Arathusa Safari Lodge

Well, it's back to reality after an incredible eight days in South Africa. I cannot believe that the trip has come to an end and I start work at my new job tomorrow (yup, got it!!).  We had such a wonderful family holiday with time spent in Johannesburg, Cape Town and three days on an unforgettable safari.  While away we tried unique local foods (game meat was on many menues), drank delicious wines, and saw some of the most breathtaking sights I have ever experienced. I will be posting on our trip over the next few days so I do hope you enjoy our taste of South Africa.

Arathusa Safari Lodge

After doing much research on lodges in the Sabi Sands (a Private Game Reserve that borders the west side of the Kruger Park) we decided on Arathusa Lodge - an intimate lodge with a maximum capacity of 28 guests that prides itself on the quintessential African bush experience.  We agreed that this was the area to look in as it wasn't too far from the airport we were flying into, and the reviews online from guests were all wonderful.  We knew we were in the right place when we were regaled by hippo's living in the watering hole, Kudu sliders for lunch (see image below) and private thatched roof huts as our suites.  The lodge is set along a watering hole and each day we enjoyed the wildlife that came to drink.

There was a main lodge building, again with the view directed towards the watering hole, with a couple of seating areas, a bar and little infinity pool.  The rooms were these thatched suites with four-poster canopy beds and outdoor showers.  The design was very simple and true to it's surroundings and although we had never been before, we each felt comfortable and at home right away.

Arathusa Safari Lodge

We were taken on two daily safari drives by our very knowledgable ranger Ryan.  We saw wildlife beyond any of our expectations, and although were missing the rhino's in order to complete the Super Seven (Elephants, Buffalo, Leopard, Lion, Cheetah, Wild Dog and Rhino) we were blown away at how close the jeep was able to get to, and how we really got to experience the animals in their natural habitat.  We saw a pair of Cheetah brothers relaxing after a huge meal (their stomachs were so big they looked pregnant), Wild Dogs - the most rare to see African predator -, a Hyena den with a little one just over a month old, a mating Leopard couple, a group of four full lions trying to coax a Civet down from a tree as a snack, and much more. One afternoon we were even taken by our ranger on a bush walk, which was a great way to get to see the smaller things that one usually missed from the jeep rides - footprints, insects, fauna - and we came across a giraffe. It is really hard to capture the experience on film, but I hope you enjoy a selection of our photos below

I hope that there is a day soon where we are able to spend some more time at Arathusa Safari Lodge. It really was an amazing experience that left all of us wanting more. For now we will have to live through our photos and the Ranger Diary Blog that the lodge publishes weekly (worth a read for sure!) in order to get our fix.

How many of you have been on an African Safari? Was your experience similar? What were your lasting memories?