An escape from the concrete jungle!

by Thandokazi Magwebu (South Africa)

Making a local connection South Africa

Deadlines, traffic jams, daily gym routines and the monotonous city life become a tad bit too tedious at times and a getaway is just what one needs! What better way to escape the hustle and bustle than with a group of friends! A contrast to our everyday life is calling. We venture on a two day safari trip. A 'short left' to one of our provinces' hidden gems. The idea was to tackle the Garden Route, we all wanted the joy of a road trip to coincide with the great anticipation of what lies ahead. With that in mind our chosen destination was none other than the beautiful Bottlierskop Game Reserve nestled between George and Mossel Bay. It promises all that a private game reserve is about. We are all super excited! The day of departure. Its a typical Friday afternoon. Traffic is picking up as everybody hurringly makes their way home from work.Getting everybody together on time to start our journey was no mission at all! A group of 6 friends all together, with busy schedules, some have not seen each other in a while! The road trip is nothing short to a typical karaoke session with loads of laughter. The scenery of the open road and random photo shoots at stops along the way make the trip so enjoyable. Our journey takes about 4 hours and 58 minutes to be precise and with the help of GPS, we only get lost while approaching as we lost reception. We arrive to a warm welcome and are directed to our accommodation. A 6 sleeper luxury bush villa awaits! Situated in the middle of the game reserve, right infront of a waterhole amidst the Great Brak River, we are home! A wire surrounds the villa to keep wild animals at bay. That's how close we are to nature. Taken aback by the decor we muse at our home and marvel at the picture perfect setting. The porch with a grand patio set, modern swing chairs and plunge pool overlooking the waterhole. A braai area for roasting marshmallows while story telling. Indoor fireplace. The interior decor depicts it's surroundings.... Animal hides, leather loungers and earthy shades. No television and wifi is free for us to keep our socials updated! ... Just what we need! Our 30 seconds card game is on hand and we are stocked up on beverages to keep us going for our stay. Our bedrooms are nothing short of safari royalty with ensuite Victorian bathtubs to draped four poster beds. It's night time already and the pitch dark starry moonlit sky is so inviting. We settle into our rooms and drift to a slumber with the sound of trickling water and croaking frogs....a natural lullaby! Waking up to the view of hippos drinking at the waterhole! Heavenly! What a way to start the day. We prepare a farm style breakfast in our modern kitchen and get ready for our game drive. Our ranger arrives on time and away we are to explore the plains. A very informative and intriguing 3 hours is spent in the heart of the wild. Sighting rhino's, giraffes, elephants, black impala, wildebeest, zebras and of course our favourite, the lions. It's feeding time and we marvel at the thrill of being right there to experience it from our Landcruiser 4x4 open top! We stop for some wine and biltong to converse further with our ranger and take it all in! Back at the villa its time to unwind. We gather around the fire while indulging in our whiskey, watching the fiery sunset! The next day holds an even greater adventure, a horse riding guided trail! We explore the rest of the plaines. Being on horse back just gives yet an even more intense experience as the horses sometimes stop to graze giving us a close up of the plantation. We are one with the earth. It being our last day we head back to pack and get ready for our journey back home. Such a fulfilling couple of days it's been yet we return anew. Memories live in the smell of the fynbos and the clean fresh air! We are more enticed for our next trip!