Game Viewing in Southern Africa

Generations of the intrepid and the well-traveled have ventured to South Africa for its astonishing variety of wild game.

In years prior, European nobility came to hunt and kill. In our era of heightened awareness of endangered species, animal lovers and nature lovers come from all over the world to view game: not as they are viewed in a zoo, but as they engage in their daily activities.

You watch the animals bathe and feed, play with and court one another, fight and tease one another, take catnaps (pardon the pun) and search for their next meal. If you are lucky, you may follow a pride of lions as they engage in a strategic hunt.

Every visitor—by virtue of his visit alone—lends support to the urgency of conservation in Africa. South Africa, with its intact eco-systems and its wide range of animal life and bird life, is in the forefront of world conservation efforts. This has been achieved through a joint venture of the government and the private game reserves, whose mission is two-fold:

to engage in conservation and re-population efforts.
to allow their (human) guests the opportunity to safely live with the game at close-hand in a way that is respectful and non-threatening.

South Africa boasts impressive numbers of the "Big Five" (so-named by hunters who considered them the five most challenging types of prey): lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard. Beyond the glamorous Big Five, South Africa also offers an amazing diversity of other animal life: zebras, giraffe, cheetahs, hippos, wild dogs, whales and dolphins, 700 species of birds and countless species of butterflies.

Just as the tourist board likes to boast of the prevalence of "The Big Five", we at Heritage Tours offer what we like to call the "Indulgent Five" —five beautifully-designed upscale game lodges of unimaginable luxury in the midst of the African Bush: Singita, Londolozi, Phinda, Mala Mala and Makalali.

Although they are not inexpensive, the Indulgent Five (and others, to varying degrees as well) offer an authenticity of experience that cannot be found in the national parks, even in the much-touristed Kruger Park.

Intimacy with the animals: you are not surrounded by the hordes of tourists that fill other parks.
Greater connection with the Bush: all vehicles are open-air vehicles.
Greater chance of success: the Range Rovers are able to traverse nearly any terrain and thus follow the Big Five. Unlike national parks, where you are restricted to the roads, you venture off-road in the all-terrain Rovers. As the animals are familiar with the shapes of the vehicles, you can come shockingly close and—as long as you stay inside—you are in complete safety.
Unequalled knowledge: you will be guided by some of the best rangers and trackers in Africa.
The Bush in all its splendor: rather than just the typical daytime drives, you participate in night-drives, when the Bush becomes a different world.
Quality of experience: Each vehicle holds a six to eight guests (often fewer) with your own private ranger and an expert tracker.

For all the excitement of your adventures in the Bush, we believe that there is nothing wrong with being pampered back at the lodge. And the "Indulgent Five" have raised pampering to the level of a fine art.

Your lodges are freestanding cottages of great beauty (a few have even won architecture awards) in the midst of the Bush. From your full-height bathroom window (privacy assured), you may just witness a pride of lions walking across an open field while you lay in your Victorian tub. Enjoy your large wooden deck, your private plunge pool and the crackling of your stone fireplace. You have a remarkable sense of being alone with the animals.

Special activities can be planned. Join members of the professional conservation team as they go about their work or train with ranger-candidates. Arrange a tented expedition or, for small groups, a private compound.

Game viewing is best at dawn and dusk. Awakened early in the morning, you head out on a sunrise drive. You return for a lovely breakfast and then have an optional game walk. After lunch, you take a dip in your private pool or lounge around. In the late afternoon, you go out on your afternoon/evening drive. "Sundowners" (cocktails and hors d'oeuvres) are served in the Bush as you watch the brilliant African sunset. You continue tracking to experience the nature of the Bush at night before returning to a lavish dinner featuring the local culinary specialties.

Game trackers—local tribesmen trained in the art of finding and following the tracks of the animals by their fathers and grandfathers—guide your Rover, following footprints "off-road" perhaps in search of a mother leopard with her cubs or a pride of lions feasting on their fresh kill.

Imagine sitting in your open-air vehicle in the dark as you hear the roar of the lion—from miles away—as the proverbial king of the jungle lets loose in a roar that sends fear for miles. Imagine now, if you will—through the skill of your tracker and warden—finding that very same lion, turning off the lights and parking only a few yards from him, his brilliant mane lit only by the light of the moon. That experience will remain with you the rest of your life.

From majestic eagles to the flamboyantly colored African hoopoe, from staid turtles to the speedy cheetahs (see them run at 100 miles an hour) the game parks offer remarkable diversity of animal life.

South Africa is a living laboratory for and a world leader in the preservation of endangered species. We are proud to support such efforts and equally proud of the once-in-a-lifetime experience that we can bring you in South Africa.

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Points of Interest

A Personal Note

The first time I went to South Africa, I really didn't know how I would react. I have never had any interest in going to zoos and all those nature programs on PBS bore me to tears. I was enticed by the African culture, the scenery and the changes since the end of apartheid. And yes, the food and wine were certainly not drawbacks.

I had the pleasure of staying at three private game lodges. The lodges alone were enough to make the whole trip worthwhile.

Yet, going on safari was an experience that practically changed my life. An experience at once exhilarating and humbling, the game drives drew me into the world of the Bush in a most personal way.

Never could I imagine that I would feel so inspired by the powerful roar of a lion or so captivated by four almost "cuddly" young lion cubs frolicking like kittens on the branches of a tree. I would have been happy to watch them for weeks.

Nor did I expect to be so moved by watching a huge herd of buffalo - I felt like I was in another time on our own continent. Or so thrilled watching a mother leopard and her cub or witnessing an elephant pushing down a tree: just because it was in its way?

My joy was all the sweeter for being unexpected, yet I find myself thinking about my days in the bush from our office here in New York with the warmest of memories and a longing to return.

And nothing makes me happier than sending off our clients to experience these things for themselves.

I hope you will go.

Joel A. Zack

President, Heritage Tours