Last week, my wife and I headed out on what has become an annual Holiday for us. We shipped ourselves to the African Bushveld aboard a combination of Lufthansa and SWISS flights for a week-long Safari at the Dulini Private Game Reserve in the Sabi Sand region of South Africa.
To say this has become our favorite travel destination is an understatement. We’ve gone as far as to begin exploring the possibility of purchasing property in the area to build our retirement home within a game reserve so that we can literally enjoy a Safari everyday. More likely than not, we’ll have a mailing address ‘down there’ one day.
After our first visit to Dulini, it was a no-brainer to go back. Their hospitality, accommodations and access to some of the finest wildlife viewing would be hard to beat, so we’re not going to try. In fact, we’ve already booked our return trip for next year.
Words really can’t explain the experience and how it can affect someone, but I hope some of the photos I’ve put below can begin to show why we feel the way we do. The worst part of the trip is the last day. The blunt realization that we have to leave this paradise is not easy to deal with. The only solace we have is the fact that we are going back in less than a year. 359 days to be exact!
Enjoy the pics. I’ll have more over the next few days after I shuffle through about 11,000 photos that came home with us.
Oh, and if you are wondering why there is a Dulini watermark and not my own on the photos , I’ve offered to share them with Dulini so that they can be used on their social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter. It was easier for me to process the photos only once and use their watermark.
A tender moment between a Hyena and her cubs…..
A photo-bombing Giraffe decides to make an appearance….
A Hyena cub makes a chew toy out of her mother’s foot….
Ravenscourt (Male) and Tasselberry (Female) during their mating ritual.
Red Bull is not the only thing that gives you wings. Oxpeckers apparently do it as well.
Hyena and cub…..
A very hard to find Mongoose…..normally very shy and elusive
Who knew that the Rock Monitor has the prettiest tongue in the animal kingdom?
One of many breathtaking sunsets that we experienced…
wow! beautiful pictures! i hope to go on safari someday.
Thanks! I highly recommend it!
wow these are amazing photos. Do you recommend a particular season or month to go?
Our favorite time to go is when they are entering spring. A couple of reasons for this. One, the vegetation is only starting to fill in the trees and shrubs so you can see a lot of game in the distance. Once the trees and shrubs grow in their leaves, its tougher to spot. Also, the temperatures are still a bit milder and the rainy season has yet to begin. Typically the heavier rains come in late October/Early November.
We too love South Africa and when we go to Kruger we stay at Satara, one of the parks inside of Kruger. We rent a cabin there and do a self cater vacation. We have also stayed at Lower Sabi, again inside the park. Love your pictures particularly of the hyena and her cubs.
Thanks! Many more photos to come. The Hyena shots were a bit grainy because it was nearly dark, so I had to speed up the Camera’s ‘film’ speed (ISO), to catch the moments.