Ultimate South Africa One-Week Safari Adventure

Three lionesses observe you as you pass by in your vehicle. Then, they will disappear into the grass on the hot trail of a zebra herd. If you venture a little further, you can see springbok pronking. The agile antelopes frequently bounce up and down with straight legs to release pheromones. Soon, you see eland, impala, hartebeest, and wildebeest, which are animals that move in herds across the savannah. Next, you will spend 20 minutes with an elephant herd, admiring the playful interaction between the adolescent giants. Returning to your lodge, you may find the trail blocked by a buffalo herd, and then, at some point in the afternoon, you may find a leopard and glimpse its natural beauty amid the foliage.

This is purely an example of how a game drive can play out. Every drive and day is different and unique. Safaris are so brilliant because of their unpredictability; however, there are many longstanding favorites that almost every Phinda visitor enjoys. This private reserve is home to a wide diversity of animals, and here, you can encounter almost all the iconic figures on your list, including the Big Five. Other reserves, notably the Sabi Sands, have a much greater quantity of animals. Phinda has a little of everything, which is ideal for your first time on a safari.

The other highlight here is luxury. You will settle into modern, Western comfort and watch Africa’s mammals as they wander the surrounding savannah. Phinda is the kind of destination that instantly contrasts certain preconceptions about an undeveloped African continent. This is where you will be fine dining, appreciating privacy and space, and staying within your comfort zone. Do not think there will be no adventure because in Phinda you can combine game drives with nighttime drives or enjoy a game walk around the villa. These activities slowly showcase the nuance of the South African savannah and often bring incredible proximity to the animals.

Leaving Phinda, you will drive to iSimangaliso, which is a UNESCO World Heritage wetland that is completely different from the arid and dusty savannah. Thick forests will greet you, and usually, you immediately hear monkeys as they howl from the trees. The landscape is dense, and it will be difficult to see far, so you will be guided by sounds and smells. Animals will not see you coming, which makes it much easier to get close to them. Do not expect to see the Big Five, even if all five do live here. There are many places for animals to hide, so a day on a safari can only encounter a selection of what lives here. Still, that selection can be spectacular.

Wetlands attract a unique wildlife population, rather than a little bit of everything. After a short drive on an often muddy trail, you will transfer to the water and take a boat safari through the wetlands. Hippos cluster in large pods and boisterous animals can often be spotted as they quarrel with each other. Elephants frolic along the banks, sometimes squirting water from their trunks and semi-aquatic antelope splash around waters that are painted with pink by flamingoes. Then, you will leave the park and greet the Indian Ocean, where dolphins and turtles add a completely new dimension to your safari. You will stay along the coast at a boutique treehouse above the white sand. It is a very peaceful place to reflect on the safari that you have experienced thus far, and sometimes, you can see hippos and monkeys as they share the white sand.

The drive to South Africa’s oldest protected reserve is spectacular; it will have you first re-crossing the iSimangaliso forest before traversing the rolling hills of KwaZulu-Natal. These hills turn rugged and wild as you enter Hluhluwe-iMfolozi. Rhinos appear upon the landscape with their proud horns pointing skywards, and giraffes appear like sentinels with their long necks a permanent fixture upon your panorama. Driving to the camp, you can pass large herds of impala, duiker, nyala, and waterbuck. A jackal may peek its head above the grass, and it is difficult to travel far without encountering hyena. Then, there is the rest of the Big Five, and perhaps, even a glimpse of a cheetah, which is an animal that hunts effortlessly on this landscape.

After your introductory game drive, you will check into a small bush camp that is located deep within the national park. This accommodation is a lot simpler than in Phinda and iSimangaliso, but it is still comfortable and offers all the amenities that are needed for a stay in the wilderness, including clean, flushing toilets. The difference here is the canvas. Large, spacious tents allow sounds to filter through, and throughout the day, you can listen to grazing herds along with the distant echo of elephant trumpets. Each evening, you will drift asleep with nature’s lullaby, including strangled antelope shouts and sonorous lion roars. Bush camping is a fully sensual experience, and it enhances your connection to the wilderness, so for these two days, you are not watching the wildlife world but sleeping center stage in an ancient wilderness.

Originally a Zulu hunting ground, the park was published as a protected reserve back in 1895, and it has been a haven for rhino conservation ever since. More than 1,000 black and white rhinos live here today, which is remarkable given that the park is less than 10% the size of the Kruger. On action-packed game drives, you will encounter both species. Early mornings are the best for viewing black rhinos, as this is the only time the bashful creatures are readily exploring out in the open. Larger white rhinos may blend into the scenery and occasionally wander straight past your camp. There are no fences here, and this will add to your excitement. Sometimes, nyala and waterbuck literally graze just a meter or so from your canvas walls.

Today, you will venture out on morning and afternoon game drives. Predators are likely to be a focus, notably the resident cheetah and hyena. As the game drives are private, they can focus on any animal you like, so perhaps, today is your chance to search for mongoose, Suni, Nile crocodiles, or some of the park’s eagles. Private game drives can also reflect your mood. You may choose to indulge in a picnic and spend an hour beside a pool of hippos, or maybe you will want to choose to follow a hyena clan for two hours so you can understand more about their behavior. You can also decide on heading back to your camp earlier, so you can watch animals walk past from your camping chairs.

After leaving the national park, you will drive back to Phinda, where you will board a morning flight to the Greater Kruger. You will touch down in a very different wilderness before transferring to the Sabi Sands, which is the most legendary of all South Africa’s safari destinations. The Sabi Sands is a collection of private reserves that shares an unfenced border with Kruger National Park. Animals migrate here because of the Sabi and Sand rivers, which creates an incredibly dry season abundance from May to October. Like Phinda, these reserves are private, so access is restricted to guests who are not staying in the Sabi Sands. This creates an aspect of exclusivity, and it is rare that more than two vehicles are at any one animal sighting.

The Sabi Sands is famous for both animal populations and its luxury lodges. For the last two days, you will have connected with the wild world and come to appreciate the nuance of its rhythm. Now, you will be back in modern luxury. You will stay in a suite with a private plunge pool from which you can sip on wine and cocktails as animals drink from the river. Fine dining is served to your terrace, but you can also opt for a candlelit dinner out in the bush, which is an opulent method of staying connected to your wild side.

The less forgotten highlight of the Sabi Sands is the variety of activities on offer. Private game drives continue to bring intimacy with Africa’s great mammals, elephants and buffalo move in huge numbers here, and lions are usually spotted every day, sometimes on every single drive. Leopards are the famous resident here, and there is nowhere better in Africa for tracking these incredible hunters. One may meet your eye before disappearing into the grass, and another may watch you serenely from a treetop perch. You can follow a leopard on the prowl, admiring how it slowly stalks its prey and emanates solemn precision.

Nighttime game drives are a fantastic way to track these leopards as they take place when the spotted cats are most active. Lions are also more active after dark, so these nocturnal adventures often reveal dramatic scenes around the riverbanks. Of course, you cannot see very far in the dark, but your guide will use a spotlight to illuminate scenes from leopards’ green eyes to rowdy buffalo herds. Walking safaris are just as thrilling, and in the Sabi Sands, there are too many large and dangerous animals for a long walk. Instead, you will explore areas around the lodge, coming face to face with a variety of ungulates. You can walk alongside zebras, stand amid pronking springbok, and come to appreciate the true size of many antelopes.

After a two-day, customized program in the Sabi Sands, there will still be time for one final safari activity this morning. You can wave farewell to the wildlife on a sunrise game drive before taking a second breakfast in the bush and making your way to the closest airstrip. From here, you will fly back to Johannesburg for your outbound flight.