How to go on an african animal trek by kmar

"Trip of a lifetime. With the best travel partner ever."

How I did it: I won the safari through an auction. It was at a resort-ish animal compound called Zulu Nyala Game Lodge, located in Richards Bay just outside of Johannesburg, South Africa. So in April 2011, my daughter and I headed into the wild blue yonder.


The hardest part, really, was trying to arrange the travel. You need to first get to Johannesburg, then book another flight to Richards Bay on South African Airways. Though there were some minor glitches (random seat reassignments, no in-flight entertainment for an 18 hr plane ride), for the most part the flights were pretty straightforward.

Once we arrived, we were treated like royalty. Everything had been taken care of, the accommodations were awesome, and the place itself beautiful. We were assigned one ranger for the duration of our stay (hi James!), which was nice, and we were teamed up with a few other safari adventurers. Each day we had the option to go out on two treks, one in the morning and one in the evening, where we saw an amazing array of animals. 

Lessons & tips: Definitely sign up for some of the off-reserve day excursions (available for an extra charge). We visited Phinda, which is known for its lions. We also got to visit a South African primary school, and talk to the teachers and students -- very eye-opening. We did an elephant interaction, where we hand-fed a family of three elephants, and also visited St. Lucia for a river cruise (hippos & crocs) that ended with a wonderful visit to a beach on the Indian Ocean.


Patrons have a couple of choices of where to stay: On the main compound (the Game Lodge), or in "tents" (Heritage Tented Safari Camp) on a satellite compound about 10 mins away by car. We stayed on the main site, but a couple in our group went over to the tents. They said it was a bit more rustic, but worthwhile to experience. As an avid non-camper, I'm glad I decided not to pursue that option. It's nice that you do have the opportunity to change rooms while you're there if you like, though.

Resources: Zulu Nyala http://www.zulunyala.com/

Bid2Stay http://www.bid2stay.co.za/ -- we got a really cheap hotel at the Johannesburg airport through this site; half off what they normally charged

Unrelated Note: Here are some of the animals we saw.
  • Egyptian geese
  • Vultures
  • Blue wildebeest
  • Warthog
  • African hoopoe
  • Wooly neck stork
  • Herd of impala + wildebeest
  • Cheetah
  • Ibis
  • Giraffe and baby giraffe
  • Big male giraffe with one missing horn, George
  • Phillip or Sophie, (male) giraffe who came right up to our window
  • Reedbock
  • African elephant
  • Plains zebra
  • Nyala
  • Lynx/caracal
  • Vervet monkey
  • Ostrich
  • Acacia tree = umbrella tree
  • White Rhino
  • Guinea hen
  • White-backed vulture
  • Baboons
  • Emerald spotted wood dove
  • Cape Buffalo
  • Blue waxbill
  • Python
  • Golden orb spider
  • Cheetah cub
  • Alpha white rhino
  • Water monitor lizard
  • Lioness & two cubs
  • Grey dauikur
  • Annoying birds
  • Blue tailed skink
  • Gecko
  • Crocodile
  • Purple heron
  • Bush buck
  • Wooly neck stork
  • Egret
  • Leopard


 

Apr 25, 2011, 01:12PM PDT | 0 comments | 16 cheers


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