Things to do in South Africa

Safari for the soul at Garonga

I love spending as much time as I can in the bush, watching the animals and seeing the beauty of nature…

By Bonginkosi Mkhabela

Tracker at Garonga

Garonga is located within the Greater Makalali Private Game Reserve. Covering an area of 22,000 hectares, the landscape is of rolling hills and wildlife rich open plains, set against a backdrop of the Drakensberg Mountains.

Our philosophy is safari for the soul as we encourage guests to slow down and absorb the sights and sounds of nature. Spending time with animals and learning about their behaviour is an integral part of what I do. I track animals by following their recent movements so that when we take guests out on their morning and afternoon game drives in our open Land Rovers, we hope to show them the diversity of our wildlife. We are in a Big Five (lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino) area but may also see giraffe, zebra, hyena, hippo and wild dog. Our birdlife is colourful and prolific with over 200 species identified. I love spending as much time as I can in the bush, watching the animals and seeing the beauty of nature.

We also offer our guests a choice of walking safari. On our interactive walk, I will show our guests some of our smaller flora and fauna and explain their importance to our ecosystem. I will also teach guests some of my tracking techniques. Whilst on a walking safari I have seen a leopard stalking a warthog and heard the noise made by vulture chicks as they were eating. As part of our safari for the soul experience we also offer our guests a solitude walk. We walk in complete silence. I will point to a plant or insect, but no explanation will be given until we get back to the camp as we want guests to fully immerse themselves in nature without any distraction. After an explanation we then leave guests alone for 20 minutes to meditate and reflect on what they have experienced. They may then wish to spend time on our yoga deck or relax in a hammock to rejuvenate their mind, body and soul.

Available in these itineraries…

Itinerary

Cape Town, Safari and Mozambique Beach
by Adele Jones

Length13 Days

Price range£5,095 - £5,375pp

Alfred & Bonginkosi Mkhabela

Bonginkosi (Bongi) grew up in the village of Huntington and joined the team at Garonga in 2018. He is qualified both as a tracker and a guide. He loves spending as much time as he can in the bush, seeing the beauty of nature, watching animals and learning about their behaviour. When he isn’t looking after guests, Bongi enjoys playing soccer.

Plan your holiday withAlfred&

Your journey will start with one of our UK team – someone like Laura, who's travelled extensively in South Africa. They’ll shape your ideas into the trip of a lifetime. But they won't do it alone. They'll draw on the expertise of our contacts on the ground, connecting you to the people who'll make your holiday one you'll always remember - ex banker who can show you the hottest foodie spots in Cape Town, the award-winning young sommelier who can introduce you to Stellenbosch's finest wines and the walking safari ranger who can guide you to the best game.

Laura Preston

Travel Expert for Alfred&

Having travelled extensively through Africa, Laura has a wealth of experience. She is passionate about Tanzania’s diversity from the quiet wilds of Ruaha that feel completely private to the silvery sands of Zanzibar and Stone Town’s spice-laced streets. In South Africa, she sought out the best views over Table Mountain, cocktail in hand, as well as the lesser-visited Kruger conservancies for more exclusive safaris. But her favourite place in the world has to be the Serengeti for its wide-open plains and incredible game that epitomise that feeling of Africa.
Wayne Howarth

Head Safari Guide at Kariega Game Reserve

Wayne loves being outdoors and has spent most of his life between the family farm and working on Private Game Reserves in the Eastern Cape. He has been guiding at Kariega for 12 years. His qualifications include Field Guide Association of South Africa (FGASA) Level 2, Advance Rifle Handling, Skippers Licence Category R and first aid. One of his career highlights was becoming a finalist in the 2021 Safari Guide of the Year competition.
Rupesh Kassen

Founder and guide of Eat Like A Local

Rupesh Kassen abandoned his decade-long career in banking to move to East Africa, where he trained and worked as a chef. He later became immersed in South Africa’s food scene and worked as a food critic before setting up Eat Like A Local in Cape Town. Rupesh now offers guided food tours to showcase the city and its diverse culture and history through food.
Fundi Ziqubu

Sommelier

Fundi was born in Durban and fell in love with wine when it was introduced to her by a few Capetonian friends. On discovering her passion she got the chance to study wine with the department of tourism in collaboration with the Sommeliers Academy. Being appointed sommelier at Lanzerac was a career highlight and in 2019 Fundi was named most up-and-coming wine steward by the Distell Inter-Hotel challenge.
Ntobeko Ntshingila

Duty Manager at Three Tree Hill Lodge

Ntobeko has been part of the Three Trees family for 13 years and describes it as a lovely journey with lots of room for growth and experience. She has her own family, including a daughter of 18, and a son, aged three. She lives in a nearby village with her parents, four siblings and three nephews. When not spending time with her family she manages her broiler chicken business, which brings her extra income.
Cheryl Blackburn

Owner and guide, Three Tree Hill Lodge

Being born in the Kruger National Park instilled in Cheryl a love of nature and wildlife. Having lived and worked as a guide in the Kruger reserve, and also in Botswana, she eventually got the opportunity to run her own lodge, with her growing family, in the lush KwaZulu Natal Drakensberg region. She still finds time to guide guests on foot, tracking white rhino in the neighbouring Spioenkop Game Reserve.