I have always dreamed of going on a safari, after how amazing my trip had been so far I started to worry that it might be a bit of a let down...especially after walking a cheetah through the forest
for a few hours, but it was a truly amazing experience.
When we first arrived at the gate of the Sanbona reserve we were given a map and directed down to the welcome lodge. In hindsight we should have asked if the little mini-van could come to the front gate to collect us, since we broke our hire car, but then we would have missed the welcome lodge which started to give us a idea of what we were in for. The drive was alright, a few patches that our little Kia Piccanto struggled with (e.g. where we broke it), but a 4WD would have handled it easily. The welcome lodge was gorgeous. It was the kind of building where I had always imagined you would wait for your safari to begin. A lot of wood, spectacular views, a pot bellied fire place and a host to serve you a hot cup of coffee or tea on arrival.
We waited a little while for the minivan to arrive which would take us to our accommodation and then we were off. Before we had reached any of the accommodation the minivan came to a halt to allow us time to look at the two cheetahs that were running across the road - sheer luck that we saw them on the way in - and we thought it boded well for the rest of our stay. We drove past the first accommodation, the Tilney Manor, the second accommodation the Gondwana Lodge which is mainly for families and then arrived at our destination - The Dwyka Tented Lodges.
Sanbona calls the Dwyka Tented Lodges "secluded luxury" and it is an understatement. It is a series of 10 tented individual lodges, and a main building, which are located in a horshoe-like rock formation in the Karoo desert. The scenery is visually stunning and the luxury is complete.
When we arrived at the main building of the Dwyka lodges we were greeted by a charming concierge, Bernard, and handed a steaming hot face-cloth by one of the waiters (bearing in mind that we were there in the middle of winter and it was freezing!). We then headed into the main building where we stopped in front of the fire and Bernard served us a hot chocolate with a touch of Amarula and gave us a few general details about what was happening for the rest of the day. The first game drive would be at 3pm so we were free to take our lunch when we were ready and freshen up in our rooms before we left. We decided to take our lunch before heading down to the rooms... we ate breakfast at around 6:30 am and we were starving!
The lunch was incredible; I chose the butternut pumpkin soup with fresh baked bread for entree, a chicken and avocado burger with a trio of home-made sauces for main, and then the creme caramel for desert. This was a few weeks ago now and I still remember the menu in intimate detail which should give you an idea of just how amazing the food was!
Once we could no longer eat we were shown to our rooms to quickly change and get ready for the game drive. Bernard showed us around the room, explaining where everything was, and how everything worked. He mentioned that if we needed anything, even at 3am, we should pick up the phone and let them know.
Before long we were being introduced to our guide, Martin, who would be driving us for the four game drives that we would do during our 2 night stay. He explained a few details of the reserve and showed us where we could find the blankets and then we were off. It was amazing! The vehicle seats 6 people up high behind the driver though there is room for a 7th to sit in the front of the jeep behind the glass windshield.
In our Jeep we were lucky that it was only my friend and I and one other couple who were from Cape Town. Martin asked us which animals were on our wish list and after thinking for a moment we rattled off the names of most of the big animals, which brought a smile to Martin's face, I suspect he had heard the same list a dozen times already.
We had been driving for less than 5 minutes when we spotted a small herd of Eland which is the largest antelope in the African continent and are very impressive. Minutes later, mostly due to the terrible noise they make, we spotted some baboons in the distance on the cliffs around our lodges. We continued on and spotted both mountain and plains Zebra, Klipspringer's, and then through sheer luck I spotted the two Cheetah's that we had seen earlier. They had covered a massive distance in the time it had taken us to eat lunch and they appeared to be hunting...though they were miles away and the wind was going in the wrong direction so they stood very little chance.
We watched them until they disappeared from view and then drove down to the big damn / lake where we saw two hippos floating around. Once they disappeared from site we moved a little further along the lake and Martin got out to set up a little table at the front of the Jeep, he spread out a table cloth and put out a few little dishes with different nibbly foods, then poured us each a drink. The waiter had asked us what we would like for a "sun-downer" so I had a glass each of one of our favourite white wines.
It was a perfect moment, sipping wine, standing next to a big lake in the middle of the mountains. Real African-style wilderness!
We returned to the lodge to be greeted with another steaming hot face-cloth and hot chocolate with Amarula and advised that we should feel free to take our time and come back to the main room for dinner at any time. We went to freshen up and then decided to take our dinner right away so that we could relax and enjoy our gorgeous room. Dinner was even more spectacular than lunch and the chocolate mousse / meringue combination for desert was a taste sensation! We went via the bartender on the way back to our rooms who graciously agreed to whip us up a few cocktails even though they weren't on the menu. Then we turned in for the night...after a nice hot bath and enjoying our cocktails in some of the most comfortable bathrobes in the universe.
The next morning our wake-up call came through at 6:30, we bounced out of bed to get ready and went up to the main building for a mixture of a continental buffet, and for myself the pancakes... yum. By 8am we were back in the Jeep...delighted that Martin had arranged hot water bottles as well as the fleecy blankets for our chilly morning drive. We drove for a while before we were lucky enough to see three giraffes enjoying a morning snack... really close!
When we arrived back after the morning drive we were told that since it was such a beautiful sunny day we would be welcome to take our lunch in our rooms if we chose to. We were given a menu and advised to just call to tell them what we wanted and what time we wanted it... again the meal was stunning and we ended up falling asleep and waking up only minutes before we were due to be leaving again! That evening was a real treat, we saw more eland and wildebeests, a whole herd of elephants, and then on the way back out of the darkness we somehow spotted a White Lion cub. We saw both the mother and her two cubs who all actually came out onto the road around us. For more detail on this amazing experience please click here.
We came back a little late and my friend and I were both a little worried because we had booked an hour long massage treatment... not that we needed to worry... Bernard repeating his mantra of "we never hurry our guests here" and asking us if we would like to freshen up before we went in for our treatment. The massage was stunning and the rooms were so beautifully decorated. All this luxury followed again by a wonderful dinner and then we were fast asleep!
The next morning was our final game drive. We began with a large group of springbok's, who are unbelievably cute when they spring, and then we were lucky enough to find two white Rhino. We watched them for most of the morning before we had to head back to finish packing and leave. When we left and said goodbye to our waiters, and to Martin and Bernard, it really felt more as though we were saying goodbye to people who had become friends in the two nights we had been there. The rooms were luxurious and beautiful, the facilities were amazing, the landscape is incredible, but the staff there really made the experience. I can't speak highly enough of them or of our time at Sanbona and we definitely intend to return...maybe when the little White Lion cubs have had time to grow up!
In terms of my first Safari experience... wow! We had spent so much time up close and personal with these animals in a more captive environment so it was amazing to see them in the wild living as they are supposed to. They also look different in their natural setting, perhaps its the way they blend in with the landscape or that they look more at ease, but I think if everyone had the opportunity to see these animals this way they would have a better understanding of why it's such a shame to lock them up in zoo's.
Overall I was blown away by the whole experience and I can't wait to go again or maybe even take on Kruger National Park!
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