{"id":914,"date":"2025-04-20T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-20T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/?p=914"},"modified":"2025-04-22T12:00:18","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T12:00:18","slug":"safaris-were-not-my-thing-then-i-tried-the-south-african-alternative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/20\/safaris-were-not-my-thing-then-i-tried-the-south-african-alternative\/","title":{"rendered":"Safaris were not my thing \u2014 then I tried the South African alternative"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\"\"\t<\/div>
Going on a safari on your own in your thirties is a humbling experience \u2014 I\u2019d do it again (Picture: Adam Williamson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Do animals exist? <\/p>\n

Well, broadly; yes. But the top-rung ones you haven\u2019t seen, specifically?<\/p>\n

They\u2019re one of the first things you\u2019re taught about as an infant, but what happens if three decades later you\u2019ve never personally laid eyes on the big ones?<\/p>\n

Before you point it out: I\u2019m not one for zoos. I\u2019ve never felt the urge to see Africa\u2019s greatest specimens behind bars under grey drizzle in the English countryside. <\/p>\n

Nigel Thornberry wouldn\u2019t stand for it and neither will I.<\/p>\n

And so, because of my uninspiring trajectory of being born in the immediate county outside of London, and then unimaginatively moving into London where the only wildlife I encounter are mangy foxes and tiny dogs outside coffee shops, I\u2019d need to venture out of my comfort zone and into the South African<\/a> plains to see if The Lion King is legit.<\/p>\n

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Fuel your wanderlust with our curated newsletter of travel deals, guides and inspiration.\u00a0Sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

I\u2019m going on a safari, my first, and I already have the clothes for it. Even if the only Bush they\u2019ve ever known is Shepherd\u2019s.<\/p>\n

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@travelwithmetro<\/a> <\/p>\n

Have you ever been on an alternative safari? Metro\u2019s Chris Rickett headed to South Africa to see what it was all about\u2026 \ud83e\udd81 #travel<\/a> #traveltiktok<\/a> #safari<\/a> #africa<\/a> #southafrica<\/a> #animals<\/a> #wildanimals<\/a><\/p>\n

\u266c Safari\/Wildlife\/African Video Background_\u201dKids in the Jungle\u201d_Animals\/Zoo\/Rainforest\/National Park\/Playful\/Fun\/Cheerful(1327305) \u2013 Ney<\/a> <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Sibling rivalry<\/h2>\n

South Africa has three capitals (greedy) and my flight destination is none of them. There\u2019s Pretoria (which serves as the executive), Cape Town<\/a> (legislative), and Bloemfontein (judicial).<\/p>\n

However I\u2019m assured that Durban<\/strong>, the country\u2019s third most-populous city, is worthy of being a first choice for a budding tourist.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Map\t<\/div>
Here\u2019s the route to take the same trip ft. one plane, one car, and countless kudu (Map: Vanessa Redmond)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I arrive indirectly via Johannesburg\u2019s O.R. Tambo Airport to begin my four-stop South African adventure.<\/p>\n

\u2018Durban\u2019s not as windy as Cape Town<\/a>,\u2019 says David, my tour driver and proud Zulu man, as soon as we meet at King Shaka airport car park.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the first insight I get into the playful sibling rivalry between the two cities.<\/p>\n

The next comes minutes later: \u2018Cape Town is Australia\u2019.<\/p>\n

While Durban, the surfing hotspot that loves BBQ, is \u2018true South Africa\u2019, I\u2019m told.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Driver\t<\/div>
Driver David (R) laughing with glee as he prepares to tell me all the reasons Durban is better than Cape Town (Picture: Chris Rickett)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As a warm-up, I\u2019m taken by boat on the blueberry-blue Indian Ocean to see the dolphins<\/a> that the skipper boasts a 75% success rate of spotting. I\u2019m one of the unfortunate 25%. Story of my life.<\/p>\n

Later, I see a monkey eating bin pizza in the Botanic Gardens before being escorted back to our vehicle.<\/p>\n

A tale of two cities<\/h2>\n

To address the elephant (which apparently *are<\/em>* real) in the room: I\u2019m a white British dude. I can recognise the shadow of apartheid that still looms over this city.<\/p>\n

