
“Really glad you (Landy) encouraged us to do the white water rafting – it was so much fun! We were incredibly sore for a few days after because we had to hike down a really steep mountain to get to the rafting but it was all good!”

For more information about going on your first safari, contact one of our travel experts. We highly recommend Londolozi Private Game Reserve and Royal Chundu as mentioned in this blog but there are also many other great destinations and lodges to explore… Take a look at our favourite places in Africa.

We’d love to hear from you – where did you go on your first safari in Africa? Or where would you like to go?


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About the author 

Tamlin Wightman

Tamlin has been exploring, writing about and photographing Africa ever since her first job as a photojournalist for Getaway Magazine. She's lived on an island, eaten with lions, sailed catamarans in the Indian Ocean, tracked wild dogs with Kinglsey Holgate, and white water rafted down the Zambezi and has kept just about every airplane ticket that has crossed her hands.

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