After one of those nights of sleep where you know you have to wake up early and are afraid to sleep through the alarm clock so you don't really sleep at all, I was relieved to see the clock finally hit 4:15am so we could get up and be on our way to the airport. We had checked out and packed the night before, so we just woke up, threw on some clothes and set off to return the rental car and go check in for our nest set of flights. I have to admit, after four days of driving on the opposite side of the road, I did not hide my enthusiasm in returning our Chevy Cruz. No more driving the rest of the trip...no accidents...WOOHOO!
Our 6:15am flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg was on time, but unfortunately our connecting flight from Jo'Burg to the small Hoedspruit airport near Kruger National Park was delayed. We were scheduled to have a two hour layover, but the flight was delayed another 2 hours, so we didn't end up taking off until close to 12:00pm. Spending time in an airport for longer than expected is never fun, but we can look back on it now and breathe a sigh of relief that this flight was the only one that was significantly delayed for our entire trip. Luckily the flight was very short (45 minutes), and before we knew it, we were landing on a deserted landing strip, with random animals running around just off the airport road.
We walked off the plane (the only one at the airport) on the runway, and were greeted by a warm breeze in our face, with temperatures somewhere in the high-80's. On our way to pick up our luggage, we saw a shuttle driver with a sign that read "Gomo Gomo", the name of our lodge. Our driver, Riann (pronounced REE-on), was actually one of the three main guides at the Gomo Gomo Game Lodge, and he had driven from the lodge to pick us up and bring us back to the lodge. After insisting he take the luggage ("You're on vacation now," he said), we jumped into an old beater van and made our way down the two-lane road through Kruger National Park en route to the lodge. The drive took about 40 minutes, and we could not have cared it it lasted two hours, because we were surrounded by thick trees and plants ("the bush") and every 5-10 minutes we would have a new animal sighting. As we got excited for each animal we saw (mainly birds and impalas), Riann would tell us what it was and a little bit about it. Fortunately for us, he didn't need to explain much when we saw zebras on the side of the road! As soon as we saw those guys, Julie suffered from complete sensory-overload, and didn't shake a smile off her face until we left three days later.
We pulled up to the lodge right around 2:00pm, and as soon as set foot inside, the smirks we gave each other said it all..."Yep, this is what we're talkin' about!" The lodge had a rustic feeling to it, with brick walls and thatched roofs enclosing the main lounge and dining area. Directly ahead of us were large glass walls and sliding doors that led out to the observing deck that overlooked a large watering hole. There were lounge chairs and other comfortable chair surrounding the deck facing the water, where current guests were seated and looking at the different animals coming to feed at the site. I immediately feel in love with this deck, and knew I would be spending a ton of time with my camera and binoculars scanning the area for all sorts of wildlife. As we took in the view, another guide named H.J. came out and brought us a fruit punch drink to welcome us. He told us we were just in time for lunch, and that afterward we would go over the paperwork and he would take us to our chalet.
For my full review of Gomo Gomo, click here for the review I posted on TripAdvisor.
After a quick lunch with the other guests (there were 16 people in the entire place), H.J. led us down a dirt path to our completely isolated chalet surrounded by trees and plants. The room was perfectly sized, with an incredibly large bathroom, and most importantly, a deck that looked out into the trees. Our bed had a beautiful white mosquito net draped down over it (for show only, we never needed it), and we had a cool thatched roof as well. The accommodations were perfect. H.J. told us we had about an hour before the evening drive started, so we freshened up a bit and got our cameras and binoculars ready for our first excursion in the bush!
*SIDE NOTE* - It was very tough for me to decide how much to post about each game drive, as we saw countless animals, many of which we saw multiple times. I didn't want to say, "And then we saw a lion, And then we saw a rhino" (which I could easily do). Regardless of what I type, it will not do justice to the incredible sights and sounds we were exposed to during the six game drives we enjoyed over our three days at Gomo Gomo. So I will do my best just to give you unique highlights of each drive, while also letting you know what animals we saw. Just know there is plenty more where this came from if you want more stories.