You can see it everywhere. There are relics, like the rotting apartments on the old Victoria Embankment, a prime postcode where only whites were allowed to reside during that era. But there are enduring injustices, too.<\/p>\n

In present-day minority white populated Durban, unemployed Black and Indian men line the streets, unserved by a system lambasted nationwide as corrupt, while its wealthier inhabitants emigrate to northern coasts.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been booked to stay in the bougie part of the city called uMhlanga, which puts the White in White Lotus-esque.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s an American-style mall and noticeably fewer beggars.<\/p>\n

The beaches are privately cleaned rather than relying on the municipality to rid the sands of litter and plastic spewed up after seasonal rains.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Durban,\t<\/div>
Durban\u2019s job is BBQ and beach (Picture: Chris Rickett)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Outside of uMhlanga\u2019s gated community, the tourist-popular Golden Mile that trawls Durban\u2019s public beach coastline is heavily patrolled by police.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s safe\u2019, David says. \u2018But one street along\u2026\u2019<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a theme. A trip to Victoria Street Market comes with the explicit warning to \u2018not leave the inside market area\u2019, and a planned evening to eat in a township \u2013 urban outskirt areas previously delegated to Blacks and Indians for segregation that are now reclaimed on their own terms and open to tourists, on invitation \u2013 is changed last minute, seemingly due to the potential threat of unrest.<\/p>\n

I am shown only the cruise stop off-approved attractions before being whisked away on a one-road road trip to Nambiti<\/a> Game Reserve, the same road where Nelson Mandela was captured by police<\/a> in 1962 before his 27-year imprisonment.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Marco\t<\/div>
50 steel poles, representing 50 years since capture, make up Marco Cianfanelli\u2019s world-renowned sculpture that conjures Nelson Mandela\u2019s portrait when viewed at the right angle at the Nelson Mandela Capture Site (Picture: Chris Rickett)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018Mandela and his successor was the last time the government was good\u2019, David says forlornly.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s been downhill ever since. I\u2019ve been waiting 30 years for things to get better.\u2019<\/p>\n

A treasure hunt<\/h2>\n

Nambiti gets you into over 10,000 hectares of private land that is the entire world for 60+ mammal species; it feels like a sovereign state in itself, following Nambiti laws and regulations.<\/p>\n

It is Big Five accredited (aka it offers the opportunity to see lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino), but, unlike more famous parks such as Kruger, does not require anti-malaria medication or personal tracking skills.<\/p>\n

Guests are driven by trained experts in 4\u00d74 mega-jeeps, which prevent you getting stuck in the mud or lost. And with multiple lodge options on-site, it\u2019s easy to find something to suit most budgets.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Chris\t<\/div>
Yours truly saying \u2018No, it\u2019ll look cooler shot on film. Trust me. Just take the photo in 3, 2, oh\u2019 (Picture: Ewelina Turek)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At the gates, I\u2019m collected by Ryan, an early 20-something Robert Irwin-type. We drive to Cheetah Ridge for check-in and full board replenishments before my very first expedition.<\/p>\n

Sitting in the back of the Toyota is a near-constant fluctuation between breaking the fourth wall of your favourite nature docu-series and doing an optometrist test on a bucking bronco.<\/p>\n

Once stationary, binoculars come into play and then what was once lurking softly in the magnifying peepholes is soon face-to-face with you at an exhilaratingly close distance.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Zebra\t<\/div>
I heard the guides tell a guest that you should *not* try to ride a zebra as if it were a horse like in 2005 family favourite film Racing Stripes (Picture: Chris Rickett)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The priority species wear GPS collars to track migration patterns and breakouts, mainly.<\/p>\n

This data is not fed back to the guides, so every outing is a genuine treasure hunt using their seasoned eyes, footprint intuition, and radio dialogue with other guides to solve each day\u2019s unfolding mystery of \u2018where are they?\u2019<\/p>\n

Man, they\u2019re good at it. In my first couple of hours I see lions, a rhino, hippos, zebras and impala, as well as countless kudu and wildebeest.<\/p>\n

