South Africa October 2025

11th October 2025- Johannesburg- The Kruger National Park

After a really good night’s sleep and hearty breakfast we set off for the Kruger. Stopped enroute at Alzu services, which had a watering hole with Buffalo, Rhino, Zebra, Antelope and Ostrich. Checked into the beautiful Nkambeni Safari Camp inside The Kruger National Park. Our accommodation here is tented lodges, very much a glamping experience. We had a dip in the pool before dinner. The whole place is really relaxing in nature. Early night as 5.30am start for our first game drive.

12th October 2025 - The Kruger National Park

We set off after breakfast at 6am for our full day safari. We managed to bag a jeep for our group of eight and our new Canadian friends, Dean & Louise. Wow, what an experience we saw:- Impala, Kudu, Water Buck, Dik Dik, Bongo, Wildebeest, Water Buffalo, Zebras, Giraffes, Elephants, Rhinos, Hyena, Warthogs, Lions, Hippos, Eagles, a Mongoose, Monkeys, Baboons, a Turtle, a Crocodile, Kingfisher and Egret, a Heron, Red Billed Ox Pecker, Greater Blue Eared Starling and a Cheetah. Just need to tick off a leopard.

Back to the Safari lodge for a relaxing massage for us girls. Evening meal tonight was in the hotel’s outdoor BBQ area, it was gorgeous. Early night again as another safari in the morning.

13th October 2025 - The Kruger National Park

Second safari day much more off road, so a very bumpy ride. Today is about quality rather than quantity. Some good birds spotted:- Tawny Eagle, Leopard Headed Vulture and Red Throated Hornbills. Got really close to a Hyena, apparently almost impossible to tell if they are male or female as the females have high levels of testosterone which means they have a pseudo penis. We saw a really large herd of Water Buffalo. We came across a small bachelor herd of Elephants drinking from a water tank. Further down the road was a big herd of Elephants which completely surrounded us. The young bulls were practicing fighting and a female was coming into heat causing lots of excitement in the herd. This was an amazing experience to be right in the middle of them. Highlight of the day was a Leopard in a tree eating an Impala, fabulous.

After lunch we saw Hippos and Crocs in the lake, but most amazingly a big bull Elephant having a bath.

Back to the hotel for a last dip in the pool and a refreshing beer. Dinner in the hotel and a few drinks in the bar before retiring for the evening. Long journey to Cape Town tomorrow for the next leg of our journey.

14th October 2025 - Cape Town

Transfer via road back to Johannesburg. Enroute we stopped at the Union Building in Pretoria, the seat of the South African parliament. We then flew to Cape Town and checked into the Onomo Cape Town in the Foreshore District. The mini bus driver was a right prophet of doom and scared some of our group with his warning about the dangers of Cape Town. But as we had been before we were able to reassure the others that it’s just like any big city, you just need to keep your wits about you. Hotel room is very small, but has a comfortable bed and a good shower, so what more do you need.

15th October 2025 - Cape Town

Later breakfast today before starting our hop on hop off bus tour of the city. Stopped off at picturesque Camps Bay for coffee and then a stroll along the seafront. Next stop was the V&A for a look around. Dangle, Karen & Rosie did a bit of a turn playing a glockenspiel with a local band. Last stop of the day was table mountain and a trip up to the top on the cable car. In the evening, we returned to the V&A for dinner at Life Grand Café. Fabulous meal and wine for less than £50 per couple, so cheap for a premium waterfront location, complete with live music. Great food, great company and a great laugh.

16th October 2025- Cape Town

Dangle, Ann, Rosie and Karen went quad biking today, so us and John and Liz went to Kirstenbosch Botanical gardens. The Botanical Gardens were fabulous, lots of photo opportunities for Liz. We then took an uber to the V&A to meet the others. After a drink at the Harbour House, we went on a catamaran cruise around the harbour, complete with champagne. Another drinks stop at the Fish Market where we met Julie and Bob Trahern who are also on a trip to South Africa. Blocko met us in the hotel bar and joined us for dinner is Mantra Café in Camps Bay. . So definitely a day for meeting friends on their travels.

