Exploring Southern Africa: A Family Adventure in Wildlife and Wilderness
In April 2023, we embarked on an unforgettable journey through Southern Africa. From the bustling city of Johannesburg to private game reserves and national parks, our trip was filled with stunning landscapes, diverse wildlife, and incredible experiences. We traveled through South Africa and Botswana, encountering elephants, lions, zebras, and even a rare brown hyena along the way. Our adventure included staying at luxurious lodges as well as camping under the stars in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Join us as we share tips and highlights from our family road trip across this beautiful part of the world.
Starting Point: Adelaide to Johannesburg
Our journey began in April 2023. We flew from Adelaide to Sydney, staying overnight before catching a flight to Johannesburg the next morning. The flight was long, about 14 hours, but we were excited for our adventure.
Upon arrival in Johannesburg, we picked up our Discovery 4 vehicle that had been stored and prepared by a car storage company. We stayed overnight at a hotel and set off the next morning for our first destination.
First Stop: Mziki Private Reserve
Mziki Private Reserve was our first stop. We stayed there for a couple of nights and saw an incredible range of wildlife. Elephants, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, red hartebeest and many different birds made this place unforgettable.
The hosts at Mziki were very flexible with game drives. They let us choose when we wanted to go out exploring. However, one issue stood out—load shedding. South Africa sometimes has power outages because they can't produce enough electricity. This meant no power for hours at times and warm beer!
Despite this minor inconvenience, Mziki was an amazing start to our trip.
Journey to Limpopo-Lipadi
Next on our journey was Limpopo-Lipadi in Botswana. It took us a few days to get there from Mziki as it is quite remote.
We own a lodge at Limpopo-Lipadi which added convenience and comfort to this part of the trip. Staying here for a week allowed us time to explore the private game reserve thoroughly.
During this stay, I got my "game car license", enabling me to drive the game car myself. This freedom allowed us more time for photography and leisurely exploration of the beautiful surroundings.
The lodge sits on the banks of the Limpopo River so apart from all the wildlife within the reserve; we also enjoyed watching bird life along with sightings of resident hippos and monkeys nearby.
If anyone wishes to stay at this lovely lodge feel free reach out!
Adventure at Tuli Wilderness
From Limpopo-Lipadi we drove two hours up what seemed like nothing more than a rugged four-wheel-drive track leading straight into Tuli Wilderness—a paradise teeming with various animals including rare brown hyenas!
Sleeping arrangements involved tents where my son and I shared one while the girls had another tent making the experience even more adventurous. Especially since my wife heard something sniffing outside her tent and turned to see a leopard peering through mesh screen back at her creating a thrilling yet slightly nerve-wracking encounter!
Camping in Central Kalahari Game Reserve
Our next stop was the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. We camped here for four nights, hosted by a tour company that set up our tents and cooked our meals. This made the camping experience very comfortable.
The reserve is vast and wild. Each morning and evening, we went on game drives with our guide who was also a keen photographer. He shared many tips and tricks which helped us capture stunning photos.
One of the most memorable aspects of the Kalahari was its sounds and smells. At night, we could hear lions and hyenas calling out in the dark. During game drives, we encountered a plant that smelled like rotting flesh—nature's way of keeping things interesting!
Sunsets in the Kalahari were magical. We would find a spot to watch as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting incredible light across the pans.
We were also lucky enough to see the famous black-maned lions lounging around. We quickly found out that lions are the most boring animal to watch, they just lay around all day!
We also spotted some cute ground squirrels scurrying about their business, providing delightful moments amid all this grandeur.
Exploring Mapungubwe National Park
After leaving the Kalahari, we headed back to Limpopo-Lipadi for another week before moving on to Mapungubwe National Park in South Africa.
Mapungubwe has an amazing landscape filled with rocky outcrops shaped by time and elements into fascinating forms. The place where we stayed even had a swimming pool right next to an elephant trough! It’s quite something watching these gentle giants drink while you relax in the pool.
We took walks up to lookouts offering views over three countries at once—Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe—and saw where Limpopo River meets Shashe River creating natural borders between nations.
At the park entrance itself stood a tree hosting a cute spotted bush snake. Earlier in the trip at Tuli Wilderness we also saw one. The guide told us they were dubbed "lady snakes" as they would fall out of trees onto unsuspecting ladies sitting under the tree in the shade, scaring them. Luckily they are harmless.
Final Leg: Kruger National Park
Our final leg brought us through Kruger National Park from top to bottom—a must-visit if short on time yet eager see Southern Africa's wildlife diversity firsthand.
Kruger offers well-maintained roads allowing self-driven safaris at great convenience! Staying away from crowded main camps opting instead for self-catered quieter spots proved a fantastic decision enhancing the overall experience significantly.
One highlight was at Orpen Rest Camp which involved nightly visits from resident honey badgers notorious for causing havoc. Ensuring doors were securely shut and outside fridges protected by cages stopped the mischievous attempts of the badgers breaking and entering!
Seeing a wide range of animals including numerous bird species, coupled with the ease of driving oneself around the park cemented Kruger as a favorite destination among many wonderful places visited during trip overall. Making a perfect closing chapter to an unforgettable journey across the southern African wildernesses!
