South African Safari — Records of Roam

While in Cape Town for the month of December, we went on a safari, which was an exciting, once-a-lifetime experience for us. We knew if we were going to South Africa that a safari would be on our must list, but as we researched them it was still a dauntingly pricey venture. In the end, we knew we couldn’t miss the opportunity while in Africa so we decided it would be our Christmas gift to each other to justify the expense.

As I began researching which safari to go on, it quickly became overwhelming! There were so many options; it was intimidating to choose. Many of the options were centered near Kruger National Park, which is in Eastern South Africa. These would require a flight to Johannesburg, and then either a bus, rental car, or small plane flight to the park. The cost, time, and logistics were starting to deter us, but I kept researching and stumbled upon Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, which was within driving distance of Cape Town - no flight necessary! The more we looked at it, the more excited we were; there were only a couple free nights available on their calendar, so we pulled the trigger and booked it!

Wednesday, December 13th

We picked up a rental car near our apartment and left Cape Town around 10am for our drive to Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, near Montagu, which took about 3.5 hours.

South Africa drives on the left, so we know that would be a challenge, and we didn’t know anything else about driving in the country. Things got a little dicey at the Huguenot Tunnel, a crazy superlong tunnel that goes through a mountain. As soon as we got into it, all of the windows steamed up so much that we couldn’t see anything, and we scrambled to turn the defroster on. Yikes!

The rest of the drive was interesting; the landscape was beautiful, with mountains and vineyards. We passed through the towns of Worchester and Robertson and were shocked to find how nice the main areas were but how sad the shanty townships on the outskirts were. The main highway was only one lane in each direction, so passing cars was dicey; we quickly figured out that slow cars and trucks would ride the shoulder to make more space for cars to pass. We stopped for a bite to eat in Montagu at the Rambling Rose before tackling the final chunk of the drive.

We took the turn off of R62 toward the main gate of Sanbona, and it took awhile of driving down a dirt and gravel road before we arrived at the main gate for Sanbona. Once there, a guard greeted us and gave us a map of the reserve to find our lodge; he told us that since we were now in the reserve, we may see animals and told us not to get out of the car at any time! It was a looong drive down dirt and gravel roads to get to our lodge, which was called Tilney Manor. It didn’t help that we started off driving really slow because we were so excited to be in the reserve! We had our eyes peeled, eagerly looking all over for animals.

We were greeted with a warm welcome once we arrived at the lodge. Sanbona is a 5-star accommodation, and it felt like it - we've rarely had the privilege of this level of service! They insisted on serving us lunch, even though we had “missed it” (we didn’t even know lunch was included on day one since check-in wasn’t until 2pm!), which they delivered to our room while we settled in. The main house, Tilney Manor, is an old farmhouse that used to be on the property. It operates as the reception area, the lounge area, dining area, gift shop, etc. They took us to our room and our mouths dropped; there was a big patio with a view that looked like a picture, as well as an amazing bathroom with a freestanding tub and a large, double outdoor shower.

On the table in our room was a sheet explaining our itinerary for the next few days. Going on a safari felt like an adult kids camp; they provided us with our agenda of activities and meals, and you join other guests in the experience. We even had an assigned ranger that acted as our “camp counselor.”

Our two-night stay at Sanbona included four “game drives” (two at sunset and two at sunrise) in which our designated ranger would take us on a three-hour excursion around the reserve in search of wildlife. In between the drives, we were restricted to the lodge (you know, due to the wild animals roaming outside the lodge fence!), but everything was covered - we had a spacious room with an outdoor patio, there was a pool, an on-site spa, and all of the meals were provided for. It was such a fun two-day retreat - so completely different from any other day!

Sunset Game Drive #1

At 4:30pm, we met in front of the lodge for our first game drive! Our guide was Chris, who turned out to be amazing. He had worked at Sanbona for over nine years and was the most senior ranger there. There are only six rooms at Tilney, which meant each vehicle had three couples each; we never felt cramped or like a number. We stayed with the same guide and the same other guests for our entire time there. Our group consisted of a lovely older couple from Switzerland who had been on multiple safaris before. The other couple was from London, who had never been on a safari before; they went for the wife’s birthday, who had always had a safari on her bucket list.

