Experiencing my First African Safari at Madikwe Game Reserve

Going on an African safari is like nothing I have ever experienced before. The sights of the African bush, the sounds of the animals conversing, and the smell of the crisp air all combine together to make this experience unique. Nothing can prepare you for what you will actually feel on an African safari.

My first safari experience, which took place at Madikwe Game Reserve in South Africa, started off with being picked up in the safari jeep and arriving to the luxury lodge: Madikwe Safari Lodge Kopano. The lobby and dining rooms are all open air, offering a panoramic view of the reserve and any passing animals. It’s out of this world…or, at least out of the U.S.A. for sure.

I wasn’t sure what to expect or what I’d see; all I knew was that I would spend six hours per day on the safari.

Our Ranger and the Game Drives

Our ranger and the drives were great, especially because half of our safari drives were private (we were the only one at the lodge for a night). The ranger knew what we wanted to see, and he would set out to find those specific animals for us.

On our last safari drive, we still had not seen one of the Big 5: The Cape Buffalo. Our ranger set out to find the buffalo in an area he often saw them, and after looking for an hour, we successfully found a herd of buffalo crossing the road in front of us.

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He made sure to describe the various types of African plants that we passed, too.

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Adding a Personal Touch

The personal touch to the safari experience didn’t end there. For each drive, we would either have our morning coffee break or afternoon cocktail bar watching the sunset. The ranger made everything for us and even set up a bar on the front of the jeep for us to choose from.

What We Saw on Our African Safari

I was definitely one of the lucky ones — I saw all of the animals I had hoped to see and more over the course of my first safari experience.

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The Big 5

The Big 5 comprises the lion, elephant, rhino, leopard, and buffalo. The leopard and buffalo were the hardest to find; the buffalo stick to a certain area because of the taller bush, and the leopard blends in so well with the tree it sits in. The lion is also pretty difficult to find as they blend in well and sleep most of the day. We were able to see a lot of elephants, even some babies. Although it’s rare to see rhinos, we saw quite a few, and some came within 10 feet of our jeep while we were enjoying our afternoon sundown drink (we’re lucky I had been scanning the bush for any animals while we were standing out of the jeep)!

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Other Animals

In addition to the Big 5, we spotted many other animals including giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, hyena, and cheetah. Even though they aren’t part of the Big 5, they’re majestic in their own way.

Going on My First African Safari

They told me that the African air would get in my blood and make we want to come back. That’s an understatement. My first African safari is by far one of the best experiences of my life. I have certainly fallen in love with Africa.

“Africa changes you forever, like nowhere on Earth. Once you have been there, you will never be the same. But how do you begin to describe its magic to someone who has never felt it? How can you explain the fascination of this vast, dusty continent, whose oldest roads are elephant paths?” ~ Brian Jackman