I was one of the lucky 24 Flight Centre agents to fly across the globe to safari through South Africa with TTC Tour Brands and Flight Centre Travel Insurance.
After securing the spot, my first and most important priority was to get my safari fits in order, to make sure those lions know who they are dealing with!
Being my first time to Africa and my first ever fam trip I had no expectations in my mind about the journey I was about to embark on, however the diverse country of South Africa offered beautiful landscapes, a vibrant culture, but also the comfortability of feeling like home.
We arrived in Cape Town on a Saturday (perfect timing!) and were greeted with big smiles by Nicole and Claire from TTC Tour Brands, Joel and Simon from Flight Centre Travel Insurance and our incredible local guide, Jesse, who wasted no time taking us to the local pub for a well-earned post-flight drink in true Flight Centre fashion!
Over the next three days we experienced everything Cape Town had to offer.
We discovered the best local spots around the V&A Waterfront, watched the sunrise from the top of Table Mountain, explored local markets, visited the penguins at Boulders Beach and sampled local wines at Cape Point Vineyard.
The standout experience, however, was visiting the township of Langa.
Guided by a local from the village and joined by the team from the Amy Foundation, we learnt about life during Apartheid and gained a deeper understanding of the community and its history.
We finished the experience by meeting locals at the neighbourhood bar, sharing a couple of Savannah Ciders, hearing their stories and trying local delicacies.
Connecting with local people is always my favourite part of travelling and this ‘MAKE TRAVEL MATTER™’ Experience with Contiki was no exception.
In true Contiki form, we headed off to a MasterChef-inspired African cooking class to not only get to know the local cuisine but also to get to know the members of our group.
With drinks flowing and the music blasting it did not take us “chefs” long to ditch the aprons for our dancing shoes and turn the kitchen into a dance floor, making this one of the most memorable evenings of the trip.
After Cape Town sadly came to an end, we boarded the smallest aircraft I have ever been on to fly to Hoedspruit and start the safari portion of our tour with Trafalgar.
As we all know with this industry, things don’t always go to plan and due to some unfortunate recent flooding in the country, our itinerary changed.
We ended up staying at the Radisson Safari Hotel in Hoedspruit and dare I say this may be the nicest hotel I have ever stayed in. A beautiful property with exceptional views.
As soon as we landed, the wildlife sightings began. Two giraffes were casually wandering alongside the airport as we made our way to the Shangaan Village, where we learnt about the local customs, traditions and way of life through cultural performances that celebrated their rich history.
However, it did take us a while to get started as a herd of elephants greeted us upon entry and one of them did not want us to pass and charged the van at full speed – now THIS is Africa!
Alarms set for 4am, bags packed with our safari essentials, outfits laid out on the hotel floor, ready to go like a kid at Christmas.
With Kruger National Park being more than twice the size of Greater Melbourne, there was plenty of ground to cover.
As we drove through the local villages with the sun slowly rising, watching people make their way to work and school, I finally had a moment to stop and take it all in.
Although we’d been in South Africa for a few days, this was the moment it really hit me…I was on safari in South Africa. A true “pinch me” moment.
Talks throughout the group and among our safari guides were all about the Big Five and what we were going to spot over the next two days. Being split into three separate vehicles, it almost became a competition within the group to see who was going to spot what first.
Day one we conquered all of the Big Five! Jesse could not stress enough how lucky we were and that he had never had a day like that in his whole safari guide career.
Day two we were smacked by the crisp cold air in the early hours of the morning. However, energy was high in the hope of coming closer to some lions as we didn’t get a good glimpse of them the day before.
Not even 15 minutes had passed when we saw not just one but SIX lionesses strutting towards us, within arm’s reach – absolute chills!
Within the six we even got to see a white lion, one of only seven believed to be left in the Kruger area.
All good things must come to an end so we packed up and headed to Johannesburg for our final day and night together. We visited Nelson Mandela’s house, where we learnt about his life, hardships and achievements from inside the walls of his own home.
This trip went above and beyond anything I could have expected and was a great reminder of why we do what we do as travel agents. Representing the red and white alongside two incredible brands was an absolute privilege and an experience I’ll never forget.
To experience the culture, amazing landscapes and incredible wildlife of South Africa is something I would encourage everyone to do at least once in their lifetime.
And to quote the legendary Shakira: “Zamina-mina, hé-hé, Waka, waka, hé-hé, Zamina-mina, zangalewa? This time for Africa”
Main image: Sam centre of picture