As we ventured out, our first sighting was....baboons! There was a crew of baboons climbing up the rocks; Chris told us that they move up into the rocks at night for safety. Out of all the animals we saw during our safari, the baboons ended up being the most skittish around us.

Next, we saw a herd of 12 elephants slipping into the reeds! Elephants are such magnificent creatures. The reserve had two herds, and this larger herd of 12 was the herd we saw a few times during our visit. He pointed out the matriarch and explained how they communicate, which can travel for miles! It was incredible to watch these giant animals disappear as they slipped into the reeds. For such large, heavy animals, they move so quietly and gracefully; it was mesmerizing to watch.

Before we could even digest the amazingness of the elephants, we were driving beside a pack of zebras!

Further down, near the watering hole, we could see a hippo hiding in the water. Next, we saw springbok, the national animal of South Africa, which is also their rugby team mascot. Springbok are known for “pronking,” a unique type of jumping which we were able to see.

As we found an old male giraffe having dinner at a tree, I kept finding myself thinking, "Is this real life!?" My heart would skip a beat every time the vehicle pulled to a stop, excited with anticipation of what animal awaited us!

To cap off the night, we spotted rhinos! There was a mother rhino watching over her three sons who were playing together. Someone asked how many rhinos were in the reserve, and Chris told us that he couldn’t tell us the answer due to risk of poachers. He explained that at another reserve, someone posed as a guest, took photos to save GPS coordinates, then had people helicopter in at night to kill the rhinos. He said only the rangers and scientists know how many rhinos there are. It was saddening to learn how at risk these animals are.

At this point, Chris asked if we wanted to get out and have our “sundowner,” which was our nightly stop for sunset drinks and snacks during the evening game drive. We couldn’t believe we could get out of the vehicle and enjoy a glass of wine while watching wild rhinos in the distance, with nothing between us and them! It was pretty surreal.

During our three-hour game drive, Chris told us more about the reserve. We learned that all of these animals used to exist in this area, but over time were driven out by farmland and hunting. Someone began buying back farmland in order to create the reserve, to rehabilitate the plant life and bring back the original animal inhabitants. The reserve focuses on conservation, not tourism. So, while one couple on our tour complained that they wanted to see more animals everywhere, Chris explained that the amount present in the reserve is what’s natural and sustainable for the environment and the area. Jeff and I both felt like it made it more authentic; it also made it more thrilling to feel like we were tracking down these amazing animals, which made it more exciting when we found them. Learning this info made us even more grateful we somehow, luckily, ended up at Sanbona for our safari!

Another bonus of Sanbona was the geography - even when we weren't looking at animals, we were fascinated by the landscape, which is considered semidesert. There were impressive rock formations and mountainous ridges, as well as a variety of vegetation.

When we arrived back at the lodge, the staff was waiting with warm wet towels for us. The dinner tables were set, and we were encouraged to take a moment to clean up and return for a nice dinner. When we walked into our room, we found a very romantic spread - Jeff confessed that he had told them that we were celebrating our engagement when he booked the safari, which explained the rose petals and towel swan, which we laughed about. Jeff walked to the bathroom and noticed that the bath had been drawn and candles were lit, which we were excited about. Unfortunately, Jeff was a little too excited, as he ripped off his clothes and jumped into the bath without first testing the water, which turned out to be scalding hot! He frantically jumped out, and thankfully didn’t slip and fall in doing so! We decided we had better go have dinner before returning to our room to enjoy our fancy bath.

Thursday, December 14

The next day, we were up bright and early for our first sunrise game drive! The ranger gave us a wake-up call at 5am, and after a quick cup of coffee, we were all in the vehicle by 5:30am on the hunt for “cats.” Not long after leaving the lodge, we passed two male rhinos asleep while standing up.

Our day started with a chase - we were hunting down the white lion, which ended up walking right past us! The thrill of the chase after seeing glimpses of the white lion through the trees was exciting enough, but we were in complete awe to arrive just in time for the lion to walk directly toward us, then pass right beside us. To have a lion walking toward you head on, and to face him from an open vehicle, is incredible.

After that amazing experience, we went in search of the white lion’s two sons. We found the two tawny male lions amidst the reeds drinking water, then again when they walked past a set of buffalo bones we had stopped to look at only moments prior. To see them lurking through the reeds gave us a sense of what it must be like for them to stalk their prey!

