Continuing…
Animals that don’t care one way or another about us humans in our vehicles
Every time we have shared some of our photos, especially of lions, leopards, and cheetah, we’ve gotten comments back such as, “How close were you to those lions? Weren’t you afraid?”
We learned quickly that for the big cats and sometimes the elephants, a vehicle with humans on board is irrelevant for them. On more than one occasion we rode up to a group of lions. We swear that we saw a lion or a lioness slowly scan their environment. For just a moment, their gaze connected with ours, but they passed by without interest.
Our guides told us that, for the cats, vehicles, even laden with humans, are neither threat nor prey. We were neutral and uninteresting. So, we could roll right up to a lion finishing off a meal, or even in the midst of a pride on the hunt, and they’d treat us as if we weren’t there.
Now, if we’d gotten out of the vehicle and walked around on our two feet, the story would have been different…
Animals that are more wary
Some animals were very wary of us in our neutral vehicles. Impala and kudu (similar but larger) would almost always scamper away, and even snort to let us know they didn’t approve of our intrusion.
Giraffes generally ambled away from us although not in any big hurry.
One morning we came upon a few giraffes who were munching on tree leaves. One was even lounging on the ground, its legs folded under it. Our guide said that it was unusual for giraffes to feel enough at ease to settle down on the ground like this.
We understood why a few days later. Our guide noticed a giraffe in the distance, head high above the bushes and smaller trees. Instead of the usual relaxed leaf-eating, the giraffe was staring hard across our path, very likely aware of a predator.
Our guide headed to where the giraffe was looking. There, spread out in some deep grass, was a group of lionesses and some of their cubs. They were all alert, round ears up high. Just as the giraffe had sensed the lions, the lions were deciding whether to hunt the giraffe. We’ll show you more about this encounter in a lion-only post soon.
Buffalo tend to gather in herds. They pick up the arrival of a vehicle from quite a distance. Lions and cheetah may ignore us, and rhinos and gazelles may quickly run away, but buffalo are belligerent and touchy. They are among the most dangerous wild animals in Africa. Their first reaction to intrusion, even at a distance, is to attack first and ask questions after.
For humans, hippos are perhaps the most deadly animals in southern Africa. Whenever we drove by a pond or river with hippos in it, they all faced us, usually with just round ears, bulging eyes, and pulsing nostrils above the water.
At one point early in our safari, we arrived near a small pond that had only three hippos in it. At this stage of our safari experience, we hadn’t yet seen many hippos. Our guide chose this spot for us to get out of the vehicle and enjoy a drink and a snack. We were fascinated by the hippo. The guide said that if we approached the little pond too closely, the hippo would charge out of the water to protect its territory. We took a step back.
Lodges and rooms
For our once-in-a-lifetime safari experience (though now we hope there will be more than one safari experience in our lifetimes), we chose options with exceptional guides and no crowding. That translated to really lovely lodges and accommodations. We’d said to the planners that we didn’t want bling-y luxury; our purpose was to experience the animals and settings.
Each lodge was different.
Two were contemporary in design, with lodge and accommodation buildings.
Two were more rustic or natural, with tented lodge and accommodations. But these weren’t little huddle-inside tents; they were spacious junior suites!
From which we could spot the occasional elephant, hornbill, impala, monkey, kudu, or pesky squirrel.
Mid-afternoon down time
For a couple hours after lunch and before gathering again for the afternoon game drive, we enjoyed downtime at our cabin or tent. The days were surprisingly busy (all in a good way), so time for relaxing outside, maybe enjoying a little nap, or reviewing the day’s photos was perfect.
Escorted to and from rooms after dark
At all our lodges, we were told firmly that, after dark, we were not allowed to walk to our cabins or tents by ourselves. A guide or staff member must accompany us. While we never crossed paths with any big animals en route to our cabins, our guides told us tales of lions and elephants wandering through the camps.
At many of our lodges, raised wooden walkways connected the tents with the lodge. At one, however, the wooded walkway lowered to the ground and then, a few meters further on, raised back up again. This break in the walkway respected a path between a small lake on one side and the forest on the other. Elephants and rhinos and even buffalo came this way from time to time.
Gathering around the evening fire
Given that our visit took place at the beginning of the Southern-Hemisphere winter, dusk came relatively early, around 6 pm. So, after our afternoon game drive, we were invited to relax at the lodge and enjoy a cocktail or glass of wine.
As the colors of the sunset dissipated, we enjoyed stunning views of the Milky Way.Â
There was always a blazing fire pit and a circle of camp chairs.
Good and plentiful food
Along with the beautiful accommodations came beautiful food. Each lodge had its own style. Two offered menus for three-course meals. Two offered buffet-style dining. At all but one, we dined at our own table either under cover or out under the stars. At the fourth of our lodges, dining was buffet and at a communal table. Fortunately, most of our fellow travelers were good-natured and interesting.
Braai (BBQ) evenings with entertainment
One night each week, instead of the usual dinner in the lodge, the staff prepared a feast that they call Braai or barbecue. We enjoyed two of these braai.
The menu centered on grilled meats along with vegetables and grains from the region. One of the dishes was what we were told is a traditional slow-cooked beef dish; it was very simple, probably only a bit of salt, and the flavors that come from cooking over flame, and delicious!
As everyone was finishing their meals, most of the staff gathered in front of us and started singing and dancing. Perhaps you’ve heard the harmonies of African music. Watching their exuberant dancing and listening to their lovely voices, all under the clear starry sky, was wonderful!
Bush planes between lodges
Between some of our lodges, we flew on small commercial jets. But between Victoria Falls and the lodges in Botswana, we flew on 12-seater prop planes. Both Wilderness and a local airline, Mack Air, serve the many lodges in the region.
These planes are more like buses than the strictly scheduled commercial flights we’re all used to. On our first transit, between Victoria Falls and Qorokwe lodge in the Okavango Delta, we climbed into our first-come-first-served seats, right behind the pilot. He turned to give the usual safety talk, and then told the two of us that our stop was the fourth that day. We proceeded to fly over the flat landscape — which was beautiful and fascinating — then land at a dirt airstrip. A few people got off and a few got on. We took off again until we came to the next airstrip. Just like a bus on its route!
It was great! Great viewing; a bit romantic to be flying on small bush planes.
At each landing strip, there was always a game vehicle and driver parked along the side of the cleared land. Their job was to shoo away any impala or other animals that might want to loll on the open dirt in the way of the planes.
May 2026