My trip to South Africa 2026

Day 2 – Ezemvelo 

7:50AM – So, I was way too tired to think during day one so no journal entry for then. HOWEVER! I’ve had a good 8 hours sleep and I’m a lot more awake now! We’re about to go on our first game drive with Michael as our guide. I was up at 5:30AM. The next couple of hours was spent drinking cups of Reboois tea and talking with the first years about how the next locations we’re going to will not be *this* cold.  

Me and Lexi did a quick bug hunt last night with some friends and found many tiny spiders. No scorpions. 

14:16PM – Just had lunch after going on a bush walk. Michael told us all about Termites, Honey Guards, and Sugar Bushes or Protea. It was a super nice walk though there were parts where we had to step on some pretty steep rocks to get back down this little hill. I felt like a goat following Michael! 

Day 3 – Ezemvelo/Pongola – 9th July 

3AM – I got up to go to the toilet and as I rounded my tent I realised I was slap bang in the middle of a herd of Impala! We were just as afraid as each other and I froze while the entire herd of maybe 15 animals sprinted away out of camp. I took a minute to stop my heart from hammering out of my chest before continuing to the bathroom in very cold South African winter weather.  

14:54PM – We are on our way to Pongola, my favourite place possibly on Earth. We’ve already been on the road for six hours so we should hopefully only have two or so left. We’ve had a couple rest stops so we can use the toilet and get lunch but most of the time we’re in the vans listening to all sorts of music and keeping our eyes peeled for Secretary Birds! No luck yet, sadly, but there’s time!  

Day 4 – Pongola – 10th July 

13:44PM – Good afternoon! I went on a bush walk this morning with my group and a new guide Ben. He told us loads about different species of trees found on the reserve including a Buffalo Thorn tree which is super important in Zulu traditions. They believe that the branches could be used to bring the spirit of the deceased person home. One member of the family walks along with the coffin, branches in hand, and doesn’t say a word until the coffin is buried. This stops them from communicating with spirits and keeps the spirit of the passed family member on the branches. On the way back to camp, we saw a male Nyala which I love so much. They’re so beautiful and I love their horns, so twisty!  

Day 5 – Pongola – 11th July 

10AM – Just got back from a bush walk with Ben! We found Leopard scat, Buffalo dung, and porcupine poo. Ben quizzed us on all the prints and tracks we found. Caitlin and Scout found a Lilac Breasted Roller feather which is apparently an African token of engagement between a man and a woman. In Afrikaans, the bird is called a Troupant or Gewone Troupant which means ‘wedding band or ring’. 

Day 7 – Pongola – 13th July 

9:45AM – Headed to Candover Community to meet Mama Induna and see the traditional healer. Us girls must wrap blankets around us like skirts when we go into the healer’s house because the ancestors don’t like when women wear trousers. I stayed in the community last year for two days which was really fun! It’ll be nice to see them again.  

14:24PM – Just got back from the community and seeing Mama Induna and the Sangoma. We got to speak to Mama Induna for a good hour and a half about how she became Induna and what she has done for Candover in her 16 years of service. It was really interesting to hear about the projects that are ongoing in the community and what plans she has for the future as well as the hardships she had to go through to become such a respected woman. Then, we went to see the traditional healers in a different part of Candover and I got to hide a 100 Rand note for them to find by communicating with their ancestors. They did indeed find it which was pretty mind blowing and watching them perform their traditions was amazing!  

Day 9 – Kosi Bay – July 15th 

19:48PM – Oh. My. Gosh today was so fun! We went kayaking through beautiful fish traps in the morning, letting the sun heat us up slowly even as we splashed each other with pretty cold water. Then, in the afternoon, we went snorkelling in the sea! We managed to find a Lionfish with the help of Ben as well as Trigger Fish amongst the reef and rocks. I swam away from the group at one point and ended up closer to the mangroves. There was a little drop off point in the sand and I found a Needlefish! It and some other fish swam along with me for so long! It was so magical.  

Day 10 – Kosi Bay – July 16th 

8:09AM – We’re going snorkelling again today and then we have a boat cruise in the afternoon. 

Day 11 – Hluhluwe-iMfolozi – July 17th 

11:30AM – We have been driving for a good few hours for our journey from Kosi Bay to Hluhluwe which is our Big Five reserve for this year. However, because it’s lunch time and we’re all starving, we’ve stopped off at a really nice restaurant. 

14:00PM – We’ve arrived! We’ve left the vans that we’ve been travelling in and are now back in game viewers for the long drive through Hluhluwe to get to where we are staying. Apparently, it’s at the top of a hill on the other side of the park so… it will be a bit of a drive! I’m hoping we see some of the big five along the way. 

15:58PM – BUFFALO!! 

16:30PM – We’ve finally made it to Hilltop Resort, it’s so beautiful here! There’s a massive viewing area at the back of the resort and we’re currently looking at a herd of buffalo with some babies! I’ve NEVER seen baby buffalo before, apparently, it’s incredibly rare because of how dangerous and protective buffalos are about their babies. We’ve been told to stay really quiet as to not spook them but they’re so cute! 

18:15PM – The rondavels we’re staying in are so cute! That’s all we do in Hluhluwe which I love! It’s so fun to drive around and see all the animals and just how gorgeous the park is at sunrise.  

Day 12 – Hluhluwe-iMfolozi – July 18th 

06:15AM – Good morning! First proper game drive day! It’s very cold but I’m so excited! 

07:11AM – There’s an elephant right outside the resort! He’s just on the side of the road so close that we can smell him and omg he really smells… But he’s just eating leaves and not paying us any mind, it’s amazing! 

09:55AM – Right after the elephant, we spotted hyena who stared at us for a good long while and didn’t run away… and right now I’m watching three cheetahs lounge in the side in the side of the road!! I’ve never seen wild cheetahs before and now there’s THREE!! They’re so beautiful! I hope they stay here for a while so we can get some good photos 

17:03PM – It has been a day! We saw a white rhino in the bush just off the road as well as a massive male Kudu feeding just beside us. I love Kudu, they’re so, so big! It’s almost dinner time now, the sunset is wonderful and we can walk down to the main building of the resort to eat together.  

Day 13 – Hluhluwe-iMfolozi – July 19th 

07:04AM – All the gameviewers have stopped at a viewpoint to take group photos with the sunrise. It’s very bittersweet knowing that we begin heading home tomorrow… But at least we have one final day of game drives in beautiful Hluhluwe! I always miss the guides so much after an Africa trip, they’ve become such an important part of our group and they’re all so nice. It’s so difficult to say goodbye but I’ll try not to think about that until tomorrow when we reach the airport.  

12:08AM – We’ve found a lioness!! She’s just relaxing off the roadside all by herself. Maybe she was hunting? She certainly seems interested in the herd of impala on the ridge of the hill above her. I wonder if we’ll see her hunt. That would be amazing.  

22:35PM – Final night in South Africa… I’m currently sat on a bench trying to see some Bushbabies but I’ve seen nothing… I should probably go to sleep as we’ve got to get up real early tomorrow. I’m going to miss this so much. It’s always so hard to leave the guides and the country itself at the end of these trips. I really hope I can come back next year!