Timbavati Safari

Some trips you enjoy. Some stay with you.

The Timbavati and Klaserie have given me some of those very special, unforgettable days.  A pride of 10 adult lions and 7 cubs, sprawled together in the golden grass.Not one, but three separate packs of wild dogs, watching them move, play and disappear into the bush.Multiple incredibly close leopard sightings — those heart-stopping moments when you suddenly realise just how close you are to one of Africa’s most elusive animals. And then all the smaller, easily missed treasures…Tiny chameleons. Gennets slipping through the darkness. Hippos grunting from the water. Birds everywhere. A baby giraffe finding its feet. Tiny elephant calves staying close to their mothers.

It wasn’t just the incredible sightings. It was everything in between.

The anticipation when the vehicle stopped.

The silence before something appeared.

The excitement in everyone’s voices.

The early mornings and golden evenings.

The dust, the sounds, the smells and that extraordinary feeling of being completely immersed in the wild.

And coming back to a beautiful lodge at the end of each day made it all the more special — somewhere to pause, reflect and realise just how much we had seen.

But for now, I’m still somewhere between the bush and home, trying to process just how lucky we were.

Because you can take photographs of these moments. But the feeling of being there is something else entirely.