What Is A Real South African Safari Vacation?

My friend owns a safari park in South Africa. He created the real South African Safari Vacation experience!.. He achieved his goal! Species extinction could not be tolerated!

What Is A Real South African Safari Vacation?

As these game reserves go, there is a certain number in the herd that needs to be culled, in order to guarantee the safety of the others and the health of the herd.

The success of South African Safari Vacations was high on my friend, Scutty’s, list of achievable goals. 

The success lay in people’s understanding of wild animals. Scutty is a conservationist and wants to make space in the world for all animals to survive and continue their species.

Ok!.. If I was Scutty, I would not protect a crocodile! Lucky for the crocks, they have Scutty!

Part of the conservation program is to raise money for the parks. It helps to pay wages and to educate the workers about conservation.

One of the best ways to educate the world about conservation was to open your doors to tourists!..

To Wealthy American, and Asian Tourists.

The most asked question on Quora about the safari experience was answered thus:

“On your African safari, you can expect beautiful scenery, abundant wildlife, delicious food, relaxing afternoons, and great company. African hospitality is second to none! A typical day on safari begins with an early morning game drive”.

Fasten your seat belt!..

True Conservationists are aggressive about animal management. They are committed and single-minded about the environment. This is their reason to live and very serious business.

They want the world to know about real animals in the wild, and that the animal comes first.
Not somewhere down the food chain… They ARE the food chain.

We are encroaching on their territory. They once owned this land… all of it. They hunted and killed.
Did they eat a baby wildebeest? Yes, and that’s good; that’s nature.
Survival of the fittest must take place for the survival of the species. 

Please Read The Sign!

Follow the rules and everyone will be safe.
If that sign says “Stay In Your car” then please, stay in your car. 

That baby rhino is not cute. He is a wild animal. And his momma is sure to be nearby.
She is the one we have to watch.

If the mother maims or kills to protect her baby, because you did not stay in your vehicle, we will not put the animal down.
You will be asked to leave.

This wild animal will not be punished for following her instincts.
She is commended. Animals have rights.

Conservationists are to be obeyed without question at all times.
… Yes sir!

Prepare To Be Spoiled!

As soon as their new guests arrived at Jan Smuts Airport in Johannesburg, they were whisked into a large and luxurious touring bus.

Refreshments for everyone, and lots of hors d’oeuvres. Local wines and beers are delicious and plentiful!

Eight people in all; four married couples, and they all knew each other.
This was the beauty of the friends and family package discount.

Martin was serving, white gloves and all. He poured the drinks and explained the types of food and delicacies in front of him.

He’ll take off the gloves later, a signal to Simon the driver, that things are going well. Everyone is relaxed, laughing,.. and a little tipsy.

The men tucked into the food and beer with gusto… let’s get this thing started!   
Don’t want to miss a minute; the weather is so nice!

Martin pointed to interesting buildings and beautiful parks out the windows of the air-conditioned bus. Everyone was impressed.
This is Aaafrica? This is plush; this is beautiful!

This Is A Long And  Peculiar Road!

So they spoiled the guests, and the guests felt at home. These tourists were going to have a good time! 

On the bus was a shower, to freshen up.

But the shower area was taken over by the girls. They had a ball, washed their hair, and changed their clothes. Out they went to their husbands on the bus, and so the party began.

Yes, this was going to be fun.

The drive from the airport to the nature reserve could take about twenty minutes. But it was early morning and everyone needed to see the territory and they needed to be put in the moood.

The bus was filled with music, food, drink, and a designated driver.

They were weary, but they were excited, exhilarated, freshly washed, and wide awake now!
Let’s enjoy this while we’re here!

The driver knew not to be early so he toured several main thoroughfares and crisscrossed everywhere.

No one on the bus knew that the jungle started outside the city.
Simon created the illusion that the jungle was far from the city…

He kept everyone entertained because he drove on the wrong side of the road! He made jokes and threw in some Sotho words, (Sue-two)… He asked them to call him Simon. 

Simon and Martin always earned tips in excess of their wages, on days like this.

The currency exchange rate between the USD and the SA Rand was 16/1 in favor of the USD… Surprise!

Cash was flowing about freely. Simon and Martin were happy men!

Simon drove through the downtown area in front of the Johannesburg Sun hotel; it was looking as beautiful as any hotel can. So modern, so cool, still with that “African” vibe.

Good, good. That’s what we paid the big dollars for: to see the real South Africa. 

There were beautiful homes in the Hillbrow area and swimming pools everywhere. The infrastructure was very modern, and you could drive on these highways to anywhere.

The road signs were legible, in English, and “Af-re-kaa–nse”, so it was easy to get around. 

Behold The Real Africa!

“O look……there’s an African lady carrying a baby on her back!
Isn’t that cute?” 

No, it’s not cute. That mother has no other means of transportation except for buses and taxis. She might walk for 15 miles to buy food and essentials at her local market. 

She does not own a pram and could not push it through the unpaved streets in her area. It would be too hard to push… Be practical!

Eventually, after two hours of driving around through the high streets, they stopped at a  curio shop and everyone bought souvenirs to take home from “Africa”. 

After three hours, they were finally nearing the game reserve in the remote area they were promised them. All this time, for a twenty-minute drive!

