OK! TRAVEL ON SAFARI IN SOUTH AFRICA
A SOUTH AFRICAN ADVENTURE WHERE YOU GET TO MEET THE A-LIST OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
The Great British public like nothing more than settling in front of the telly to watch a David Attenborough documentary. But if you’ve thought it’s time for a wild adventure of your own, with some cultural gems and high-octane activities thrown in for good measure, buckle up and keep reading. OK!’S Lorna Roach jetted in to Johannesburg (aka Jo’burg) in South Africa’s north east before exploring the magnificent countryside. Taking in rainforests, bush plains and a game reserve, OK! came face to face with lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffalos – Africa’s famed big five!
JO’BURG IN A DAY
To get our bearings, OK! headed up to the 50th floor viewing level of the Carlton Centre, for panoramic views of South Africa’s largest city. Afterwards it was time to explore the sprawling township of Soweto on a guided cycle tour. We stopped to visit Nelson Mandela’s former home (now the Mandela House museum), a single-storey red-brick house where you can still see bullet holes on the façade as well as family memorabilia inside. After all that exercise, OK! rewarded ourselves to a long soak in our huge bath at the African Pride Melrose Arch, a stylish hotel part of the Autograph Collection by Marriott.
GEOLOGICAL WONDERS
A short flight up to Mpumalanga, we were met by local guide JP who drove us along the famous Panorama Route taking in Lone Creek Waterfalls and God’s Window along the way. The monumentally shaped, water-eroded rock formations separated by swirling pools of water at Bourke’s Luck were definitely our favourite. After a busy morning, we stopped for lunch at Hippo Hollo where we got to see our first glimpse of elephants that were bathing just across the river from where we were dining.
DOWN BY THE RIVER
After lunch we headed to the nearby Summerfields Rose Retreat and Spa, a fivestar hotel comprising 12 tented suites and one forest suite, just ten minutes from the Kruger Park. An elevated wooden path lined with orchids and trees led us to our awesome tree house-styled room complete with an outdoor bath where we would soak while looking down at the hippos in the river below. We spent a leisurely afternoon having a massage at the Rose Spa on the banks of the Sabie River before enjoying a sun set aperitif – a Duke’s Gin cocktail made from their own gin – by the outdoor pool. This was followed by dinner at Summerfields Kitchen where OK! sampled ostrich steak for the first time, which was surprisingly tender, washed down by some delicious South African red wine.
ADRENALINPUMPING ACTIVITIES
Retracing the Panorama Route, but this time by helicopter affording us an aerial view of plunging waterfalls and the 33km Blyde River Canyon – the third largest canyon in the world – was completely mind blowing.
If that wasn’t enough, we then signed up for an adrenalin-pumping quad biking safari with Induana Adventures.
WHICH CELEBS MIGHT I SPOT?
Beyoncé, Jay-z and Pharrell Williams performed at a charity gig at Johannesburg Stadium last December to mark the centenary of Nelson Mandela’s birth which was also attended by Naomi Campbell and Oprah Winfrey. Beyoncé and Jay-z have stayed at the Makanyane Safari Lodge as has Michelle Obama, while Elton John, Bono and Richard Gere have all stayed at the Royal Malewane Lodge.
SPOTTING THE BIG FIVE
The final stop in our fantastic adventure was a visit to the Malamala Game Reserve. OK! stayed at the main camp, but don’t expect to see tent pegs or roll mats – this was five-star glamping! Think lavish African colonial-styled suites with double beds, tribal prints, wicker furniture and slate floors as well as a large infinity pool. All 19 rooms and suites offer wooden verandas or balconies
that overlook the river so you can watch the wildlife roam.
Guests are offered early morning or late afternoon game drives to maximise the chance of seeing animals. Fortunately we didn’t have that problem as within a few minutes, our ranger pointed out a small herd of rhinos. Moving on, our jeep stopped abruptly as we spotted a leopard up a tree. This really is nature close up! One of our safari highlights was seeing a lioness hunt for her prey while the male lion watched on, but he seemed more than happy to share the spoils of her kill! Never in a million years did we think we would be lucky enough to see all the big five in one short trip, but we did so that’s one huge thing ticked off our bucket list! FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT WWW.SOUTHAFRICA.NET, AFRICAN PRIDE MELROSE ARCH HOTEL AT WWW.MARRIOTT. COM, SUMMERFIELDS RETREAT & SPA AT SUMMERFIELDS.CO.ZA AND MALAMALA GAME RESERVE AT WWW.MALAMALA.COM