Entertaining Safari Guide
by Jo Preston
(China)
Dung beetles
White rhino and calf
Young elephant in the lush green bush
View point on the Panorama Route
I have to say a highlight was watching a dung beetle try and roll the ball up a little hill with Neil narrating…so hilarious!! We watched him for ages yelling encouragement but in the end he didn't make it but it was lots of fun watching him try.
Safari Operator Performance
We used Bearded Heron Safaris. We heard about them through the Africa Guide website.
Neil, Tina and Gordon were absolutely unbeatable!!! A holiday of a lifetime that we will remember always.
From beginning to end everything went smoothly. Tina was a pleasure to deal with and the service was second to none. I could not fault anything about our trip.
Neil was superb and went above and beyond just being our "guide".
He taught our two boys how to track; we spent an afternoon bird watching.
He explained the beautiful flora and of course we saw the "big 5".
Gordon who cooked for us treated us like kings and always had a big breakfast for us and amazing braais at night not to mention fantastic conversation and lots of laughs.Accommodation
We arrived in Johannesburg and stayed overnight at Shanguni which was really lovely.
From there we headed to Nelspruit and stayed at Jörn's Guest House which is a stunning guest house with amazing views.
We were picked up from there and went to Moholoholo Animal Rehabilitation tour and then did the Panorama route tour with breathtaking scenery.
We then got taken to meet Neil at Kruger where our 4 day safari began. We had two nights at Berg-en-Dal and one night at Malelane.Food
The food was spectacular.
Gordon went above and beyond trying to ensure we were always satisfied.
Excellent cooked breakfasts, snacks and fabulous braais at night.Wildlife
Because there had been lots of rain the Kruger was incredibly lush and we thought we might not see much but it was quite the opposite.
We had quite a close up experience with some elephants and Neil explained their behaviour and what they were telling us.
Rhinos, antelope, buffalo, giraffes, countless birds, hippos, crocs, lions, hyenas, baboons which were amazing to watch.
Typical Day
A typical day started with us getting up incredibly early when it was still dark with Gordon having already prepared coffee and snacks and heading off for a few hours early morning searching.
We would come back for a fantastic cooked breakfast then relax for a while and head off again in the afternoon.
Neil was fantastic as he never likes to follow all the cars when people would start to say they had seen something up ahead, in fact we would often go in the opposite direction which we loved. We would often sit and just wait rather than drive and drive which we really liked.
We would then come back for a barbeque dinner and talk about what we had seen that day over a few glasses of wine.
I could have stayed longer but all good things must come to an end.
Our last night was fantastic 'cause Neil explained to us each individually which animal we were which was sooo spot on it was scary.
I was the matriarchal elephant and how he described the traits was exactly me. A fantastic way to end the safari.Other Activities
The rehab facility and the panorama tour which were excellent.Tips and Advice
Go with Neil, Tina and Gordon for an unforgettable experience and not just chasing the "big 5"… Apart from the wildlife, meeting Neil and Gordon was the highlight… Neil's passion for the Kruger and his knowledge was amazing, we could listen to him talk for hours and hours.
Remember your camera and mozzie (mosquito) spray!
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