Exploring Together: A Mother and Son’s Journey to Southern Africa

When you spend your days working as a grief counsellor, you develop a deep awareness of time. You learn that life moves in distinct phases and that some windows of opportunity don’t stay open forever. In my sixties, I found myself thinking about that exact truth. I’m in a space where I am still young enough, healthy enough, and physically able to truly explore the world.

My adult son, Cameron, and I have a tradition of travelling together every March to celebrate our birthdays, but this year felt different. In 2026, we went to Africa.

Usually, vacations mean hours of meticulous planning on my part, worrying over logistics, reading endless reviews, and managing the stress of the unknown. For this trip, our safari expert, Justin, handled everything from scratch. I didn’t have to do a single bit of research. We packed incredibly light, choosing to stay nimble with just a backpack for me and a small duffel bag for Cameron, trusting Justin’s advice that we could just wash our clothes halfway through.

I didn’t arrive with a checklist of specific outcomes or a rigid bucket list. I wanted to go into this continent with an open heart, ready to take whatever the days brought us.

The Cosmopolitan Coast and the Panoramic Threshold

Our journey began in Cape Town, a city that immediately challenged what I thought Africa would feel like. Staying right on the bustling waterfront at the Victoria & Alfred Hotel, it felt remarkably cosmopolitan, with an almost European charm that reminded me of Copenhagen or Brussels. With Table Mountain rising behind the city and the coastline stretching out beside it, Cape Town was a much softer and more familiar introduction than I had expected.

Alistair’s encyclopedic knowledge of local history, especially when he took us through the District 6 Museum, grounded us in the deep stories of the place. He didn’t just show us the sights; he connected us to the soul of the city, leaving us with personal recommendations for local cuisine that transformed our evenings into a culinary adventure.

As we stood atop Table Mountain, the famous coastal clouds parted, revealing the sweeping vista below, and we were already entirely enchanted.

Leaving the coast, we flew up north and transitioned toward the bush via the breathtaking Panorama Route. The drive took us past landscapes that felt as immense and humbling as the Grand Canyon. Standing before the massive, green-clad peaks of the Three Rondavels and watching the swirling waters of Bourke’s Luck Potholes, the sheer environmental diversity of South Africa became undeniable.

Our driver for this leg, whose name was literally Great, a detail we loved, perfectly balanced fascinating local insights with quiet moments that allowed us to just gawk out the window as the landscape unfolded.

Close Cat Encounters in Timbavati

The moment we entered Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, we were greeted by a giraffe grazing from a tall tree and a zebra standing guard directly in front of it. Our tracker smiled and called it the official welcoming committee.

We stayed at Kambaku Safari Lodge, and because we had travelled over the late March rainy season, the bush was a brilliant, tropical canvas of lush greens and vibrant foliage. I had always pictured the African wild as dry and sparse, but here it was flourishing, bursting with life and water.

The greatest surprise of the entire trip was the sheer intimacy of the wildlife viewings. I had brought binoculars, fully expecting to watch animals as distant specks against the horizon. Instead, we found ourselves sitting in an open vehicle just a few feet away from three massive male rhinos who stood completely unbothered, calmly inspecting us.

The most unforgettable moment, however, belonged to the lions.

We drove right up to a pride resting in the grass. They were so close, literally three feet from our vehicle, that we could watch the steady rise and fall of their ribs, hearing the low, heavy rhythm of their breath. They would roll over onto their backs, stretching out their massive paws into the air with the exact, peaceful vulnerability of overgrown house cats. To be a part of their world, rather than a spectator looking through a cage, shifted something inside us.

The lodge itself felt like an extension of the wild. Hornbills, whom the staff named Zazu, would confidently hop up to our sliding glass doors, puffing their feathers and posturing at their own reflections. We even shared the grounds with Dave, a massive resident monitor lizard who wandered the property with casual entitlement.

Every evening ended in the boma, sitting around a crackling fire under a dome of stars, sharing dinner and endless bush stories with the lodge managers and travellers from Germany, India, Australia, and England.

Through Different Eyes: A Son’s Perspective

Travelling with an adult child means watching the world through two different lenses. For Cameron, a comedy writer living in Chicago, the trip carried a very different emotional weight.

Part of it was the classic struggle of a young man navigating a brand-new relationship back home. When an evening storm knocked out the power along the Zambezi River, stripping away the Wi-Fi, he spent the next morning frantically typing out messages to his girlfriend at the airport because he hadn’t been able to text her goodnight.

Alistair shared his own family’s history under apartheid, explaining how his Scottish father and Indian mother were forcibly separated by the regime. He spoke openly, directly, and with immense pride about the modern economy, helping Cameron understand that tourism is a massive, dignified engine for the country.

That conversation completely put Cameron’s mind at ease, allowing him to better understand the experience and deeply appreciate the warmth of the people hosting us.

And the warmth we experienced was unmatched. Cameron had his birthday while we were at Kambaku, and the entire staff surprised him by marching out in a vibrant, singing procession, carrying a freshly baked birthday cake. He turned bright, beet red, hating to be the centre of attention, but the sheer joy of the moment became one of our favourite memories.

The Hurricane of Victoria Falls

The final chapter of our adventure took us northward into Zimbabwe. The local airport was a charming, tiny thatched-roof hut nestled in the bush. I smiled and thought, “Now, this is the Africa I had always pictured.”

Armed with oversized umbrellas, we walked along the viewing paths, completely enveloped by the roaring, upside-down rain of the spray. In the middle sections, the mist was so dense that the Falls disappeared entirely behind a wall of white water, only revealing their massive drop when we reached the outer edges.

It was like standing directly inside a hurricane, or walking through a living cloud. We were absolutely drenched, soaked to the bone, laughing our butts off the entire time as the water thundered around us.

Navigating the unwritten etiquette of tipping in Zimbabwe felt a bit awkward compared to South Africa’s clear envelope system. Not realising we would have the same guide the whole time, we frequently handed out small cash tips along the way. It was a minor friction but a useful learning curve for an otherwise flawless journey.

Meaning and Reflection

Returning to Denver, watching the seasons shift against the Rocky Mountains, the memories of the bush still feel close. This trip was, without a doubt, the trip of a lifetime. It came at a time when I needed to remember the vastness of the world, to step outside the heavy realities of my work, and to collect moments of pure wonder.

That stork, much like our entire journey, felt like a gift meant just for us. I wanted to see something brand new, to give my son a wider view of the world, and to step through a window of life while it stands wide open. We returned home deeply spoilt, entirely inspired, and carrying a piece of Africa safely within us.

Whether celebrating a birthday (or two) or any other milestone, Africa provides unforgettable backdrops. From the cosmopolitan city of Cape Town to the big cats of Timbavati and the roar of Victoria Falls, a southern Africa safari will help you mark a special occasion like no other.

Let a Discover Africa safari expert take the reins to create an itinerary that will allow you to fully sink into the experience. Let’s have a conversation.