When it was time to head out on the game drive (3:30pm), we all hopped into the topless Land Rover, equipped with three rows of seats (3 seats across), with each row being higher than the one in front of it. We found out that H.J. would be our driver/guide for the entirety of the trip, and before we rolled out, he gave us the basic instructions, including not standing up in the car (it attracts animals to you), watch out for thorny bushes, and basically don't be an idiot. We were introduced to our tracker, Niathi, who would be sitting on a small chair on the hood of the car, looking down at the dirt looking for tracks to follow. With that, we left the lodge and jumped on to a series of dirt roads that weaved in and out of the bush with hopes of seeing anything that moved.
Within 15-20 minutes, we were driving through an opening when we saw a giant rhino through the bushes. With a quick turn of the wheel, H.J. drove off the road and charged straight over bushes toward the rhino and then...
We got a flat tire.
In front of a rhino.
H.J. cursed in Afrikaans, then told us to get out of the vehicle and stay on the opposite side of the vehicle as the rhino in the distance. Uh, ok! With one eye we watched as H.J. and Niathi jacked up the car and replaced the mammoth tire, while the other eye stayed firmly fixed on Mr. Big Horn in the bushes. He kept a watchful eye on us, but made no aggressive moves, and before we knew it, we were back in the Land Rover.
We got a call on the radio from the other vehicle about some elephants, so we floored it across some roads to get to the watering hole they were spotted. As soon as we got there, we realized we probably didn't need to rush, as there was an entire herd of elephants bathing, playing, and mating in the water. I know there were a ton of amazing moments on this trip, but I will tell you right now, nothing topped this for me. For weeks leading up to the trip I told Julie that if I had the chance, I was going to steal a baby elephant and make him my pet. Well, I had options, as three little guys awkwardly ambled around the female elephants, tripping over their own feet and trunks. Oh my goodness, let me have one please!
The elephants were ramming tusks and play-fighting, and a couple of them started getting a little frisky in the water. Before we knew what had happened, we were exposed to the very rare sight of the 5-legged elephant...
I could talk about the elephants for an entire post, but there were so many other animals that, as we did on the drive, I must move on. Just know I couldn't care less about what happened the rest of the trip. That was awesome.
Among other animals we saw during the drive were impalas, steenboks (small jumping antelope), giraffes, kudu (large antelope with huge horns), honey badgers, and oh yeah, two female lions. I list these things like it's no big deal, but each one of them was an incredibly unique sighting. The honey badgers were even more badass in person, and our guide had even more stories to back up their reputation as tough animals. Unfortunately the honey badgers were a little too quick for my camera shutter...but they live on in my memory! As for the female lions, don't worry, I'll have way more to say about them in future posts. There will be more photos of all of these later on.
Our 6:15am flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg was on time, but unfortunately our connecting flight from Jo'Burg to the small Hoedspruit airport near Kruger National Park was delayed. We were scheduled to have a two hour layover, but the flight was delayed another 2 hours, so we didn't end up taking off until close to 12:00pm. Spending time in an airport for longer than expected is never fun, but we can look back on it now and breathe a sigh of relief that this flight was the only one that was significantly delayed for our entire trip. Luckily the flight was very short (45 minutes), and before we knew it, we were landing on a deserted landing strip, with random animals running around just off the airport road.
We walked off the plane (the only one at the airport) on the runway, and were greeted by a warm breeze in our face, with temperatures somewhere in the high-80's. On our way to pick up our luggage, we saw a shuttle driver with a sign that read "Gomo Gomo", the name of our lodge. Our driver, Riann (pronounced REE-on), was actually one of the three main guides at the Gomo Gomo Game Lodge, and he had driven from the lodge to pick us up and bring us back to the lodge. After insisting he take the luggage ("You're on vacation now," he said), we jumped into an old beater van and made our way down the two-lane road through Kruger National Park en route to the lodge. The drive took about 40 minutes, and we could not have cared it it lasted two hours, because we were surrounded by thick trees and plants ("the bush") and every 5-10 minutes we would have a new animal sighting. As we got excited for each animal we saw (mainly birds and impalas), Riann would tell us what it was and a little bit about it. Fortunately for us, he didn't need to explain much when we saw zebras on the side of the road! As soon as we saw those guys, Julie suffered from complete sensory-overload, and didn't shake a smile off her face until we left three days later.
