In the Bush

This past week Dani and I were finally able to take our honeymoon - yes, four years after we actually tied the knot.

To make an extremely long story short, let’s just say this delay was all due to Covid. Over the past four years, we had thought about going to the Maldives, the Scottish Highlands, and Mexico. What we ended up going for was a safari in South Africa… and let me tell you, it was a trip that dreams are made of. My Instagram did chronicle it allllllll, but because I have received an exorbitant number of DMs asking about the actual logistics and lodging, I wanted to share it all in one place so you can save it and come back to it whenever you need. I have written it so that the information can be broken down easily as I understand that it’s a lot to digest when you’re traveling halfway across the world:

Where we stayed: We decided to stay at Singita in Kruger National Park for various reasons, one being that two friends of mine from completely different circles had gone and told me that Singita was (and I quote verbatim) “the best”; the second being that after doing immense research I found that Singita was solar-powered, sustainable, and contributed to conservation. I knew that if I was going to sign myself up for a safari that it had to be ethical through and through. I specifically chose their Sweni lodge as it only has 7 suites and is nestled within trees right on the river. Yeah, as in, I did a yoga class overlooking the river that happened to have an enormous hippo casually passing by.
Game drives: Game drives were voluntarily every morning (5:30am call time right before sunrise) and every afternoon (3:30pm call time giving about 90 minutes of light before the sun set). You are out in the bush for pretty much 6-7 hours every day. The truck fits 6 couples max, along with a guide and a tracker. Our particular guide, Bernard, and tracker, Glass, were top notch – friendly, funny, and extremely knowledgeable. You literally felt like you’d known them your entire life and this trip was merely a reconnection rather than an introduction. *Also, I was very keen on doing a proper game-walk (hike) so I could interact more with the nature, and was able to do so the last day.
Food: I was surprised at how curious you all were about the cuisine. Simply put, it was five stars all around. Dani and I wanted to try all the local specialties and we ate kudu, impala, ostrich, pork, etc. For the less adventurous, pasta, burgers, and pizza were just a request away. Food and beverages are included in the safari price and you can eat whatever whenever (save sleeping hours). Everything tasted fresh and although it was presented beautifully, it was the ingredients that did the talking.
Service: Staff all around felt like family. Like they really made it a point for you to be comfortable, without being overwhelming – which is a very fine line to walk. Part of Singita’s service is that we had our own butler (Laurence) who helped us with anything we needed. He took our food orders, served us, and greeted us in and out of every safari. I’m pretty sure people use this service a lot more than we did, but honestly everything flowed so seamlessly at the lodge that we didn’t really “need” anything else from him.
Location: Like I said in the intro, Singita is in Kruger National Park (South Africa). What Dani and I did was fly to Johannesburg, and from there take a private plane to the Singita airstrip right in the park. Singita’s AC’ed SUV then took us from that airstrip to the lodge (mini safari right there!). Lots of people are also asking if I got a travel agent: no. I just emailed Singita directly and was assigned a phenomenal agent who planned everything for us from start to finish. All of this free of charge. So I absolutely recommend using their services to plan your trip. Just get yourself to Johannesburg, and they’ll handle the rest. Literally could not be any easier.
Lodging: DIVINE. My favorite feature was the outdoor shower (once again looking at the same hippo making his way down the river). I felt like I was in a proper cabin. The space was huge. Two toilets. Two showers. A whole changing area/closet. Living Room. Bedroom. Although (save for the toilet/shower) everything was open plan, it felt extremely cozy while still maintaining its grandiose setting. Air conditioning and heating were a must for me, as well as proper sliding doors – I wasn’t in the mood to do a tent-like situation on my first safari.
Animals: Except for buffalo, we saw the remaining Big Five: elephants, lions, leopards, and rhinos. We were also introduced to a slew of animals we had never heard of before.
Extras: The hotel has a fully equipped gym, sauna, and gorgeous spa. I also did yoga, star-gazing (love spotting constellations!), and a hike – request them all!
Vaccines: As far as vaccines, this particularly area was not in a mandated vaccine zone but Dani and I were pro-active in getting hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, yellow fever, and malaria - all which were recommended by our respective doctors. I 100% recommend going to your GP and asking them what they think is right for depending on the zone/country you are in.