We were excited for our next leg of the trip, South Africa which Gaurav and I had on our bucket list for over a decade. We’d decided to wait until the kids were old enough to experience it right. A lot of the private game reserves don’t allow young children because the animals are allowed to roam freely within the tented lodges. With Ariana turning 8, this was our time.

We landed in Johannesburg and experienced a relatively seamless 5-hour road trip to Kruger Gate Hotel arriving just in time for a lavish bush dinner. There were several fire pits, music, a combination of south African, western and Indian dishes and a large dessert buffet with s’mores. The next morning, we awoke early for a guided game drive in an open vehicle spotting elephants, giraffes, two lionesses running, a large hippo fairly close to us, and hundreds of impalas, kudu, zebras, nyala and other animals. Towards the end, we were rewarded with a large crocodile, next to another hippo. We returned to the lodge for lunch by the pool overlooking nyala, impalas and a visit from a buffalo and even a white rhino. This was special, and we lounged by the pool watching these animals go about their day. That evening, Ariana and I enjoyed a game of mini golf where we each cheered each other on (I’m so proud of how her cheers always bring me results!) while the boys played tennis. On the way back to our room, Ariana and I encountered a large herd of baboons which was enthralling to watch. From our room, we were greeted with impalas grazing outside.

The next morning, we decided to self drive through Kruger because the roads, infrastructure and signage were extremely tourist friendly. Immediately upon entering the park, we were greeted by two large giraffes right next to our car. We went on to see the hornbill (“zazu” from the lion king), a large herd of baboons, several elephants including babies, large black scavenger birds with red beaks, more giraffes, warthogs (Ayaan’s favorite) and impalas. Our most rewarding sight was a lioness eating a giraffe kill with her two baby cubs nearby. We stayed for a while watching this epic sight, an opportunity created by my insistence on taking the more adventurous route over to our next lodge.

We arrived around lunchtime to Honeyguide Khoka Moya Camp in the Manyeleti Private Game Reserve. As we entered our tent, we witnessed a large herd of elephants passing by to the watering hole near the camps pool, which soon became a popular sight for guests. After lunch consisting of a rosemary-garnished burger (that even Gaurav and Ayaan enjoyed despite not eating beef), we embarked on our afternoon game drive. Our guide, Luis and the completely open vehicle (no doors) were the perfect ingredients for an epic afternoon of wildlife viewing. The sundowner stop at the lake where Luis poured us red wine and then handed out blankets as we ventured back to the lodge had us truly pampered. As it was dark, with the glow of a flashlight, we saw a pride of 4 lions walking right to us. As they approached our vehicle, I heard myself silently gasp “oh my god”, mostly in disbelief of how close they were and how thrilling this experience actually was! The kids did extremely well, sharing in the disbelief as Ariana let out a small giggle of excitement when one of the lionesses passed us by. We retreated to the lodge freely truly lucky to have had this extremely surreal experience.

On our next morning game drive, we got a good start with a single male lion who our guide believed had lost the rest of his family, that he was searching around for. We also saw two hyenas and a cub lying down. That afternoon, we lazed at the pool as herds of elephants visited within a few feet from us, a truly exhilarating experience to be this close in harmony with these magnificent creatures. Our evening game drive was relatively uneventful as we saw the same lone male lion and some giraffes and an ostrich.

The next morning was our last game drive, and it did not disappoint. Luis was determined to have us see a leapord that he heard was in the south side of our game reserve. He was relentless in his search (as leopards are notorious for being discreet) as he took the vehicle through large shrubs and bushes knocking them down until it actually startled the leapord who sprung out of the bush. That movement had us excited, as the view of the leopard completed our ‘Big 5’ sighting across both countries. We then followed the leopard around for a while, and were lucky enough to see him running, hiding, ducking back in and out until we finally gave other vehicles a chance to view this evasive creature up close. After lunch, we departed the game reserve completed satiated with our game drive experience and made our way toward Johannesburg.

On our drive, we passed through the beautiful Blythe River Canyon and stopped for lunch at a Trout river lodge where the kids enjoyed playing soccer with the owners three puppies (including a particularly adorable white French bulldog named Olive) and even got to meet a baby decker. That evening, we checked into the rather swanky Voco hotel in Rosebank, and the kids enjoyed arcade games and bumper cars in the mall next door. We strolled around, and then dropped the kids to the room before heading to the hotel restaurant for a dinner of grilled octopus and truffle risotto. Overall, this leg of our South Africa journey has been one that already has me craving for more of this wonderfully diverse country, and thankful that our plans call for a return in a few days.