Whenever I told anyone we were going to Africa, their first question was always, “Are you going on a safari?” Luckily, my answer was a resounding, “Yes!” We spent two nights at the Nambiti Game Reserve in South Africa. I had so many questions before we arrived – so, we are staying in a tent? What is this lodge? Are the animals going to eat us? Luckily, most of my questions were answered once we arrived.

After driving through the main entrance, we parked the car in a parking lot (duh). From there, we unloaded our luggage, and someone from the game reserve drove our bags to our tents. Another vehicle came over to pick us up. We drove through the part of the reserve to get to our main lodge. On the way we saw giraffes – which was so, so cool! When we arrived at the main lodge (which you can think of as the lounge area / restaurant for the surrounding tents) we were greeted with sugar-rimmed lemonade. Yum! One of our guides explained that this tent/lodge area was fenced off an animals can’t get in here (except for the springbok that can jump over the fence, but they are harmless) so we should be safe. But, of course, you’ve got to be mindful of snakes and spiders and scorpions. Comforting.

Thomas and I walked to our tent. Again, I had no idea what to expect. I soon realized we were glamping – and it was awesome! So, yes, we were in a tent, but it was on pillars, raised above the ground, and ultimately it was a little studio – except it had canvas walls and a canvas roof. It had hardwood floors, tables, chairs, A/C (didn’t try that…I suppose it would have worked if you rolled up your windows), plumbing, electricity, and an outdoor shower. It was such a fun place and I absolutely loved it.

We went on our first game drive that evening. The vehicles fit 9 passengers (3 rows of 3) and the seats raise progressively – so the back seat is up the highest to ensure everyone has a great view. Let me tell you, the shocks weren’t great – and the seat belts were pretty much nonexistent – but it was awesome! We drove around for about 3 hours. That night we saw a bunch of animals – including rhino, elephants, and warthog. We didn’t spot the lions though – they were laying “flat cat” in the tall grass.

Upon return, we ate a delicious 3-course dinner and headed to sleep in our sweet tent. Our alarm clock woke us at 5:15 and we headed on another game drive. This one was probably the most exciting. We spotted the lions in a distance. Our drive took a side road, hoping that they would cross our path. That is exactly what they did. They made their way toward our truck and got so close that they were in the shadow of the vehicle. It was amazing and surreal to see them so close up.

The next day, we saw the lions again, but my favorite part was seeing all of the elephants at the end of our last game drive. There was a whole pack of them – even a little baby! All of the other elephants surrounded the 3-week old to protect him. It was so sweet. They were so gentle.

The safari adventure was truly remarkable – for sure one of my favorite parts of the trip (gahh – there were so many favorite parts of this trip). After one last night in our tent, we were off to Drakensberg for a few days in the mountains. Stay tuned!