If you are looking for a great experience with nature, easy access from Brazil, then I can highly recommend going "on safari" in Africa. We flew South African Airways São Paulo to Johannesburg and from there we connected with another flight to Hoedspruit, a very quaint airport about 1 hour north-east of Johannesburg. Here we were collected by our hosts and driven 45 minutes to Honeyguide camp. There are many lodges/camping operators in this pocket of South Africa and the roads are well sign posted if you wish to drive from Johannesburg.

Honeyguide lies in Manyaleti Reserve which borders the well known Kruger Reserve. Once you have entered through the main gates of Manyaleti, there are no fences between you and the animals. Honeyguide consists of 12 permanent tents and a central eating place/bar. For those of you who know me well, let´s just say I don´t do camping!! But let me reassure you that these were no ordinary tents we stayed in. All the tents have their own bathroom with shower and flushing toilet, a small leather lounge with writing desk and very comfortable beds. There was ample room for all 4 of us in one tent although we had booked 2 tents. I should add that the bathroom was slightly in the open and it was necessary to keep the tent zipped and locked at all times to deter the Baboons!

Our daily routine went something like this. We were woken at 5.30am for tea/coffee and then we jumped into our layers of clothes because it was around 2-3 degrees. By 6am we were ready to go on safari with our ranger Sean, our spotter Thomas and 2 other guests in the open land-rover. Each safari we set off in a new direction in search of different animals. Usually we stopped for tea/coffee where we could watch the sunrise and feel the first rays warm our cold noses and numb fingers ( we forgot to pack gloves!). We returned to base camp around 9am for a very hearty breakfast, followed by a safari on foot. Children under 12 are not allowed on these safaris and they were looked after at camp by one of the other rangers. On one of these walks, we were tracking a leopard in a dry creek bed when she suddenly appeared 20m in front of us, stood stock still checking us out for about 20 seconds before disappearing into the bush. That was one of the highlights of the whole trip. After the walk, there was time to catch up on some sleep or you could go to the hide by the waterhole and silently observe the animals coming to drink. Great for photographs. A three course lunch was served at 14.45 and then it was back out on safari at 4 pm. On this evening safari we always stopped by a waterhole at sunset for drinks to watch the animals at dusk. We continued into the night with our spotter operating the spotlight from the front of the land-rover, trying to observe those animals that are most active at night time. We returned to base camp by 7 pm for a sumptuous gourmet dinner. Dinner was always served outside under the stars in what they called the "boma". After dinner we sat around the bonfire, with the red wine flowing freely, and swapped stories of what we had seen.

We saw a fantastic amount of animals in their natural habitat, including the Big Five (lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo, elephant) so called because back in the big gaming days, these 5 were considered the most dangerous to hunt. In the winter time, it is also easier to see the animals because of less foliage and camouflage around. We saw many animals close up (a large bull elephant right outside our tent) and learned many things from our knowledgeable ranger. With regard to safety, complete obedience to your ranger and a deep respect for these wild but magnificent creatures is needed to avoid becoming a target for dinner!

We booked our trip over the Internet and there are literally hundreds of lodges on the Internet from other countries in Africa to explore. Here are 2 web-sites to get you going: www.honeyguidecamp.com and www.classicsafaricamps.com Our experience in South Africa will stay with us for a lifetime and I hope we can return one day. We have definitely been smitten by the "Africa" bug and zoos will never be the same again!
Article written by : Bronnie Mengersen

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