TRAVEL STORY

South Africa – lion, thunder, lost phones and other amazing moments

– Louise Rigolet, Sverige

You might think that after fourteen trips, you would start to become a little blasé. That you would think: Oh, another lion. Another elephant. Another sunset. But that’s not how it works. Not for me, anyway.

The first part of the journey took us to the Khamab Kalahari Reserve. Here, three lodges – Phênê, Kanako and Dinaledi – offer game drives, walking safaris and the opportunity to photograph wildlife from a hide at one of the waterholes.

And we had the entire reserve to ourselves.

It sounds fantastic. And it was. But there was one small catch.

When you’re the only vehicle in the reserve, there are no other safari vehicles to ask:

“Have you seen any lions?”
“Yep, three of them just behind the next bush.”

No. Here, we had to find the animals ourselves. Sometimes we could drive for quite a while without seeing very much. But when we did find something, it felt all the more special. And we actually saw an impressive variety of wildlife: lions, cheetahs, wildebeest, gemsbok, eland, meerkats, brown hyenas, giraffes, zebras, elephants, as well as both white and black rhinos.

Naturally, I photographed many of them too, because apparently coming home with 4,000 pictures of lions just isn’t enough.

Our guide and tracker, Dean, quickly became an important part of the experience. He was incredibly knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. At one point, he spotted lion tracks and decided to leave the vehicle to investigate them more closely. He followed the tracks for a while and suddenly found himself face to face with the lions. That’s about where I would have thought:

“I think I’ll stay in the vehicle.”

I’m still not entirely sure who was more surprised – Dean or the lions. But he came back. Which was, of course, very convenient for us.

Another fantastic moment was when he allowed us to photograph the cheetahs from ground level. We had to lie flat on the ground. And there we were. Eye to eye with the cheetahs.

It was an incredibly special feeling. Suddenly, we were no longer tourists sitting safely in a safari vehicle, watching the animals from a distance. We were on their level.

Of course, I tried to concentrate on my photography. It’s just a little difficult to be completely relaxed when you’re lying on the ground in front of one of the world’s fastest predators while simultaneously trying to capture the perfect shot.

But the pictures turned out beautifully. So apparently, I survived that part of the journey too.

At Phênê Lodge, we were the only guests. It’s quite a nice way to travel. Beautiful rooms, good food, a lovely pool and fantastic service from Ian, who made sure we were very well looked after. And then there was the hide at the waterhole. Sitting there in the silence, waiting for something to appear, was an experience in itself. Sometimes, absolutely nothing happens.

At Kanako Expedition Camp, we were once again completely alone. Norma took excellent care of us, and our private luxury tent was set in front of a vast open field. It really felt as though we had rented the entire Kalahari. Not bad.

But even in paradise, things can go wrong. One evening, I managed to leave my phone in Dean’s jeep. Not exactly the smartest place to forget a phone. When I realised it was missing, I immediately started thinking about what might have happened. And my first thought was actually:

“A baboon has taken it.”

Somehow, that seemed perfectly reasonable. I could almost picture it: a baboon sitting somewhere, scrolling through my photos from the day.

The journey from Phênê to Kanako also turned into something quite extraordinary. We found ourselves right in the middle of a serious storm. Rain was pouring down, lightning lit up the sky and thunder rumbled all around us. We, in our jeep, seemed to think this was the highlight of the day. The other vehicle made a slightly more sensible assessment of the situation and drove straight back to the lodge.

After the wilderness of the Kalahari, we arrived in Hermanus. A charming little town with a completely different atmosphere.

We also took a walk at the Cape of Good Hope. Windy? Yes. Very windy. The kind of wind that makes you wonder whether you really need to walk forwards, or whether it might be easier just to lean into it and let it carry you along. But it was beautiful.

And in Simon’s Town, even a trip to the grocery store turned into a memory to remember. Suddenly, The Final Countdown started playing. I have no idea who was in charge of the music, but apparently someone thought our grocery shopping needed a dramatic soundtrack. And I can only agree.

Of course, you can’t travel around South Africa without eating. That would almost be irresponsible.

At Char’d Grill & Wine Bar, we had fantastic meat. At Pajamas & Jam, there were pastries that looked so delicious they should almost have been illegal to eat. Charlie’s Brewery – Hickory Shack offered friendly staff, good beer and fantastic food. And at West Coast Farm Stall, we found a lovely atmosphere, excellent coffee and even a small microbrewery (Gin).

That’s about the point when you realise that life can actually be pretty good.

As wonderful as Africa itself is, a journey is never better than the people you share it with. Experiencing all of this together with kind, curious and like-minded people made the trip even more enjoyable. All the conversations. All the laughter. All the little mishaps that become so much funnier when you look back on them afterwards. And all those moments that simply cannot be planned.

I think that’s probably what I love so much about Africa. You can book a trip, book your flights and look forward to the game drives. But you can never plan what is actually going to happen.

A lion might suddenly appear. A cheetah might end up right in front of your camera. A guide might walk straight into a pair of sleeping lions. A mobile phone might mysteriously disappear. And a completely ordinary trip to the grocery store might suddenly have The Final Countdown as its soundtrack.

When I look back on this journey, perhaps it’s the mixture of everything that I remember most. The lions in the Kalahari. The cheetahs up close. The rhinos. The thunderstorm. The lost phone. The fantastic food. The wind at the Cape of Good Hope. And all the people who made the trip so much fun.

After fourteen trips to Africa, I suppose I should have had enough by now.

But no.

Not even close.

Every time I leave Africa, I’m already thinking about the next trip. Because Africa has a strange ability to leave you feeling completely satisfied and incredibly impatient at the same time.

You come home with memories, photographs and stories. And before too long, you start thinking:

When are we going again?

BACK