Cape Safari Falls with Contiki
Earlier this year I visited India with Contiki on their eternal India tour, and as part of the tour there was an included Safari to see the rare and beautiful Indian Bengal Tiger at Ranthambhore National Park. It was here I got my first bug for seeing animals in the wild and so a Safari in Africa went straight to the top of my travel list. There is something so special and grounding about seeing these precious and special animals so up close and being part of their world for even just a few minutes. .
Perhaps the whole manifesting to the universe thing actually does work because a few months after returning from my India trip the wonderful team at Contiki asked if I would like to join on to their newly launched ‘Cape Safari Falls’ trip. When I saw the itinerary I nearly lost it! Not only did this tour have two Safari experiences as part of the tour but it also included three days in Cape Town plus a visit to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, one of the seven wonders of the world.
It truly was the dream tour, there was a mixture of culture, history, food, and safari’s as well as unique experiences like Glamping at a game lodge and camping under the stars in the wild in Botswana.
In this blog post I will be taking you through what we did on the 10 night trip, kind of diary style so you can get a feel for our experience. I am almost positive that by the end of this post you will want to add this experience to your travel bucket list.
The first day of the trip started in Cape Town in South Africa down and this time I was joined by Dan as Contiki wanted me to share a trip from a couples perspective. Every trip starts on the first night at 6pm for a briefing meeting and we met for ours in our hotel lobby. We were staying in a place called Mojo which was a really nice, centrally located place in a lively area of Cape Town right near bars, shopping mall and restaurants. It was also right near the Sea Pavillion an amazing place to go for an ocean front swim!
Below the hotel was an incredible food market housing a varied set of stalls of different kinds of cuisine and that is where we enjoyed dinner for our first night together as a group. The first night on any Contiki is always an icebreaker, it’s a time for everyone get to know each other, learn where everyone is from and what they do and get a vibe for each other.
The next morning we were up bright and early to see one of the best Tourist attractions of Cape Town with an included ticked and cable car ride up to Table Mountain. We were able to skip the hectic lines as a group and make it to the top swiftly to see the beautiful panoramic views of Cape Town on such a gorgeous clear day. It honestly felt like we were on top of the world!
On the way back to our next activity we made a stop at the beautiful and colourful neighbourhood of Bo-Kaap. Home to the Cape Malay people this place is a must see when in Cape Town. Originally these Georgian homes were painted all in white but after slavery was abolished and the Cape Malay people were able to buy their own properties they painted their homes in bright colours as an expression of their freedom! It is always a great place to try delicious Malay food.
As with all Contiki tours there are also free time, add-on activities that you can do as part of the trip. They aren’t included in your original booking but they are reasonably priced and super fun. The great thing is you can choose the ones that suit you best, so if you don’t fancy the sound of the activity you can do your own thing and go off an explore. After Table Mountain and Bo-Kaap we went on the add on activity marine Safari Cruise around the water front which was definitely worth it (we saw a whale!!!) Before then heading off on our own independent free time for lunch to try a traditional Gatsby and then on to a local museum called District 6.
The highlights of the activities in Cape Town for us were definitely Boulders Beach, Cape Point and the Wine tasting at a local vineyard. Cape Town itself is so beautiful that even just driving from place to place is a real treat. The ocean views the long winding roads and expansive surrounding mountains make journeys on the coach much more enjoyable.
Boulders Beach and the vineyard are both additional add-ons but definitely worth doing it’s also worth noting that if you choose to do one then you have to do the other as this is a full day trip including a lovely lunch at Kalk Bay. Trust me seeing African penguins in their natural habitat and ending the day with a delicious wine with a view of Cape Town is most definitely worth every penny.
KRUGER NATIONAL PARK
For the second leg of the trip we made our way to Johannesburg which is where we took our first internal flight of our time in South Africa. It was an early start, we had to be at the airport for 8am but thankfully the flight was only 1 hour 40. When we arrived in Johannesburg we were loaded onto two separate buses where we made our first long coach journey to Shalati Safari Lodge where would spend two nights ready to explore Kruger National Park. I think the journey in total was around six hours but we had a few stop offs which made things easier plus a long coach journey is a good time to catch up on much needed sleep.