A 6pm sunset means that by 7pm, natural light has dialled down to 0 while ambient creepy-crawly noise has amped up to 11. Thus begins a whole new genre of drive and a chance to see a stock change of nocturnal animals like brown hyena and snakes entering the field.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m loving every second.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Kudu\t<\/div>
Oh, it\u2019s just another kudu (Picture: Chris Rickett)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As soon as I don a wide-brimmed hat I\u2019m completely absorbed into that world like Jumanji.<\/p>\n

My previous zoo gripes are irrelevant here.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not seeing segregated animals in human-enforced zones.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re seeing five wildly different species interacting together, friendly and not-so-friendly, on the same territory like a beastly Graham Norton couch cast.<\/p>\n

Natural prey are killed by natural predators.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s real<\/em> and the danger is alluring.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Parked\t<\/div>
That smudge of tan right in front of the game drive jeep is a sleeping lion, while 75% of the vehicle\u2019s inhabitants look the other way\u2026 (Picture: Chris Rickett)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\n\t\t\t\tWarning: The climate can be just as wild as the clientele\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
\n

South African summer months are November through February, but this period also sees heavy rains, thunderstorms and punishing humidity.<\/p>\n

To complicate things, November regularly brings snow and hailstorms and the park has ranged from extreme temperatures of 54C and -9C but can offer their experience all year round.<\/p>\n

Even on a balmy 29C peaking March day where I\u2019m practically marinated in Factor 50, I\u2019m still provided with a poncho, umbrella, hot water bottle and blanket to see me through three hours that begins with shorts and Birks.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Badge of honour<\/h2>\n

In the safari world, the Big Five is the sacred checklist to complete and wear like a badge of honour.<\/p>\n

After two nights that saw an assortment of sunrise, daytime and sunset drives, I\u2019ve completed four out of the Big Five, save for a lesser-spotted leopard that short-term visitors or the park\u2019s goats rarely get eyes on before it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n

You could argue it\u2019s really 3.5, because we arrived just in time to see an elephant\u2019s bum turn the corner of our line of vision. But let\u2019s not split hairs.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a savanna heaven on Earth and it\u2019s under constant threat every day.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Lisa\t<\/div>
Nambiti\u2019s Lisa (L) and Ryan (R) trying to convince me that the \u2018rock\u2019 I saw was, in fact, an elephant (Picture: Chris Rickett)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lisa Armstrong, who has worked on the reserve for nine years, stresses that \u2018poaching is the biggest problem we face\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u2018We\u2019re hearing from Kenya about a rise in giraffe poaching for their tails,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n

\u2018The best thing we can do is fundraise and invest in our anti-poaching unit and make sure they have the best equipment and education programmes.\u2019<\/p>\n

This is echoed by Brett Deetlefs, Nambiti General Manager who has been here, initially as a guide, since the beginnings of the reserve 20 years ago.<\/p>\n

But he knows the staff are doing something right.<\/p>\n

More valuable than gold<\/h2>\n

In 2024 alone, the province of KwaZulu-Natal\u2019s public state parks lost 279 rhino, whereas the private game reserves only lost nine.<\/p>\n

This is because Nambiti, along with a wider collective, dehorn their rhino at 1.5 to 2-years-old to deincentivise poachers from taking the shot.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"De-horned\t<\/div>
A rhino\u2019s chance at life improves drastically when de-horned (Picture: Chris Rickett)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018We don\u2019t want to dehorn rhino. It\u2019s not nice. But it\u2019s for the greater good of the species,\u2019 says Brett.<\/p>\n

\u2018An ounce of ivory is more lucrative here than an ounce of gold but if you looked at it, you wouldn\u2019t understand it.<\/p>\n

\u2018It looks bad and smells like burnt hair.<\/p>\n

\u2018We share knowledge with other game reserves and have discussed selling the discarded horns to Asia and reinvesting in conservation, but if it were up to me I would throw them down the waterfall.\u2019<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not only keeping poachers out that concerns Brett \u2014 it\u2019s also keeping dangerous animals in.<\/p>\n

\u2018Fences are so important because we are surrounded by communities like Ladysmith who we can\u2019t release a cheetah into,\u2019 he tells me.<\/p>\n

\u2018A crocodile came into our reserve through the natural river system and that\u2019s scary because of where that\u2019s travelled through to get here.\u2019<\/p>\n

