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We decided to start our trip to South Africa with an overnight in Sydney so we didn’t have any stress about the 1:45m connection from Queenstown to the Johannesburg flight, on the same day. It turned out to be a good decision when our early flight out of Queenstown was more than an hour late departing. The de-icing truck broke-down and then the access stairs couldn’t be disengaged. Once in Sydney we went to the French Festival on the harbour. It was a bit of a co-incidence but we had been to the same festival last year while on a short break to Sydney to escape the winter inversion layer at home. The next morning it was onto the plane for the 14.5 hour flight through to Johannesburg, with a good glimpse of the ice pack as we skirted near to Antarctica.

After a good sleep at the City Lodge hotel, attached to the airport and feeling quite well rested, we picked up our hire car and headed out for Graskop – about 4.5 hours away. Half way there we stopped in the middle of nowhere at the Alzu service area, and saw our first animals at the area outside the station – water buffalo, rhinos etc. We had a very good lunch at the Bistro restaurant and then we were back on the road. The route passed through a lot of coal mining areas with many transport trucks, coal power stations and poor air quality.

We got to Graskop and dropped our bags at the apartment we were staying in. After a short walk around town we had a very good meal at the Glasshouse restaurant. The next day our host had given us some recommendations about places to stop along the Panorama route, through the Blyde Canyon. Unfortunately the weather was not good for us. We went from clear and sunny to total fog or mist and we couldn’t see 2 metres in front of the car, then 5 minutes later back to sunshine. So we didn’t really see much of the Panorama route. But we did have a good meal at the Chubby Pig, again recommended by our host last night. Given that it was in the middle of a paddock, way off the road we might never of found it by ourselves.

It was then on to Isambane Bush camp for our 3 nights on a private game park bordering on Kruger (in the Balule Parsons reserve), about an hour north of Hoedspruit. The drive from the road to the camp was 35 minutes and we would become quite familiar with those roads over the next few days as we went on morning and evening game drives. On arrival at camp we we greeted by the staff, our bags were whisked away to our tent and the car moved to a parking area, not to be seen again for 3 days.

The luxury tent (green below) had a deck, sleeping area and dressing room. The bathroom (brown thatch) was a separate area, connected by a walkway. It all looked out on bush, even sitting on the toilet you could see animals wander by.

Lunch was at 14:30 and we sat, in the sun, looking out at the bush – no animals that day but there were plenty coming and going at the water hole over the time of our stay. At 15:30 we got on the safari vehicle, with 7 of of fellow guests and headed off for our 1st game drive. Our new routine was to be:

05:45 gather in the bar for 6:00am drive having made a coffee and had a rusk. Morning drives were quite cold and the waterproof, lined ponchos were a blessing for stopping the wind chill. Half way through there was a stop with coffee (with Amarula for one of us) and biscuits and return about 09:00 for breakfast. Shower and have free time to 14:30 when lunch was served. Then at 15:30 we set off on 4 hour game drive with a stop for a sunset drink and a nibble before a night-drive back to the camp. A short rest & a drink at the Boma fire area, before a 3 course dinner. Off to bed and repeat the next day. We saw so many animals, and most were so close. The staff were great, the food superb and would recommend Isambane camp 100%!

On our last night drive we were returning to the camp when a message was received from camp – there was a young leopard in the camp. So our guide put the speed on and we zoomed back to the camp. We didn’t see the leopard but it was under the buildings and then disappeared. Meanwhile the camp had been under lockdown until the guide had cleared the area of danger. That meant 2 of the guests who had arrived late and were not on the drive had been locked up 1 in their tent and the other in the bathroom for about an hour.

And a photobombing giraffe 🙂