Podcast conversation with Lylie Moolman.
“We are going on safari!” Just saying that creates a lot of excitement! And if you’ve always wanted to go on safari, now is a great time to begin thinking about it.
Lylie and I had a fun and helpful conversation about safaris in general and specific to South Africa. We started with… I want to go on safari, where do I begin?
Questions to ask yourself:
- Who is going – adults, families, young/old kids, multigenerational?
- What type of wildlife do I want to see?
- What type of game drives? (ex: driving, walking, biking, boat)
- How active do I want to be?
- What types of on-property activities/options do I want? (ex: pool, fitness center, cultural, conservation/sustainability, photography, hide, yoga, kids camp, started)
- What type of feel/style do I like? (contemporary vs traditional canvas lodge, tented vs mobile vs stationary vs villa, size)
- What level of luxury do I want?
We focused on private concessions near Kruger National Park and touched on the difference between a game drive within a national park and on a private concession.
Some of the favorite lodges near Kruger NP we talked about:
- Dulini
- Lion Sands
- Singita
We touched on other regions: Madikwe, Pilanesburg and Welgevonden.
Before/after a safari:
We talked about ideas for places to combine before or after a safari:
CapeTown Experiences
- Visit Bo Kaap
- Hike Table Mountain
- Visit Cape Peninsula – see the penguins at Boulder’s Beach
- Helis
- SUP
- Food tours
- Kelp foraging
- Diving with great white sharks
- Motorcycle tours
- Visit Robben Island – Nelson Mandela
- VNA waterfront – walk
Favorite Hotels – so many good ones!
- Belmond Mount Nelson
- Cape Grace
- Silo
- O&O
- 12 Apostles
- Cape Cadogan
- Ellerman House
- Tintswalo Atlantic – *ideal for honeymooners
Winelands – Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl Activities:
- Wine tasting
- Food tours
- Picnics
- Biking
Hiking Favorite Hotels:
Johannesburg Activities
- Visit Apartheid Museum
- Markets
Favorite Hotels
- Fairlawns
- Saxon (Nelson Mandela edited Long Walk to Freedom here)
- Westcliff Four Seasons
Takeaway tips:
- There are areas in South Africa that you need to take Malaria pills to visit and others where you don’t. If you are going with smaller children – make sure to share that concern with your advisor.
- The summer time in Cape Town (December to March) doesn’t exactly match up with the dry season on safari. So, there are pros and cons to any time of year.
- Consider the size of the lodge where you will be staying. Larger lodges often have groups staying in them, which often changes the dynamic.
- Lylie strongly recommends the Netflix documentary My Octopus Teacher, I can’t wait to watch it.