What a treat it is to be on a private game reserve! These reserves are becoming very popular in South Africa. People are being great stewards of the earth, fauna and flora of the region by buying old farms and returning them to their pre-farm landscape. Animals are being acquired that would have roamed on these lands, block burning is being done to allow the natural vegetation to return, and a handful of people are building homes on these unique places to enjoy it all! It is widely thought that private reserves will be the ones to save the rhino and the natural splendor of the African bush.
We ended up spending 10 days total here, 8 in the beginning of the trip and 2 at the end. The days and nights were idyllic. Each morning, the barista, Marius, would make magical coffee drinks for us. If we were still sleeping, he would bring them to our room on a tray with rusks. Completely spoiled!!
Enjoying sundowners on the veranda was an often occurrence when we were not out game driving that is. We were game driving during the day and at night (https://cherylawarren.com/night-game-drive/) If we were out at sunset, we would find a place by the water to watch the sun dip down for it’s nightly slumber. And while watching, sipping a cocktail of choice was a necessity!
And most nights we enjoyed true South African hospitality with expertly crafted braai’s from the master Marius!
While each day was different, every day had game drives and some even had walks. We often packed picnics and drinks and headed out. Picnics ranged from boiled eggs and sandwiches to boerewors and leftovers from the night before. Yum!
You never know what you might encounter when you are game driving. The animals like to use the roads as much as people do. So, we often look up roads and at the edges before turning our gazes into the bush. August and September are great times of year for game driving as the foliage is not as thick, so you can see deeply into the bush.
To see some of the amazing animals we saw, tune in for the next posts (https://cherylawarren.com/private-game-reserve-antelope/)!