Oh where to start with this one? This installment will focus on our four days and four nights at the Arathusa Safari Lodge in the Sabi Sands private game reserve. This game reserve borders Kruger National park. In this review, you will also find plenty of pictures from a memorable experience. Apologies in advance as this will also be long post.

This is part of a broader trip report and you can find the other installments below:

• Chicago to Paris onward to Johannesburg, South Africa in Air France Business Class
• South African Airways on inner country flights
• 4 days on safari in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve
• A review of the Westin in Cape Town
• Exploring Cape Town.
• Emirates First class from Cape Town to Dubai and onward to New York – Part One
• Emirates First Class Fun – Part Two

As mentioned in the previous post, we had a 90-minute transfer by car that took us through the country side and small South African villages. On our way, we already spotted a few giraffes, elephants and monkeys. About half of the drive was on dirt roads and gave us a bit of a feel for the country outside of big cities and the bubble of a luxury safari lodge. An interesting sight was local barber stalls on the side of the road with car batteries powering the clippers.

Welcome to the bush

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a few of the staff with a cold towel and a welcome drink. They explained to us how things would work and the rules that needed to be followed. The lodge didn’t have any fencing, so wildlife could roam in and around the premises. Therefore following the rules was quite important. Our actual room/suite was one of what they called bush-facing. These were more secluded and further away from the main area. It was explained to us, that we would have to be escorted back to our room at night to ensure our safety. Talk about a welcome to the bush!

Full schedule, but so much fun

When you are on Safari your schedule is pretty packed and a normal day was as follows:

5 am: Wake up call

5:30 – 8:30 am: First game drive of the day

8:30 – 9:30 am: Breakfast

9:30 – 10:30 am: Bush walk

10:30 – 1:30 pm: Free time

1:30- 2:30/3 pm: Lunch

3:30 pm: Coffee and tea before departure

4 – 7 pm: Second game drive

7 – until bedtime: Dinner and socializing at the bar

Everything was included in our package, so you didn’t have to worry about food or drinks at any point. We were usually in bed by 10 pm, just exhausted from a fun full day.

First impressions of the lodge

Right when we arrived guests were sitting down for lunch.  Each person could choose from a menu and even customize as needed. The food was incredibly fresh and delicious. We had planned our arrival to ensure that we would be able to get on the afternoon game drive which would leave at 4 pm, so catching lunch was a plus. We then had about an hour to relax and freshen up before the real adventure would start.

The Game drives

Each Safari vehicle has room for up to ten people. Three rows in the back with three seats each and one as a passenger, which became Elli’s favorite seat. Luckily for us our vehicle never had more than seven people in it. For our first game drive, we had two other couples, one from the US and one from the Netherlands with us. Within the first thirty minutes we were lucky enough to see a Rhino and some Zebras. It was unbelievable to be so close to these animals and see them going about their business.

Over the next couple of days we were able to see not just the “Big Five”, but actually the Magnificent Seven. They include Lion, Buffalo, Elephant, Leopard, Rhino, Cheetah and Wild Dog. We were told that this is very rare and usually only a few people a year actually get so lucky. Some other highlights included a leopard and rhino sharing a watering hole. Two cheetahs eating a fresh kill, with vultures finishing off the rest once the Cheetahs were full. Definitely understand now were Vultures get their name from. A sleeping leopard with a kill in hanging a tree. The most majestic animals however are elephants. It is just incredible how large, but somehow graceful they are. We had a close encounter with a young bull that considered charging our vehicle for a quick second.

What to wear and bring

The weather on these drives is a bit all over the place. If you leave in the morning at 5:30, a jacket and beanie was appropriate. However by the time we came back for breakfast I was usually just wearing a T-shirt. In the evening, I often wore shorts and brought a sweatshirt when the sun went down. The vehicles also had blankets available if needed by passengers. In general it is best to wear earthy toned clothes. We had one guy one day who came wearing a red Georgia Bulldogs sweater and he received some friendly ribbing from the ranger that he would have a target on his back due to the color.

One thing that we would recommend is to bring binoculars. We didn’t and always had to borrow some to see animals in the distance or in more detail. Thanks to our friendly ranger, we mostly used his by the second day.

Our ranger and tracker

Ryne and Debeer were the best combo by far and we were lucky to ride in their vehicle. By the second day Elli had figured out that she could sit in the passenger seat next to Ryne to better pepper him with her questions. That way we learned a lot about the animals and the park itself. Did you know a group of zebras is called a dazzle? It is truly incredible how well those two know their way around. Debeer was actually born just a few miles from the lodge and is part of a long line of trackers in his family. He will tell you what kind of animal crossed the road at what time, just by some tracks. We saw a pregnant Zebra, since Debeer saw her hoof prints were further apart then normal. Incredible!

The bush facing suite and common areas

Our actual accommodations were spacious and had everything we needed. Each day we were provided some fresh water bottles. The main attraction was our outside private plunge pool. We spent some time during our free time in it and just gazing out into the distance. It was so peaceful and saw a good amount of wildlife right outside. We had seen some pictures of elephants drinking out of these pools, but unfortunately we weren’t that lucky to witness it first-hand. Overall we really enjoyed the accommodations, but also mainly only spent time in the room to sleep.

The common area were also very nice with large sofas and an infinity pool overlooking a watering hole. Due to an extended drought the waterhole was completely dry. Just two years prior they had 8 resident hippos living in it. We learned that some lodge owners fill up their watering holes to ensure a complete safari experience. Our owners didn’t do this on a large scale, but did have a few watering holes throughout the property that they kept filled.

Food and overall service

The whole experience was incredible. It really felt like the guest to staff ratio was 1 to 1. Things were personalized and there was always a helping hand at anything you needed. We got a couples’ massage one day and according to Elli, I quite enjoyed it based on my snoozing/snoring sounds. Therefore I would give that high remarks as well and felt great afterwards.

As previously mentioned, the food as mentioned as incredible and included interesting local meat like Water Buck, a type of antelope. For each course, you had plenty of choices and could mix and match as you wished. The staff was so friendly and helpful. They also broke up the meal routine frequently to provide different experiences. One morning, we had a surprise breakfast near the airfield.

In the middle of each game drive we would stop somewhere for a 15-20 minute break. You could stretch your legs or use the bathroom (aka go behind a tree). They also provided food and drinks. In the morning that consisted of some sort of highly addictive granola bar, dried fruits, as well as tea and coffees. As part of the evening drive, the so-called Sun downer also included some alcoholic beverage of choice.

How did we book this?

Since this was our first Safari, we booked a Safari package through a local travel provider, called Pembury Tours. They took care of our transfer request and liaised directly with the lodge for our arrival and departure. We can highly recommend this service. As first timers, it gave us great peace of mind.

Unfortunately it is very difficult to use points for a safari. Therefore we paid cash for our 4 nights at the Arathusa Lodge. Since we saved a lot of money on the rest of the vacation we splurged to spend $700 a night for the experience.

If you are bent on using points there are some Protea properties close to parks. Protea is part of the Marriott group. You would then have to drive into the parks to actually experience a full safari.

Summary:

The safari was one of the most amazing and awesome experiences of our lives. We encourage anyone to go and experience for yourself. Even with six hours in a car on game drives every day we were never bored. The incredible animals, the food, rangers and all around atmosphere made this an unforgettable experience. I could probably write a whole book about it with all the experiences we had.

Anyone else done a safari and want to share their experience?

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