Destinations / JOURNEY
and walls a foot thick. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, included
in the rate, are prepared by an on-site chef who excels at utilizing locally harvested vegetables, fruits and meats.
On par with the quality of Sabi Sabi’s lodging and service are its private safaris. My personal safari guide, Joe
Mashaba, is one of the most likable people I’ve ever met. His
ability to spot creatures great and small was astounding:
chameleons, rhinos, kudus, giraffe, lions, leopards, hyenas
and even centipedes, spiders and beetles. He was always just
as excited to spot animals as we were, and you could tell he
had a great fondness for every plant and animal within the
reserve. If you do visit Sabi Sabi, request Joe as your guide,
and tell him I said kunjani (Shangaan for “howdy”).
A Unique Experience
From Sabi Sabi, Guy arranged a private flight to the
Tintswalo safari lodge on the eastern boundary of Kruger
National Park. Upon arriving, I asked where the other guests
were. “There are no other guests; this lodge is yours. As
are the staff, chef, ranger, tracker, vehicles and most of this
27,500-hectare reserve. We all are here to fulfill whatever it
is you wish to do. As long as it isn’t illegal or too dangerous.”
As a journalist, I had been on five safaris before I met
Guy, but I had never been allowed to exit a safari vehicle
recognize lions’ tracks, and within an hour of spotting and
following fresh lion prints we were crawling as close to the
pride as our ranger, Fritz, would allow. We were within 100
feet of the lions, yet a mile away from the safety of our vehi-
cle. It was one of the most thrilling things I’ve ever done.
The next day we tracked rhinos on foot — another heart-pounding experience — then after dinner I was treated to
a very rare nocturnal safari to watch a pride of lions hunt,
witness a leopard feeding, and see all manner of exotic creatures of the night.
The next day was spent with Grant Beverly of the
Endangered Wildlife Trust, one of the world’s top
experts on African wild dogs, assisting him with tracking, calling and identifying these highly endangered
animals. It was a National Geographic–like moment that
few people on this planet will ever experience. Then
again, pretty much this entire safari was like being in a
television special.