Like the croc, we push on.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Horses\t<\/div>
Who says you can\u2019t be a cowboy in South Africa? (Picture: Chris Rickett)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\twindow.addEventListener(‘metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded’, function(data) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tif (typeof(data.detail) === ‘undefined’ || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === ‘undefined’ || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === ‘undefined’) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\treturn;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar player = data.detail.carousel.el_;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar container = player.closest(‘.metro-video-player’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar placeholder = container.querySelector(‘.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tcontainer.removeChild(placeholder);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tcontainer.classList.add(‘metro-video-player–related-videos-loaded’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t});<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Fizzing with the high of my virgin safari, I stop by the interactive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sanparks.org\/parks\/golden-gate-highlands\/what-to-do\/activities\/basotho-cultural-village\">Basotho Cultural Village<\/a> on the Phuthaditjhaba side of the R712, a living museum with an authentic chief and bone-throwing witch doctor that showcases how Dutch and British settlers changed the tribe over time. <\/p>\n<p>Then we settle on the small town of Clarens in the foothills of the Maluti Mountains in the Free State, a breathtaking place of natural beauty that largely presents itself as unchanged and timeless apart from the inescapable golf course, B&B accommodation and shopping district.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sanparks.org\/parks\/golden-gate-highlands\/what-to-do\/activities\/horse-riding\">Riding horseback through Golden Gate National Park<\/a> is instantly a Top Five life experience for this Indiana Jones fanboy.<\/p>\n<p>I hike through difficult terrain to infiltrate the park\u2019s Cathedral Cave, wearingthe same trainers I use to fetch oat milk from the corner shop back home.<\/p>\n<p>A drive back to Johannesburg closes the loop of this trip that encompasses the Four Bs: Bush, Burg, Beach, Battlefields.<\/p>\n<p>As I\u2019m dropped off at the airport without the chance to explore surrounding Jo\u2019burg, I\u2019m reminded of something our Nambiti guide Ryan said shortly after he had not raised an eyebrow at us parallel parking beside sleeping lions.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I wouldn\u2019t walk around in Joburg city\u2019, alluding to safety concerns.<\/p>\n<p>The Rainbow Nation is one big safari and it can feel like the best place in the world \u2014 when you\u2019re not prey.<\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\" data-ico=\"factbox_article\" data-track-module=\"factbox_article\">\n<h2 class=\"factbox-title\">\n\t\t\t\tDurban at a glance: Everything you need to know\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"factbox-content\">\n<p>It\u2019s recommended to hire a vehicle and self-drive between provinces, but if you feel more at ease using a travel group within cities, do that.<\/p>\n<p>We made our very own road trip route (map below) across three provinces.<\/p>\n<p>Being a multi-stop trip means multiple accommodation is needed and the ones I can personally recommend are:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hilton.com\/en\/hotels\/durgigi-garden-inn-umhlanga-arch\/\">Hilton Garden Inn Umhlanga Arch<\/a> (Durban) \u2013 B&B for two people from \u00a392 per night<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cheetahridge.com\/\">Cheetah Ridge Lodge<\/a> (Nambiti) \u2013 full board (and never-ending drinks) and game drives for two people from \u00a3387 per night<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.montdor.co.za\/\">Mont d\u2019Or hotel<\/a> (Clarens) \u2013 B&B for two people from \u00a380 per night<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.britishairways.com\/content\/flights\/south-africa\/johannesburg\">British Airways<\/a> fly daily to Johannesburg (JNB) from London Heathrow (LHR) from around \u00a3769pp for a return trip in Economy with Standard checked luggage.<\/p>\n<p>South African Rand goes a long way, \u00a31 is close to R25, and I was out there enjoying a three-course meal and a glass of wine for as little as \u00a311, dependant on the order and the restaurant of course.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Going on a safari on your own in your thirties is a humbling experience \u2014 I\u2019d do it again (Picture: Adam Williamson) Do animals exist? Well, broadly; yes. But the top-rung ones you haven\u2019t seen, specifically? They\u2019re one of the first things you\u2019re taught about as an infant, but what happens if three decades later […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":916,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=914"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/914\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":929,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/914\/revisions\/929"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}