We pulled up to the lodge right around 2:00pm, and as soon as set foot inside, the smirks we gave each other said it all..."Yep, this is what we're talkin' about!" The lodge had a rustic feeling to it, with brick walls and thatched roofs enclosing the main lounge and dining area. Directly ahead of us were large glass walls and sliding doors that led out to the observing deck that overlooked a large watering hole. There were lounge chairs and other comfortable chair surrounding the deck facing the water, where current guests were seated and looking at the different animals coming to feed at the site. I immediately feel in love with this deck, and knew I would be spending a ton of time with my camera and binoculars scanning the area for all sorts of wildlife. As we took in the view, another guide named H.J. came out and brought us a fruit punch drink to welcome us. He told us we were just in time for lunch, and that afterward we would go over the paperwork and he would take us to our chalet.
For my full review of Gomo Gomo, click here for the review I posted on TripAdvisor.
The view back at the lodge from the observing deck
View from the lodge doors
Lounge area overlooking the watering hole
The dining area
After a quick lunch with the other guests (there were 16 people in the entire place), H.J. led us down a dirt path to our completely isolated chalet surrounded by trees and plants. The room was perfectly sized, with an incredibly large bathroom, and most importantly, a deck that looked out into the trees. Our bed had a beautiful white mosquito net draped down over it (for show only, we never needed it), and we had a cool thatched roof as well. The accommodations were perfect. H.J. told us we had about an hour before the evening drive started, so we freshened up a bit and got our cameras and binoculars ready for our first excursion in the bush!
*SIDE NOTE* - It was very tough for me to decide how much to post about each game drive, as we saw countless animals, many of which we saw multiple times. I didn't want to say, "And then we saw a lion, And then we saw a rhino" (which I could easily do). Regardless of what I type, it will not do justice to the incredible sights and sounds we were exposed to during the six game drives we enjoyed over our three days at Gomo Gomo. So I will do my best just to give you unique highlights of each drive, while also letting you know what animals we saw. Just know there is plenty more where this came from if you want more stories.
When it was time to head out on the game drive (3:30pm), we all hopped into the topless Land Rover, equipped with three rows of seats (3 seats across), with each row being higher than the one in front of it. We found out that H.J. would be our driver/guide for the entirety of the trip, and before we rolled out, he gave us the basic instructions, including not standing up in the car (it attracts animals to you), watch out for thorny bushes, and basically don't be an idiot. We were introduced to our tracker, Niathi, who would be sitting on a small chair on the hood of the car, looking down at the dirt looking for tracks to follow. With that, we left the lodge and jumped on to a series of dirt roads that weaved in and out of the bush with hopes of seeing anything that moved.
Niathi, our tracker
Within 15-20 minutes, we were driving through an opening when we saw a giant rhino through the bushes. With a quick turn of the wheel, H.J. drove off the road and charged straight over bushes toward the rhino and then...
We got a flat tire.
In front of a rhino.
H.J. cursed in Afrikaans, then told us to get out of the vehicle and stay on the opposite side of the vehicle as the rhino in the distance. Uh, ok! With one eye we watched as H.J. and Niathi jacked up the car and replaced the mammoth tire, while the other eye stayed firmly fixed on Mr. Big Horn in the bushes. He kept a watchful eye on us, but made no aggressive moves, and before we knew it, we were back in the Land Rover.
That is a serious car-jack
Mr. Big Horn
Yep, that'll give you a flat...