We spotted a Kingfisher by a pond, which offered a refreshing pop of color among all of the other animals blending into the landscape in gray, browns, and tans. We continued to be surprised by how well each animal blended in with their surroundings, regardless of how large they were.

After an incredibly thrilling morning drive, we returned to the lodge for an impressive breakfast before taking a midday nap. In the afternoon, we enjoyed lounging by the pool and a light lunch to prepare us for the evening drive at 4:30pm.

Sunset Game Drive #2

We set out for our second and final sunset game drive, and Chris told us we would be trying to track down a cheetah. Shortly into our drive, we watched the same elephant herd from yesterday of 12 stroll by, then we passed baboons mingling by the watering hole.

Chris found the cheetah quickly - he said it usually takes much longer to track them down! They have three cheetahs in the reserve; this one was a 3-year-old male. I’m not sure how he spotted him - none of us could see the cheetah, which he said was laying up the hill under a tree. We all struggled to find the cheetah with binoculars, but couldn’t find it. As we strained to see it, Chris said that it was time to get on foot to get a closer look at it. We all laughed, but he told us he wasn’t joking; he said we would get out and walk up to the cheetah! We were shocked. Chris explained that some guides are certified to be “walking guides” to take groups on foot near animals; he said that it involved a lot of training, and he was one of the only guides who could do so at the reserve. He gave us instructions on how to approach the cheetah, and our group walked up to stand in front of it! It was INCREDIBLE. It felt completely surreal. We couldn’t believe how similar to a housecat it was, rolling around and moving its tail. We tried to take a photo, but when we realized it wouldn’t do it justice, we put our phones away and just soaked in the moment.

*Jeff and Chris as we walked away from the cheetah*

After gazing, mesmerized, at the cheetah for awhile, Chris told us it was time to leave; he said that they’re careful not to overstay their welcome since it took years for the guides to earn the trust of the cheetahs. As we returned to the vehicle, the Swiss couple told us that in all of the safaris they had been on, that experience was by far the greatest. I’m glad they shared that with us because it made us feel even more fortunate for the opportunity.

Next, we went to where the cape buffalo roam (they’re in a separate area for now; due to the drought, they’re weak, and the lions killed 15 of them in a quick span, so they decided to separate them). Chris told us that they’re the worst to hunt of “the big five.” They're aggressive, unpredictable, and hold a grudge. If you miss the shot, a cape buffalo would go off into the thicket, waiting for the hunter to start looking around, then charge and kill the hunter when they're not expecting it. So much attitude! Our guide even got out and made noise, and they all turned and looked annoyed.

As we enjoyed our sundowner drinks, someone asked Chris what the name of his bar was while he made our cocktails and he cleverly responded, “the White Lion Pub.”

Our dinner that night was a fun, casual buffet of regional comfort food. We paired it with a bottle of wine from La Motte, a winery in the nearby Winelands region.

Friday, 12/15

We awoke on Friday to our last morning on safari. We had our final sunrise game drive, and it was perfect! The weather was warmer, and we saw the greatest hits of Sanbona - a variety of different animals including elephants, giraffes, and zebras.

Back at Tilney, everyone staying at the lodge sat together family style, including the rangers, for a goodbye breakfast outdoors.

We were sad to leave but so grateful for the incredible experience! We truly had a spectacular time going on safari. The reserve felt like an authentic, honest approach toward a common tourist safari.

On the way back to Cape Town, we stopped at a couple wineries, Springfield Estate and Fairview. Springfield Estate was near Sanbona in the Robertson Valley wine area. We enjoyed a light tasting on the deck overlooking their fish pond.

Further along, we stopped at Fairview Wine & Cheese Farm, which is located in the Paarl/Stellenbosch Winelands area. It’s a winery with a goat farm on-site, so they produce both wine and cheese, which meant the best wine tasting ever: 6 wines paired with 6 different cheeses! Jeff and I tried two different flights, so we were able to try 12 different wines, and there was a huge variety! We tried familiar wines like Sauv Blanc and Chardonnay, but also Spanish and Portuguese grapes, interesting blends, and we had our first taste of South Africa’s proud grape, Pinotage. We left with a bottle of Sauv Blanc, a bottle of Pinotage, a bottle of a delicious red dessert wine, and two cheeses!

It was a perfect way to end our safari getaway, as well as get us excited to visit Winelands later in the month for Jeff's birthday!