South Africa: what it’s like to go on a luxury safari – 11/29/2023 – Tourism

Lying on the ground, a dark-maned lion cast his amber gaze directly at our car, standing no more than ten feet from where he and another male, just as big, were resting on safari in South Africa. the previous day, the two felines had slaughtered a pregnant antelope in full view of the passengers — exactly like a Discovery Channel wildlife program, but live.

This was after one of them had given Aurela, the driver on that safari, quite a fright, launching a roar from behind the bushes and forcing the guy, who was tracking his footprints on foot, to run back to the 4×4. If it wanted to attack a person, says the guide, a 400-pound animal like that would only have to make one jump and its attack would probably aim for the back of the head. “Wouldn’t you like to get out of the car and take a closer look?” he joked.

Tours like these, the “game drives”, are the main draw for tourism in the northeast region of the African country, on the fringes of the Kruger National Park, almost on the border with Mozambique. There, private reserves in the middle of the savannah keep wild animals on the loose, roaming not far from where there are luxurious chalets. They are like immense farms dotted with dirt routes where guests have the chance to see the beasts up close, on tours led by open vehicles.

The reserve in which the Moditlo River Lodge is located, for example, is more than 140 square kilometers and is famous for allowing, with some ease, the sighting of the “big five”, the so-called animals considered by hunters to be the most challenging: lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and buffaloes.

But the fun of these tours is more in the surprise of what you can find along the way, like a giraffe jumping out of nowhere in the middle of the road or a cheetah sunbathing after resting on an impala. Not to mention wildebeests, hyenas, wild boars and jackals. There are 54 different species that inhabit Moditlo.

There, safaris last about three hours and are held twice a day, at 5:30 am and 4 pm and always include a stop in a more open area, where it is safer to get out of the car and be safe from ambushes. of animals, while drinking beer, wine or Amarula in the middle of the savannah.

Guests have three accommodation options, such as the brick chalets, arranged along a wooden walkway and which have bathtubs and showers with views of the forest. If you’re lucky, you can take a bath while seeing an elephant. A warning: it is not allowed to wander around at night without the company of a guard or if you run the risk of running into an animal.

The villas are more luxurious and private houses, which can be rented for small groups, and there is also the option, preferred by honeymoon couples, of staying the night in types of cabins where you can better hear the sound of the animals, but with all the comfort and comfort of having clean and private bathrooms.

All options are all-inclusive. Meals are offered at specific times, so as not to conflict with the safari time, and serve a good sample of South African cuisine: oxtail stew, chakalaka (spicy beans and vegetables) and pap (a type of polenta that is eaten With the hands). At one of the dinners, we heard the sound of some groaning in the darkness. “Some animal has just become food,” said one of the employees.

Everything looks like “Jurassic Park”, as one of the guests recalled, but with the difference that the carnivores are not confined there, but on the loose. This does not mean, however, that they are the most feared. Aurela, the guide, says that buffaloes can be the most dangerous since, unlike lions, they don’t usually give warnings for people to stay away from their territory; They prefer to face intruders straight away. And hippos, she says, deserve special attention: their mothers are fierce and make them the deadliest animal on the African continent.

But tourists can rest assured, as the risks are minimal. The animals are used to the cars passing by and tend to believe that they are nothing more than big animals. That’s why it’s forbidden to get up, shout or put your arms outside the vehicle or the beasts may realize that there are prey (in this case, humans) feeding there.

On one of the walks, we found ourselves surrounded by a herd of elephants. Although they are huge animals, it is not that easy to spot them. One of the pachyderms didn’t seem to like the visit — or was curious about our presence — and came towards the vehicle with its huge ivories, forcing the driver to reverse. Not far away, a white rhinoceros grazed without even bothering as two lionesses, mother and daughter, rested in the shade.

We also tried to find leopards, but without success. The animal is one of the most shy and, naturally, it tends to camouflage itself very well in the treetops, where it feasts without worrying. But there was no shortage of apes. One of them, a vervet monkey, took advantage of a minute of my distraction and stole the fruit from my plate.

---

Moditlo River Lodge
Daily rates from US$410 (or around R$2,000) per person. The hotel is represented in Brazil by D’Flow Connections Travel. dflowconnections.com