This was the first safari Brett and I had gone on together. It was a pleasant change to travelling alone and Brett was the source of some hilarious moments on the trip.
We arrived in Hoedspruit around lunchtime. We flew from Cape Town via Johannesburg. We picked up our rental car and headed for our first camp, Honeyguide Mantobeni Camp. This was about an hour's drive from Eastgate Airport and was mostly on good tarred road. We arrived in time for lunch. We found all our meals at Mantobeni Camp to be excellent.
Mantobeni Camp has 12 tents overlooking a dry riverbed. The guest area overlooks a waterhole and a plunge pool. Guests dine together and with their guides. Overall, the camp is comfortable and relaxed. On our game drives we saw excellent sightings of elephant, a huge herd of buffalo, a pack of wild dogs and a group of 5 white rhino. We also saw lion, kudu, giraffe, zebra, waterbuck, along with other plain’s game. Not bad for 2 game drives!
The next morning we stopped briefly to inspect child-friendly Honeyguide Khoka Moya Camp before travelling to King’s Camp in the Timbavati Game Reserve. The journey was about an hour on good tarred roads, other than about 15km along good gravel roads.
King's Camp is a well established camp in the heart of the Timbavati. Most of the senior staff and guides have been at King's Camp for many years and this expertise and knowledge comes through in the entire experience at the camp, from the game drives to the accommodation and cuisine. We were lucky to track a male leopard offroad as it moved through the bush and stalk impala. We also saw lion, elephant, white rhino and numerous other wildlife and birdlife. Dinner was served under the stars in the garden.
The next morning we travelled 2 hours south to Savanna Lodge in the Sabi Sands. This 5 star lodge has some of the most luxurious rooms in the Kruger. The executive rooms and the suite have private plunge pools overlooking the bushveld.
We were spoilt to get an incredibly experienced game guide who gave us an exceptional insight into the Sabi Sands and the wildlife of the region. We saw outstanding game including the 6 Mapoega male lions that rule over a number of prides in the area. We also saw leopard, elephant, white rhino, buffalo, zebra and most of the usual plain’s game. Dinner was enjoyed around the fire in the boma.
Our 4 day safari ended with a 2 hour drive back to Hoedspruit. We returned relaxed and full of stories.
Author: Lance
Brett and Lance with the SUNSAFARIS transfer vehicle in the Kruger.