I was so excited about the Safari part of the trip having done the tiger safari in India I knew this was going to be the real highlight for myself and Dan. We arrived at our Safari Lodge late where we checked in to our amazing glamping accommodation for the night! It was such an incredible experience, the tent had comfy beds, toilets and and outdoor shower. We were also able to hear the wildlife around the park and even heard Lions roaring through the night! The food at the lodge was also delicious and for the two nights we were there we had a delicious buffet before sitting at the fire pit to chat then, settling down for an early night ready for the Safari at 6 am next day.
I wish I could put into words just how incredible the two days at Kruger National Park were but nothing could quite describe how wonderful this experience was. Before coming on the trip everyone kept talking about how cool it would be to see the Big Five (if you don’t know what the big five are, these are five animals that are the most dangerous and difficult African animals to see on Safari.)
Within the first half an hour of our game drive we saw a pride of lions! We could not believe it our guide Ralph made a joke and said that usually it takes all day to see something as exciting as a cat in Kruger National Park but from that point things just keep getting better and better. As the day progressed we saw four of the big five including a Rhino which are one of the most rare and special animals to see in the wild due to how little there are left due to poaching.
By the end of the day we had seen the Lion Rhino, Elephant and Buffalo! We were so excited to have seen four of these incredible animals so we had low expectations for seeing the final of the big five. The final left to see was the Leopard an animal renowned for being one of the most difficult to see due to their discrete nature and independent hunting style.
On day two of the Kruger Safari we had an early start again for our game drive. We had low pretty expectations due to how lucky we were the day before but within the first hour were amazed to see a pair of Cheetah brothers! I had never seen anything like it in my life, they were so beautiful! To see one was special but to see two together was something I will remember forever! Knowing that we had seen a Cheetah we were more than happy and accepted that it was unlikely we would see the final of the Big 5.
Yet just as we were about to give up hope a call came through on the radio from the other bus saying that they had spotted something. We drove as fast as we could and when we arrived we saw a few vans surrounding area which suggested that something exciting had actually been found. It was then I experienced one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen in my life! We saw a Leopard but not only a Leopard, a Leopard with her cub!!
To see a baby leopard in real life was just phenomenal, the markings on both animals were nothing like I’ve ever seen before. We were all scrambling around the bus to try and get a picture of the animals amongst the trees. It was at this point things got extremely interesting, the mother Leopard left the cub and crossed across the road right in front of us, she walked so majestically looking like she had somewhere to be. We waited for around 10 minutes excited at the prospect of maybe seeing the mother leopard again and before we knew it she rose from the riverbed bearing a Bush Buck in between her teeth! She had caught a kill! We could not believe it I must admit it was a really strange thing to see in real life but also so incredible, our guide said that he had not seen anything like this in many years and we were all ecstatic at the fact that we had not only seen all of the big five but a leopard with a cup and a kill. I felt like I was in a David Attenborough documentary I don’t think I’ll ever get over that experience. (Thanks to my pals Suze and Josh who took these amazing shots with their camera)
ZIMBABWE
At this point in the trip I did not think anything else would top this experience but the trip just kept getting better and better. That afternoon we made our way to a midway stop for the night very near to Johannesburg airport before getting up early the next day to fly to Zimbabwe. I was really excited for this portion of the trip to because I’d always wanted to see Victoria Falls in my life is one of the seven wonders of the world and having seen photos of it I knew it would be something extremely special to witness in my life.
Again the flight was super quick less than two hours total and we made it out of the airport within good time to head straight to the files that are checking into a hotel. In total we had about an hour at the falls Which I would say is just about enough time to really experience the magnificent beauty that is known as the smoke which thunders.
You could hear the falls before you even saw them, The crashing of water echoed around the whole area and when I walked closer I could not believe my eyes. I have never seen anything like it! The waterfall was incredible the power of the water was wild and I could not believe that everywhere I turned I could see rainbows! What’s even more cool was that we were technically in the dry season meaning that the waterfall was not even as full and as powerful as it usually would be. I couldn’t believe it could get any more powerful than it was. There was a mist of water everywhere you walked to due to the extreme power of the falls. It truly was a magical experience and one I will also remember for the rest of my life.
