Post by: Annie Ewing
I’d heard South Africa was incredible, but I didn’t expect to fall so deeply in love. Forget Italy or France – welcome to the new most romantic country on the planet.
Although I travelled with friends, our itinerary would have made the ideal honeymoon. It was the perfect mix of organised touring, private relaxation time, culture, and adventure.
on Safari – Pondoro Game Lodge
We began our trip at an offshoot of Kruger National Park called Balule Game Reserve. Balule’s land is privately owned but open to Kruger, allowing the animals to travel freely in and out of the reserve. We stayed at Pondoro Game Lodge, a 5-star boutique property hosting no more than 16 guests at any time.
Pondoro’s schedule was simple – wake up call at 4:45am (necessary to beat the sunrise for maximum animal viewings) for the morning game drive from 5:30am. At 9 we would return to the lodge for an extremely decadent breakfast. Then we had the hot mid-day at leisure, followed by an evening game drive at 4pm. Our ranger Sam and tracker Ramson each had over 25 years of park experience. It showed. With just a glance at paw prints on the ground, they knew where each animal would be and how long ago it had walked by.
We saw everything – male and female lions, herds of elephants, giraffes standing watch over zebras, nervous warthogs, mating leopards, sleeping cheetahs, black and white rhinos, hippos, impala, kudu, owls, rabbits, and on and on and on. At times it was moving – seeing a mother giraffe lick her newborn, for example. Other moments were sad: an injured baby water buffalo, unlikely to make it through the week. Then there were the joyful and awe-inspiring moments, like being slowly surrounded by dozens of curious elephants heading to a nearby watering hole.
Private game reserves like Balule put their own rules and strategies in place, separate from central Kruger Park. The rangers from different lodges cooperate to share animal locations with each other. No more than 4 cars could gather at any given site, and usually we were the only ones. Our rangers could also drive off-road for a special sighting – this might have felt invasive had the wildlife not been completely unconcerned by our presence.
Pondoro is about more than its game drives, however. 
The lodge alone is worth the trip. Each of the 8 suites is individually decorated with thoughtful, local art and materials. During your time off, it’s impossible to choose between napping in your heavenly king bed, lounging on your private porch overlooking the river, enjoying an outdoor shower, swimming in the pool, or relaxing at the spa.
Then, there’s the food. After an evening game drive, we return for a candlelit dinner on the sandy river bank or up on the main terrace. Pondoro is a “game” lodge in more than one sense – their nightly game specials were to die for: tender impala shank, for example, or their succulent ostrich filet (one of the best meals I’ve ever had). Even breakfast and lunch were multi-course affairs. Pondoro prides itself on its South African wine menu – all delicious, all reasonably priced.
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