Drive One

I was told that June is not the most popular month for safari in South Africa as it is the country’s winter. The weather in Cape Town was different hour by hour but the Garden Route Safari was located in Mossel Bay and the weather was much more predictable.

I found a two day tour on Viator and booked it fairly last minute. I was lucky that there was another woman who was taking the tour solo. Our tour guide picked us up from our hotels bright and early and we were off.

After a few pit stops, we arrived to the Garden Route Safari and had a few moments of checking into our chalets before we were off on our first outing.

We were immediately greeted by two elephants.

We drove through the paths and encountered a variety of animals, but the most exciting part was watching a cheetah stalk an ostrich. We spent a good portion of our time watching the animal keeps its eyes across the field as it slowly made its way. It took me a while to see the ostrich but there was clearly a target in the cat’s sights.

We eventually abandoned the watch but I searched the location on instagram later and caught some pictures of the cheetah catching the ostrich and the meal that followed.

Towards the end of the drive, we came across a male and two female lions. One female lion had crossed some water and the two remaining seemed to be trying to find a better way to cross without getting wet. Our vehicle drove close as they walked alongside the creek and I was on the side of the animals. They did not enjoy how close we were and I did not like the growls they hurled our way.

Before we left the animal area, our driver stopped the vehicle and we all got out to enjoy a drink. I had Savannah Dry, a South African cider and we watched the sun go down.

Night One

The facilities were beautiful and the dining area was more full than the picture. I just try to avoid getting photos of people without them knowing if I can.

The food was great but i only got a picture of the dessert.

The highlight of the night was the sky and all its stars. I took the chance to practice some very low light photography. Wished I had brought a tripod because of the long exposures. I did find some rocks to balance the camera on which helped a bit.

@caitiegoes

Garden Route Safari #safari #southafrica #gardenroute #elephants #giraffes #travel #southafricasafari

♬ Past Lives – Dannie Lord

Day Two

Our game drive on day one was a lucky one. We saw just about all of the animals that we would expect to need two days to see.

This meant that we were offered the chance to go to the giraffe area which was a long and bumpy drive away.

While the trip there was bouncy in a way I felt like I was holding on for dear life, getting to the giraffe area so early in the morning was almost magical. We were a small group and they were mostly unbothered by us. They weren’t curious enough to come over, but they were eating from the trees somewhat near the vehicle.

The driver stopped when we were close to a group and invited us to get out of our seats and walk around the area. This was a surprise but also one of the most amazing experiences to be able to walk so close to giraffes.

This experience was a highlight of not just the safari but my time in South Africa. I was thankful that I chose to take this last minute trip.

Overall

I really enjoyed this experience and would recommend to someone looking for a quick safari. There were spa services at the lodge and it might be worth staying longer for some. It was great first safari.