17th October 2025 - Peninsular Tour

Split group today! Ann, David, Karen, Rosie and Blocko are off Shark cage diving. Us and the Mayne’s are doing a Peninsular tour down to the Cape of Good Hope.

First stop was Maiden’s Cove for a panoramic view of Camps Bay. We then made our way down the picturesque coastal road stopping at Chapman’s Peak for a view of Hout Bay. Highlight was the penguins at Boulders beach in Simon’s Town. The wildlife theme continued at the Cape of Good Hope with Ostriches and a huge colony of seals. The air is very fresh here against the background of crashing waves. Lunch of fish and chips for Liz and I, calamari for the boys, in a beautiful restaurant overlooking the confluence of the Indian and Atlantic oceans. Fabulous weather today. And on the way back we saw a big troop of baboons.

Met back at the hotel to hear all about the amazing experiences the others had shark cage diving, they even saw a whale.

Early night tonight as we have to leave at 4.30am!

18th October 2025 - Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Early start for the last leg of our journey. Flying from Cape Town to Johannesburg and then onto Victoria Falls. Arrived at Victoria Falls airport about 2pm. The airport was very chaotic and very African, lots of queuing and 55 dollars entry fee. By the time we arrived at Nguni Lodge there was just time for a quick shower before headed out on a sunset cruise on the Zambezi. The drive to the boat was through the National Park where we saw lots of elephants. Two of the elephants were drinking from a tap and a hose. The cruise included snacks and a free bar. We had an amazing time and saw hippos, crocodiles, more elephants, an eagle and antelope. On the drive home we had to stop for an elephant in the middle of the road. Back to the hotel for a nightcap. Early night as very tired from our early start. First impressions of Zimbabwe is that it seems much more authentically African than South Africa.

19th October 2025 - Victoria Falls

After breakfast we embarked on a tour of Victoria Falls. Very short bus ride to the falls. We walked through the rain forest to the various viewpoints. The waterfalls are very impressive measuring 1708 meters wide, spanning the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia.

We got our driver to drop us off in the town and looked around the markets and shops. Stopping off at a couple of watering holes as it was a sweltering 35 degrees.

After a chill out in the hotel we got a taxi back into town for a meal at the Three Monkeys a lovely bar and restaurant we had discovered earlier in the day. Fabulous meal and company. Busy day so another early night for us.

20th October 2025 - Victoria Falls

Today was Ann’s 60th birthday. So, we had a celebration breakfast complete with a birthday cake. The staff even sang happy birthday to make it even more special for Ann. Split tour today the girls went on a helicopter tour over the falls, which was amazing. The boys were taken by Praise the taxi driver to a conservation centre to get up close and personal with reptiles. We reconvened at the 3 monkeys for drinks and some nachos. Chill out at the pool, before our last evening in Zimbabwe.

This evening, we continued Ann’s birthday celebrations with Boma dinner and drum show. Probably the best dinner show we’ve ever been too. We were greeted by traditional singers and dancers, dressed in African cloth and our faces painted with white stripes for the boys and 3 beauty spots for the girls. The food was amazing a massive buffet with gorgeous salads, BBQ meats, a good veggie selection and fabulous desserts. During dinner we had more face painting, I had a giraffe, Ann an elephant, Karen a Zebra, Rosie a lion and Liz an elephant in a sunset. The boys and Ann all received a certificate for eating some weird worm! The entertainment was traditional singing and dancing. But the best bit was the African drumming lesson where we all joined in and learnt to play. The audience was then invited to get up and dance. As it was Ann’s birthday we nominated her to be first up to dance. At the end of the evening the singers came and serenaded Ann with a very harmonious rendition of happy birthday. On the way home we came across a herd of wild water buffalo. One last nightcap before going to bed for the last time on our amazing trip around Africa.