Straight from the falls we head to the Zambezi River to enjoy a sunset water safari cruise. (an add on activity. Now I’ve seen many beautiful sunsets in my life but none as beautiful as those in Africa it was such a delight to watch the sky turn blood red as we sailed along one of the largest rivers in Africa. It’s also worth noting If you love to party then this night is definitely one for you! The boat includes free drinks all night and straight after the boat you head to an incredible traditional African Boma dinner. This was definitely a highlight for us as it was also the night we celebrated Dan’s thirtieth birthday! We had so much fun and tasted such incredible, interesting food such as Kudu Steak, Guinea fowl and Dan even tried a Mopane Worm! Dan brought home is very own certificate which he is extremely proud about!
The next day everyone was worse for wear after a heavy night of drinking and eating good food, which wasn’t great timing as this particular day was for dedicated for adrenaline activities which included Zip-lining, bungee jumping, swings and river rafting.
It was also Dans last day so instead of participating in those activities we head out early to experience a helicopter ride over Victoria Falls as a birthday pressie for Dan! (this is an add-on option with contiki ) I was so nervous but equally excited to be able to see the worlds largest falls from the sky!
I was extremely nervous but actually there was nothing to be nervous about the flight was so smooth and the views were unbelievable. We opted for a 12 minute flight but you can take up to 25 minutes for an extra cost. After we enjoyed the helicopter experience I had to say my final goodbyes to Dan where he head home before we made our way to Botswana the very next day for the final leg of our trip.
The drive between Zimbabwe and Botswana is not long at all, I think in total it was just one hour and a half by bus. We arrived, lined up at the border and had our passports stamped before making our way to the final accommodation of trip. You might be thinking why would you want to do two safaris in one trip and does it not get boring? At first I had the same questions and I am now so glad that I got to experience a safari in Botswana! The two parks are a completely different experience. Kruger National Park is a gated where as Botswana is completely open and has much more of a wild experience. In Botswana you could be driving on the main roads and see wild animals which is something we literally did! We saw wild warthogs on our drive and Dan even saw a wild elephant on his way back to the airport! Botswana also felt much more like the safari I first had in mind. It was on a Savannah landscape where the roads were sandy and rugged. It is also home to the most elephants in the world, and in total in this area there are 80,000 elephants! It’s virtually impossible to go to the Safari and not see an elephant, in fact we saw them pretty much every few minutes.
In Botswana you see every thing in a much closer proximity we saw giraffes right next to us eating from trees, and elephants practically at the window of our jeep and we even saw a leopard for the second time!
But I have to say one of the best experiences that we had in Botswana was definitely the night stay in the park! That’s right we actually slept in the wild in a tent, under the stars. I was really nervous about this part because I’m not a big fan of camping however hands down it was one of the coolest experiences of my life.
We ate delicious dinner and sat around the campfire sharing stories right under the brightest star filled sky I had ever seen. We even had some visitors at the camp when a group of honey badgers arrived through the night. The other camp had a herd of elephants walking right through and Giraffe join them for breakfast. This is definitely a bucket list experience and one that I will forever remember.
To be honest this whole trip was one giant bucket list full of memorable experiences that I just cannot believe I get to say that I did. Africa is so incredible and this trip in particular is diverse with its experiences views and activities. The food, the sunsets, the people, the animals - the whole trip was completely out of this world and if you do one thing this year then make sure you sign up for this trip, you will not regret it! It is one of the best things I’ve ever done and I’m so grateful I got to experience it with Dan.
If you have any questions about this trip I have a question and answer highlight over on my Instagram stories but I’m also happy to answer any questions here so feel free to drop me a comment and I’ll get back to you.
Contiki have also kindly offered me a discount code for all you lovely lot who might be thinking about booking any of their amazing tours!
You can use code: PPCALLIE10 which offers 10% off any trip 7 days or more when booking before 31/10/19 and departing 20/09/19 - 31/12/20. (All discounts apply to the land portion of your trip price only. Combinable with loyalty discount only. Discounts are subject to change)
Thank you to the Contiki team who helped arrange this experience for me I can hands down say that doing any Contiki is an extremely unique and perfect way to travel the world, make friends and tick off those bucket list with #NoRegrets.