We got a call on the radio from the other vehicle about some elephants, so we floored it across some roads to get to the watering hole they were spotted. As soon as we got there, we realized we probably didn't need to rush, as there was an entire herd of elephants bathing, playing, and mating in the water. I know there were a ton of amazing moments on this trip, but I will tell you right now, nothing topped this for me. For weeks leading up to the trip I told Julie that if I had the chance, I was going to steal a baby elephant and make him my pet. Well, I had options, as three little guys awkwardly ambled around the female elephants, tripping over their own feet and trunks. Oh my goodness, let me have one please!
GIMME GIMME GIMME!
Play time
I love this photo - the Land Rover in the back is priceless
The elephants were ramming tusks and play-fighting, and a couple of them started getting a little frisky in the water. Before we knew what had happened, we were exposed to the very rare sight of the 5-legged elephant...
Check it out, 5 legs...
I could talk about the elephants for an entire post, but there were so many other animals that, as we did on the drive, I must move on. Just know I couldn't care less about what happened the rest of the trip. That was awesome.
A couple more elephant photos
How would you not want one of these?
Among other animals we saw during the drive were impalas, steenboks (small jumping antelope), giraffes, kudu (large antelope with huge horns), honey badgers, and oh yeah, two female lions. I list these things like it's no big deal, but each one of them was an incredibly unique sighting. The honey badgers were even more badass in person, and our guide had even more stories to back up their reputation as tough animals. Unfortunately the honey badgers were a little too quick for my camera shutter...but they live on in my memory! As for the female lions, don't worry, I'll have way more to say about them in future posts. There will be more photos of all of these later on.
Right around 5:15pm, H.J. pulled the car off to the side of the "road" and said we were stopping for evening drinks. He pulled out a cooler of drinks for us (which he had asked us our personal drink preference at lunch earlier in the day), and set up a makeshift table on the hood of the Land Rover, also bringing out some small snacks for us. So we sat there with a South African beer and snacks, in the bush in the heart of South Africa's wildlife reserve, surrounded by elephants, impalas and birds...and we felt safe. It's odd what a giant vehicle and a guide with a rifle can do to calm your senses, isn't it?
Sunset during our evening drinks
After soaking it all in, we jumped back in the car as the sun went down and continued our drive through the bush looking (and listening) for more animals. This is when we spotted the female lions at the watering hole near our lodge.
Female lions cleaning during the night
With three hours gone by, H.J. said it was time to head back to the lodge because dinner was being prepared. And of course, as soon as "dinner" was mentioned, you could see the ears of my travel partner perk up immediately. Dinner at Gomo Gomo is an interactive experience, where we sat around a huge fire in a full circle, and the cook staff double as hilarious jesters, presenting the meals to us with dramatic flair and hilarious commentary. Our main cook, Cedric, definitely enjoyed the limelight, and made sure not a sentence went by without at least one wise-crack. He definitely had a rehearsed shtick, and when listing ingredients for a meal, he would always say something like, "with vegetables, herbs, spices, and lemon dishwashing liquid." Yes he was a character. But the meals were all excellent (lots of meat and vegetables), and we all had a great time getting to know our fellow guests near the fire.
As the night ended, the hours of flying, airport layovers, game drives and animal excitement caught up to Miss Julie, and her eyes began to flutter as we chatted with people at the end of dinner. Earlier during our orientation with H.J., he told us that we were not allowed to walk to our room by ourselves at night time due to the animals being so close to camp. So when it was time to sleep, we flagged down H.J. and he walked us to our room, keeping a close eye for prowling animals. He also gave us a radio for emergencies during the night, in case something happened and we needed to leave the room (since we couldn't go anywhere without the safety of the guide with us). With that comforting piece of information, H.J. smiled and walked away, reminding us he'd be back at 5:30am the next morning for our wake-up call for our morning game-drive.
With the sounds of the bush lulling us to sleep, we passed out in no time. I woke up a couple times during the night due to some lion roars (no joke), but other than that, we slept like two baby elephants...
*NEXT UP* - More elephants (yay!), we witness the start of a kill, and Julie finds a way to compare our safari to Disneyland.
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