Before we dive into all of the amazing animals and sightings we had on the safari (they will come soon…promise), I want to start by explaining some of the more logistical aspects of our week in the African bush. Kelly and I worked with our guides to come up with our itinerary for the week, which was two nights at Letaba Rest Camp, one night at Olifants Rest Camp, three nights at Skukuza Rest Camp, and finally one night at Aan de Vliet in Hazyview outside of Kruger.
The rest camps were all quite large, with numerous different types of lodging, a restaurant, a grocery & convenience store, and often a museum. The largest of the rest camps, Skukuza, sleeps over 500 people, just to give you an idea. The restaurants and stores were very reasonably priced (at least for US standards), which was a pleasant surprise. We stayed in bungalows at all of the camps with ensuite bathrooms and air conditioning; there was also a small outdoor kitchen and charcoal grill. They weren’t fancy (we didn’t expect them to be), but they definitely got the job done! The rest camps are all part of the South African National Parks organization (which is why they all had a similar feel), and there are other options for fancier private versions if that’s your thing. However, the rest camps within the park are the most convenient for animal sightings, which was our priority.
Letaba Rest Camp, our first home on safari!
The reception building.
Pam and I waiting patiently for the keys to our bungalows.
Kelly and Julie doing a bit of exploring.
This was the entrance to the large restaurant at Letaba.
This is the outdoor eating area at the restaurant, which looked out over the bush.
The view from the restaurant (notice the electric fence haha).
Our bungalows!
Each of them had an outdoor kitchenette. The fridges were in cages to prevent monkeys from getting into them.
Each bungalow had its own grill.
The huts typically had 2-3 single beds in them.
They were small but sufficient.
The thatch-style roofs only need to be replaced every 10 years!
Bathroom shots for completeness.
Aaand the shower.
Animals roamed the camps freely, including baboons, vervet monkeys, warthogs, and this bushbuck here.
Pam was enthralled 🙂
Our second camp… Olifants!
All the camps had these handy maps to guide you around.
The view from the restaurant at Oliphants was breathtaking! You can see a viewing hut on the left.
The restaurant at sunset.
The deck where we had our dinner.
We made a quick stop at Satara rest camp for a bathroom stop, so had to snap a pic.
We found some huts that the British royals had stayed in that were constructed especially for them.
Our final rest camp and the largest… Skukuza!
Another handy map, you can see it’s a pretty big place.
Our daily schedule consisted of a 5:30a wake-up call followed by our morning game drive leaving at 6:00a. The morning drive typically lasted about 4h, often with a stop for biscuits and coffee in one of the approved “you may exit your vehicle here” locations; turns out its not safe to get out of your vehicle in just any spot in a park full of apex predators. These spots were mostly on bridges and had yellow lines that you weren’t allowed to cross which represented the distance that you could likely get back to your vehicle if a lion or leopard got on the bridge with you.
The whole gang (minus Bernhard who was taking the photo) with our truck “Mufasa”.
All loaded up into the truck.
Bernhard had a HUGE lens that screwed onto a mount on the truck. There were also bean bags that were slung over the side of the truck for other photographers to use.
Hennie in the driver’s seat!
There was a power strip for everyone’s use.
Because there were only 6 of us, we could use the middle seats for storage.
It was so nice to be able to bring backpacks and snacks without having to have them at our feet!
Pam and I enjoying the front seats.
Checking out some game sightings!
Pam and Julie enjoying the sunrise.
Kelly being creative with ways to fend off the harsh sun.
Dad was lulled to sleep once or twice 🙂
Occasionally we’d come to places where we could “alight at our own risk”; it’s strictly prohibited to exit the vehicle anywhere in the park that is not clearly marked as such.
Photo op in the bush.
Most of the alighting points were on bridges, because you can see predators coming from a long ways off.
Family photo over the river!
Enjoying our morning coffee on a bridge in the bush.
Coffee with a waterbuck!
Mufasa in all his glories.
Mom enjoying her coffee atop a huge rock outcrop.
Julie and I casually conversing in the wilderness.
Kelly got very nervous because Mike kept wandering off.
Rusks (buscuits) and coffee in the bush 🙂
Rocktop family photo.
And of course a jumping one 🙂
After breakfast back at camp, we would either pack up and drive to our next rest camp, or rest for the afternoon and then do a sunset game drive for 3-4 hours. Because the tour was private, we didn’t have to stick to a tight schedule, which allowed us extra time if needed for an awesome sighting. This flexibility allowed us to linger at certain sightings much longer than the vehicles that were day tours from the rest camps or outside the park, and this was a really nice feature of the tour. After the afternoon drive, we would either grill out at the rest camp or eat dinner at the camp’s restaurant before enjoying a glass or two of wine under the stars and retiring early to be ready for the next day.
Breakfast with the whole gang after a morning game drive.
Quite the latte…
Sometimes we cooked breakfast at the bungalows.
We had free time some afternoons and evenings where we could relax at camp.
The view at Olifants was too good to pass up.
So family photos had to happen: here’s Mike and Pam!
The ladies.
Kelly and I.
One night at Skukuza, we had a large grill out; our most complex bungalow meal 🙂
The grill master at work.
Some kudu patties! They were pretty good.
What a feast!
Mike and Pam eating our wonderful meal, complete with a salad that didn’t have tomatoes because the baboons stole them (true story).
Our next post will be a big one, with tons of wildlife and landscape photos from our trip. Then in our final safari post, we’ll go into a bit more detail on a couple of the most incredible sightings that will stand out in our memories for years to come. Stay tuned!
-Adam
Around the World in 180 Days 
Great to see the Bouwmans!!
LikeLiked by 1 person