I was so excited on the 28^th December 2020, when I received an Umzolozolo voucher for a Safari getaway, as my 50^th Birthday Gift from my family.

Sitting around the table one morning at Mayfair cafe we came up with the idea of going away before Jedin went back to school and Youngwoo started his studies. Trish was also with us and in no time a decision was made that celebrating her 45^th Wedding anniversary in a Game Reserve with fantastic friends would be a great way to celebrate too – in no time we booked for the 6 of us to head inland to Nambiti Game Reserve just near Ladysmith – just over 2 and a half hours away from Durban.

We have to mention that in the weeks building up to our departure we all did what we could to make sure NONE of us contracted COVID – we wanted to TRAVEL!

On arrival at Nambiti, we were fetched from a carpark located near the entrance gate and taken to Umzolozolo – we were welcomed by African songs sung by the staff – as we disembarked, we were sanitized, then given hot lemongrass facecloths to wipe away the sweat from our drive before we entered a small paradise. The beautiful deck overlooking the dense green bush, with a backdrop of a bright blue sky and a colouful cocktail in our hand, was how our stay began. The rooms were gorgeous and opulent, the staff attentive – greeting us by name throughout our stay.

To take advantage of all on offer, we went on all four game drives (ended up being pretty exhausting waking at 5h00am and finishing dinner around 9h00pm), ate all the food on offer – buffets, ala carte, snacks on the game drives, gin & tonics, coffee & amarula and the two chocolates on our bed each evening. Spas, outdoor showers, deep baths, lovely body washes – all a lovely treat.

There were two main highlights. 1. The time we got to spend together as family and friends. Chilling together – some playing competitive sudoku games, reading, browsing, eating and game spotting. 2. The animal sitings. Siya our guide, did his best to ensure we saw as much as possible. I could feel the benefits of being in the bush, the longer we stayed there. On the first game drive I was in the mode of ticking off what we managed to see from turtle to rhino – by the second, I had already chilled a lot and so enjoyed my family loving the Toyota Landcruiser’s abilities! The final game drive was my best! Driving alongside a herd of around 20 elephants, as they cruised through bushes, onto the road and along the edge of a mountain side, was majestic. Another highlight, was the spots we got to enjoy the breaks in our game drives. Beautiful sunsets, dramatic skies, waterfalls, rivers – the joy of being in AFRICA!

What a trip – another rich memory for the bank all thanks to the kindness of my family xxx