These wealthy Americans deserved the finest when they arrived. Did we want them to think that we were backward down here? We can entertain like the best.

So Here We Are!

By now everyone was ready for this: The bus drove into an enclosure. Very high electrical fences surrounded the compound, to keep the animals out and the people safe inside.

The big gates were closed behind the bus.
Men with rifles guarded the perimeter of the compound. These are, after all, wild animals!

Simon and Martin worked hard and did their jobs well. Time for a rest from people.

First Class and Five Star!

“No, no, don’t worry about your luggage, we’ll take you to your rondavels and have your suitcases delivered. You can rest UP for a while and dinner will be served in the dining room… later.

Take it easy, and slowly”. 

Their bush accommodation was high-end and luxurious. There were swimming pools, spas, and gyms; impeccable service and valets were available.

“Your clothes will be unpacked and washed and your shoes shined. They will be left in a closet outside your front door, so as not to disturb you”. 

The food in South Africa is superb. The fruits are tropical and freely available. The meat, fowl, and seafood can’t really be improved upon.

The cooks are local and understand how to get the best flavor out of everything.

Herbs and vegetables are grown in gardens outside the kitchen door.
It’s all fresh from the earth.

This is Where We Sleep?

There were king-size beds with mosquito nets. The furniture was beautiful, and the bathrooms were spa-like.

There were overhead fans, big as umbrellas!

Each couple had their own accommodation, in one of those little round huts. But they were all together, placed around a swimming pool.

From their windows, they could see over the jungle, with vistas into the distance… Idyllic, and beautiful.

There were hair salons, tennis courts, and a golf course. The gardens were beautiful, filled with bougainvillea, hibiscus, and cannas. There were palm trees everywhere, cycads and ferns.

Wow, this is nice!

“How about a swim before dinner?” 
Whatever, take your time. We’re here to serve you. 

The dining experience was to die for as everything on the menu seemed unique but familiar.
The sort of food you don’t buy in a restaurant in the United States.
It’s imported there; here, it’s local.

They ate, they drank and they were ready for bed.

The owner of South African Safari Vacations, Scutty Van Rensburg, was there to wish them a good night.

“This has been a m-e-mor-rable first day; have an early night now. Tomorrow we’ll go on a sa-fa-ri and we’ll leave early.

You see animals when the sun is coming up, not in the heat of the day.
Anyway, the heat of the day is swimming pool time around here.”

In today’s language, Scutty would have a HUGE media following.

To The Hunt!

The next morning, they ate a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, kippers, fried potatoes, toast, and coffee.
Wow, I’m hungry just thinking about it!

Everyone who is going hunting is already on the Land Rover.

The girls decided to visit the spa, have pedicures, sit by the pool, and drink wine.
That’s ok, this is a guy thing.

Quiet everyone.

Only the registered hunters would carry rifles, and Simon was there too! “Hiya Simon”!……Shhhh!

Scutty is leading the hunt. “You guys stand behind a man with a rifle”.
They surely didn’t mean that our lives could be in danger.….did they?

The Land Rover soon parked and they walked for about ten minutes, through the jungle, in the heat of the early morning.

Quiet!

In hushed tones and sign language, Scutty directed: “I’ll move up to that trree and you come to me when I give the sig-nal”.
“Ok, kom here”. Sssst… ssssst… ssssst… “(quickly)” ssst,ssst,sst.

What’s That Sound?

NEW clothes?… Please, don’t tell me…
“Sorry sir. We wanted to be prepared, but my feet are starting to hurt; my boots are not broken in yet.
My sunglasses have mirrors… Look how they reflect the sun!”

(I shudder to think what could have happened had the girls decided to join them).

Terry and Mark, Ken and Peter bought all new clothes for the trip. New camo shorts, and shirts, new shoes, hats, and sunglasses. They had never been washed, and they were n-o-i-s-e-y. 

Ok, enough for today. The animals are getting skittish, and I don’t mean the four-legged kind.
Scutty needs a timeout.

He’s a little stressed about their lack of knowledge. “We must give an orientation class to these people”, he said affectionately, with that twinkle in his eye.

“They need to understand the basics of the hunt. These animals aren’t Bambi, ready to accept a crust of brrread and pose for photos”.

“They are real hunters. They hide in the bush, behind trees, and THEY CAN HEAR US”!

Breathe Scutty… you know what you have to do. It’s up to you now and we are all relying on you.

You can do this and there is no other choice. 

So, the next day, Scutty arranged a braai (barbecue) on the lodge deck, outside the dining room.
Come all, at 2 o’clock sharp.

“A Meet And Gr-eet, for the cooks, the hotel management, and the staff.

AND Simon and Martin will be there!”
And we are going to watch some “hunt” videos. 

Preservation and conservation are the life and breath of people like Scutty. This was not a Safari Vacations business. It was an income for 300 families.

It was the continuance of a species, that might otherwise be lost!

It was good relations with all people and a way to show the world that South Africans were good people too… Just like everyone else!

Why not? This is a real South African Safari experience… and
wouldn’t everyone like to go on a Safari Vacation? 

Read about other South African vacation experiences here!

Tell them “Scutty” sent you.

Regards, Corinne