Sven booked us in at a private game reserve a bit north of Mossel Bay, the Botlierskop Private Game Reserve.
It lies between the impressive Outeniqua Mountains and the warm beaches of the Indian ocean, in the heart of the Garden Route, the long scenic drive along the southern tip of South Africa.
We arrived and were shown to our ‘tent‘, which was more a hut on stilts with a bathtub and an outdoor shower, and all the amenities of a hotel room.
We were just in time for our first tour through the 3500 hectare property. We were driven in a big jeep-like car, that went up and down the hills, feeling like a roller-coaster in slow motion.
We saw the elephants (with the five month old baby named Thambile), the lions, zebras, all kind of gazelles, gnus, bonteboks and other horned species, giraffes and rhino’s.
The all roam around freely on the property, except for the lions, for obvious reasons.
Sure, it was not like a safari tour in their natural habitats, but we managed to see four of the ‘big five’ (Elephant, lion, rhinoceros and buffalo), with the exception of the Leopard.
The views from the hill tops were also breathtaking. The mountain ranges to the north, the valleys below, and a glimpse of the blue waters of the Indian Ocean in our back.
We ended the day with a jump into the small heated pool, drinking champagne, and a nice dinner, before we fell into out beds at around 9 pm.
The next morning we have to get up at 5, for the morning tour! Yawn!
