Out of Africa Days 1 & 2

We just returned from our first major trip since BC - before Covid. We traveled with our good friends to Africa. We had high expectations for the trip, and they were all exceeded! First we had to take a short flight from here to Atlanta, where we met up with Kathy and Paul. From there we boarded the plane to Johannesburg, with a flight duration of over fifteen hours. I'm not going to lie, that was no fun despite being in the Delta Premium Comfort Class. I never sleep well on planes, so I maybe got an hour or so of sleep.

Once we landed and cleared customs we were met by a representative from the travel agency that we used. He took us on the short walk to our hotel, which was attached to the airport. Once we checked in, he told us where to meet at 7:30 the next morning to catch our shuttle to the Karongwe Private Reserve. We dropped our things in our rooms and went to enjoy a cold beverage by the pool before having dinner.

Following breakfast the next morning we met our shuttle driver. Unfortunately one of the other people using his services showed up a half hour late, which was incredibly rude to the rest of us. The drive to the reserve was a long six hours, considering we were quite jet-lagged. It was interesting scenery along the way, so that helped pass the time.

from Johannesburg to Hoedspruit, South Africa

Upon arrival at the Shiduli Private Game Lodge, we were greeted by resort manager Shauna and taken to our rooms. It is a small resort and very private as it is in the middle of a 9,000 hectare private reserve. We quickly dropped off our stuff and went to grab a late lunch before being met by our driver for a 3:00 4x4 trek our into the wilderness.

Our driver was Gilbert and our tracker was Johnson, and we remained with them for the next three days. There were two other couples in our vehicle - one from Holland and one from Brazil. They were both very nice, and interesting to talk with.

They have had a lot of rain in the area, and some of their roads were inaccessible. Luckily they have lots to choose from. The couple from Brazil said they were originally staying in Kruger National Park, but they had so much water that they cancelled their safaris. So that's how they ended up at our resort.

We saw quite a number of animals, birds and plants on our first time out. It was simply amazing! After three hours they took us back to the lodge, where we were met with a cool cloth and a beverage. We cleaned up, ate dinner then hit the sack. The next morning would come early with a 5:30 AM knock on the door.

a few photos from our first safari