THE ADVENTURE TRAIL
WHERE: Daniella Scott had a wild time on the Intrepid Travel Essential African Safari
Iwasn’t sure about going it alone on an organised tour, but a safari in Southern Africa was on my bucket list, so I doused myself in DEET and plastered a “pleased to meet you” smile on my face.
Before setting off, I worried that I would be one of the only solo travellers, that everyone would be in pairs or pre-established groups, but when I arrived I found that the majority of the people in my group were also travelling alone. Intrepid recently launched its 18-to-29 agegroup trips, which are popular with solo travellers, and after just a single day together, we had meshed into one varied little family. There’s nothing like ninehour days locked on a truck together to expedite the bonding process, after all.
This is a journey for people who don’t mind getting their hands (and feet, luggage and all other extremities) dirty. From putting up and taking down your tent every day, to helping with cooking and washing-up, and long, long journeys as you travel from park to park.
FIELD NOTES
After an 11-hour flight from Heathrow to Johannesburg, South Africa, followed by a flight to Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls Rest Camp, you’ll be rewarded with your first glimpse of the world’s largest waterfall. It takes about two hours to walk through all of Victoria Falls’ viewpoints, and while some people bring ponchos, I say just embrace the spray. Once you leave Victoria Falls, you embark on the journey down through the national parks of Southern Africa, from Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park, where you stay at Ivory Lodge and wake up to impalas peering at you through your tent window, before ending up back in South Africa at the Kruger National Park and Letaba Rest Camp. The accommodation is typically quite basic, but all have showers and toilets. Wifi is patchy, so maybe warn your family back home that you’ll be mostly off-grid. Digital luggage is just as important as the excessive number of knickers you’ll inevitably bring. With long hours spent staring out of the window, podcasts, series and audio books are essential.
A note on packing: be realistic. That means less make-up than you think you’ll need (a good face mist and moisturiser are musts) and more travel soap than you’ve currently got. Take the basics: long trousers, shorts and T-shirts, plus warm clothes to sleep in as the temperature plummets at night. And
GO SOLO Store useful phone numbers on your mobile before you travel
if you don’t want to get knocked out during a bumpy game drive, some hardy sports bras are vital. It’s important, however, to accept that you’ll rarely feel properly clean. Your feet will be perpetually dusty and you’ll accumulate half a national park under your nails on a daily basis. It’s all part of the experience, so eat whatever’s put on your plate, turn off your emails and just embrace the beauty of the wild.
A huge highlight of this trip was the optional activities, but it’s a good idea to plan them out beforehand and set aside money for them – most things aren’t included and will require cash rather than card. (Be sure to have local currency on you: dollars for Zimbabwe and Rand for South Africa.) There’s everything from canoe trails and white-water rafting to gorge swings (exactly what it sounds like) and rhinoceros treks. Here, you’ll spend the day tracking rhinos and then end with a visit to a local village to meet the community and their very enthusiastic chief. A sunset cruise on the Zambezi river costs about £33 for a two-hour trip and that includes all the drinks you could want and some local nibbles. The views are stunning, but the real highlight is seeing hippos popping their heads out of the water to yawn. I should have been born a hippo: they like their own space and sunburn easily. Relatable.
But the main focus of the trip is the game drives: four-hour-long excursions through the parks while trying to spot animals. Everyone wants to see the Big Five – lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo – but there’s so much more to look out for as well. We were lucky enough to see a family of hyenas playing by the side of the road.
You have the same guides with you throughout the trip, usually one driver and one leader, depending on how big your group is. They are extremely knowledgeable, so make the most of having them there and ask questions. But it isn’t just game drives and animals that make this trip so special, it’s the people, too. Around the campfire each night, everyone shares a hot meal and a few beers, and swaps stories. You’ll leave with a more open and enriched view of humanity and a refreshed sense of positivity. There is something unifying and equalising about going alone. Everyone pitches in and helps each other out. We may have started out as six strangers, but we became a family. I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.