Cunard offered 3 overland 3 day safaris, all of which were fully booked months ago. When we embarked temporarily in Sydney we asked to be put on a waitlist and luckily a couple dropped out and we were booked onto a visit to Thanda Safari Lodge. This proved to be one of the best experiences of our 7 month trip. Arriving into Durban we had a 4 hour minibus ride to Thanda, coming off the highway, quickly encountering 2 sets of gates and dirt road before transferring to our modified jeeps, which were used for the rest of the trip, and the short ride to our accommodation. This was the first surprise as on the short drive to the lodges we encountered a herd of zebra

Each lodge was very well equipped with plunge pool, shaded viewing area and free minibar.

Each day is structured around a very early game drive starting at 5am, returning for breakfast between 8 and 9, and then an afternoon drive at 4pm, returning for dinner once the light had gone. Inbetween times we were encouraged to make the most of the facilities and generous meals, as well as the spa facilites.

In the afternoon we caught up with some of the other species on the park. All the Big Five are present (lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and African buffalo) but some are much harder to find than others, leopard being far the most difficult. However, we weren’t to find any of those on our first trip.

There were also plenty of birds

Our first morning started with the fabulous view of the sun rising above the savanna

And then…

We had literally left the camp, gone round a corner to meet two female lions strolling along the track towards us.

Our guides informed us that as long as we stayed within the profile of the jeep they’d be no problem as lions see the jeep as a jeep, not a jeep full of food. The key, of course, is not to stand up or dangle an arm or leg outside the vehicle!

We observed the lions for some time before moving on, so the first of our Big Five. After that the pace accelerated, starting with buffalo and elephant

Followed by rhinos

And so much more

Finally it was time for the traditional “sundowner”

Day 2 started in much the same way as day 1, a flurry of excitement as a ranger spotted a cheetah, a quick race through the bush to find a good vantage point and then relaxed viewing as it ambled past and slowly disappeared into the undergrowth.

After that it was difficult to maintain such a high level of viewing but under normal circumstances this would still have been a great day out

As a break from non-stop wildlife sightings from the back of a jeep we took an afternoon off and went to the coast where a huge area of lagoons and swamp hosts yet more impressive animals. A boat took us to see Nile crocodiles and hippos as well as a few birds and reptiles

The most memorable part of our trip came at the end, as we were searching for a leopard and a male lion, both of which had eluded our guides.

The night was drawing in when the guides found a couple of lions but the light was so poor that the decision was made to return in the morning.

Early on, our guides found a couple of male lions hidden in the undergrowth and they thought that they’d made a kill that day and were holed up resting and feeding, as well as attracting the attention of a lioness. To actually see the lions, however, was problematic as strolling through the bush wasn’t encouraged nor covered by our insurance so we had to reply on our drivers to take us there. But first we we entertained by their guttural calls

Our driver failed totally in climbing up the bank on the side of the track and at times it felt as if we’d tip over. There was a consensus amongst the passengers that perhaps we could just leave them alone but this was not to be, potential tips were at stake! The other driver, a female ranger, demonstrated a much better mastery of her vehicle and led the way into the deep bush where, eventually, we were able to grab a hurried shot of a male lion

But best was yet to come. The accompanying lioness decided to take a walk..

And then laid down on the track

The grand finale was when the lioness, tired of the camera clicks and idle chatter, stood up, stretched and then walked directly past our jeep, literally with touching distance of my left arm…this was the only time, when encouraged not to engage in any way with the animal, but also wanting to look, did we feel a certain apprehension about being so close to such a wild and dangerous animal. A truly humbling experience and one which the group still refer to today.

Our break from reality over we were driven from this haven of tranquility and wonder to Durban airport, a very uncomfortable flight to Cape Town and back onto the ship, witha quick visit to the vibrant dockside before we departed

Our first stop was in Namibia and we were determined to avoid what was undoubtedly the worst stop of our return trip 2 years previously. Arriving on a bank holiday, with no trips booked, we ended up walking round a half-empty shopping mall. This time we booked a desert trip to see the specialist animals and fantastic sand dune scenery of the coast strip. Our leader was a charismatic South African who certainly knew his stuff

The desert abounds with insect-eating reptiles and amphibians well adapted to surviving in heat and living in sand. The one we all wanted to see was the sidewinder snake and he came up trumps

We were taken to a place where the railway from Namibia to South Africa started, the only remaining part being the beginning stretch and then a massive sand dune, a feature of which is that they move with the wind, something the German railway engineers had failed to anticipate. The dunes were incredible, if difficult to do justice to on a photo.

We finished off our trip on the coast, a desolate place which has been the final resting place of many a ship and called the Skeleton Coast

We had finally done Namibia justice although this is a huge country with some incredible game reserves and so much more to see. Our next stop was less enticing and there were many theories circulating the ship when it came to why we were stopping in Dakar when far more attractive destinations were available. The most popular was that the fuel was cheap, the other was that the decent places were already booked up. Either way, we bravely went into the city, forewarned with horror stories of street robberies and being continuously hassled

We didn’t stay long, the latter was certainly true and many of the beggars were hideously maimed so it was altogether an unpleasant experience. Other people, however, had a nice time either on trips out of the city or visiting bars & restaurants within the security of large hotels so there are ways to enjoy this place, but it takes effort.

Our final stop was Tenerife, an island with great promise but which probably needs more than few hours to explore. The views from the ship were spectacular

The End