Finding the Rhythm of the Bush: A Last-Minute Journey Across Southern Africa

We had originally arranged to fly to Johannesburg from the UK to visit my pen pal of 50 years. But life shifted our coordinates when we least expected it. My friend’s husband suddenly ended up in hospital, and the plans we had shared dissolved. Suddenly, we had to put together a massive trip.

We had contacted three different companies, but Justin from Discover Africa stood out immediately. He didn’t just give us a generic response; he seemed knowledgeable, deeply organised, and genuinely concerned about what we wanted to do. He even tweaked our initial flights, adding an extra night so we wouldn’t miss out on a game drive.

When you book an African safari from the UK on such short notice, you can look online as much as you like, but a lingering anxiety remains. We found ourselves sitting in Johannesburg after landing, thinking, “Is somebody actually going to turn up? Is this really going to work?”

As we boarded our flight to Hoedspruit, we were putting our complete trust into the hands of logistics we couldn’t see. We just needed it to run smoothly.

Unpredictable Beginnings in Simbavati

Any lingering doubts vanished the moment we touched down and began our transfer to Simbavati River Lodge. Africa didn’t waste any time welcoming us. On the drive from the airport to the lodge, we rounded a bend and saw a leopard just walking casually down the road. Our guide explained that it had made a kill, stashed it up a tree, gone down to the watering hole for a drink, and was now just strolling back. What are the chances?

Moments later, as we turned off the main road toward the lodge, a pack of wild dogs appeared right on the roadside. It felt almost comical; the wildlife was rolling out the red carpet for us before we even dropped our bags.

Simbavati immediately captured our hearts. Nestled right on the river, it offered the warmest, most genuine welcome. The rhythm of the days there was beautiful, defined by morning and evening game drives. What made Simbavati truly outstanding was their approach to tracking. The safari jeeps didn’t just have a driver; they had a dedicated tracker sitting right out on the front of the vehicle. Having two sets of expert eyes looking for signs in the bush made all the difference.

That interaction highlighted what we loved most about Simbavati: their deep, uncompromising respect for animal welfare. They never overcrowded a sighting. If two trucks were already watching an animal and a third arrived, the vehicle that had been there the longest would quietly slip away.

If I could add an extra day to our itinerary anywhere, it would be another night at Simbavati. The lodge owners, a wonderful husband-and-wife team, were always around, genuinely invested in the environment. Before we left, I remember telling the husband about a woodpecker drumming a hole into a tree right near our luxury tent; he was absolutely thrilled to hear about it.

Through the Heart of Kruger and the Drakensberg

From Simbavati, our transfer arrived flawlessly to carry us into Kruger National Park toward Imbali Safari Lodge. Once again, our luck on the transfers held strong. The moment we crossed into the park, four cheetahs were walking in single file down the side of the tarmac road. A few miles later, our path was entirely blocked by a spectacular herd of hundreds of Cape buffalo, forcing us to pause and simply observe.

Imbali offered a different experience, presenting some of the natural frictions of travel. The park was dealing with active winter wildfires. We also found that the public areas of Kruger felt much more crowded, lacking the strict etiquette we had experienced in the private reserve.

At one point, our guide drove a bit too aggressively toward a herd of elephants, causing them to get defensive, which felt a bit unsettling. Yet, the bush has a way of balancing things out; that same guide later managed to find my husband’s mobile phone after it accidentally slipped out of the vehicle.

Leaving Kruger, we embarked on the Panorama Route through the Drakensberg Mountains. Due to a major road closure, our guide had to take a massive detour along some very rugged roads. We had to move at quite a speed, ultimately missing one of the waterfalls, but standing before the grand scale of the Three Rondavels made the long drive worth it.

The Roar of the Smoke That Thunders

Flying north to Victoria Falls, we split our safari chapters with a couple of nights at Insika Victoria Falls. Driving into the property down a dirt track lined with industrial shipping containers, we initially wondered, “Where on earth are we going?” But the moment we turned into the gates, a beautiful, serene oasis opened up.

We were absolutely drenched, completely awestruck by the roar and the sheer force of the river. We enjoyed more views of the Falls during a long, beautiful lunch at the Lookout Café, suspended over the spectacular gorge.

We also joined a sunset cruise on the river, sitting with a lovely Australian couple and sharing stories late into the evening. It was exactly the mental and physical break we needed. If we had tried to push straight through from safari to safari without those two nights of historic waterscapes and afternoon relaxation, we would’ve been completely exhausted.

Floating Among Giants in Chobe

Our final chapter brought us across the border into Botswana to Jackalberry Chobe, located right on the edge of the Chobe River. Aside from a single, lonely mosquito that sent me running to the bar for spray – a relief for me, as mosquitoes usually hunt me down – the winter weather was pristine, crisp, and beautifully clear.

As the sun began to dip toward the horizon, casting a brilliant orange glow over the water, I glanced toward the bank and noticed a family of bull elephants approaching the river’s edge. The water was very deep, but these massive creatures stepped right in and began swimming across to the grassy islands in the centre.

We brought the boat closer to watch. It was incredibly moving: one of the elephants was quite young and clearly dragging his heels, hesitant about the deep channel. The large elephant swimming directly behind him gently placed his trunk over the youngster’s back and made a noise at him to go, guiding him through the deep water. Witnessing that against the backdrop of a stunning Botswana sunset was a moment that has stayed with us.

An Australian gentleman on our truck joked that he was going to stick to us like glue for the rest of his life because we seemed to draw animals out of thin air.

Opening the Door to the Continent

When we first set out, Africa felt intimidating. I had deep anxieties about mosquitoes, malaria, and the unpredictable logistics of moving between South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. But this journey completely rewired how we see the world. It ran with a seamless fluidity that allowed us to just take everything in.

This trip has fundamentally opened a new door for us. It proved that if you time it right and trust the right people, the challenges simply melt away. We are already looking ahead to the future – perhaps when my husband retires and we can stay a little longer. We want to see the massive sand dunes of Namibia and float through the channels of the Okavango Delta.

Africa is no longer a distant, intimidating blank space on our map; it’s a place we now know we will return to.

Africa doesn’t have to be an intimidating destination for a vacation… When you trust the right people – people who live and breathe Africa and have explored the destinations you’ve been dreaming about – you can simply sink into the experience. 

Our safari experts can create the ideal itinerary for you, whether you want to traverse the plains of Kruger or take to the river in Chobe.