After a few wonderful days exploring Cape Town (which you can read about here) it was time to embark on the most anticipated portion of our trip, our time on Safari. Singita Lodges have always been the pinnacle of the Safari experience, at least in all of my research, so when arranging our itinerary I let our Travel Planner know that Singita was non-negotiable, it was just a matter of where. He decided that Singita Boulders Sabi Sands (within Kruger National Park) was the perfect place to begin our adventure; super luxurious accommodations and the opportunity to see a wide assortment of animals. Not surprisingly, he was spot on (as I mentioned, I am happy to share his information if you contact me directly, he did an incredible job planning every aspect of our trip).
The first hurdle was getting to the remote location of the Lodge, and that entailed a lengthy flight from Cape Town to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport, and then a tiny chartered plane ( I insisted on 2 pilots, 2 engines). One note about the tiny plane, because of space considerations and weight restrictions one’s luggage needs to be soft-sided and there is a limit per person of 70kg. As a chronic over-packer this was a little bit of a challenge, but Singita includes daily laundry service, so you really don’t need all that much. One bit of packing advice- layers! The mornings start out very chilly (but come complete with hot water bottles and blankets) and temps rise during the day. I did bring loads of chic safari clothes for dinner, but only ended up getting dressed up a couple of nights; it is very casual.
Our pilots landed us safely in the bush, though our trip was not smooth. It was really hot and the turbulence made it feel as though we were on a amusement park ride but thankfully it was just a 15 minute trip.
From the landing strip we were promptly delivered to the Lodge and greeted with a cleansing towel and welcome cocktail. We enjoyed a brief tour and then received quick overview of the property and what we could expect during our stay.
Within moments of arrival our attention was directed across the river towards a herd of elephants that magically gathered to welcome us.
Shortly thereafter we were whisked off to explore our villa which was truly stunning. We would not be roughing it in any way during our stay. The decor and all of the amenities would impress anywhere, but when you take into consideration you are in a completely isolated remote corner of the jungle it is mind blowing. The juxtaposition of nature and luxury is really something special.
We were tempted to just stay in and laze around in our room, but there were animals to see! We grabbed a quick bite (there is a small menu, but they will accommodate any request if they are able). Be warned though, there are tiny monkeys in the trees that are just waiting to nab your food, bread especially. My husband had part of his lunch stolen right out of his hand.
A note on the daily schedule while at Singita, game drives take place twice a day based on when the animals are most active, at dawn and dusk; so departure times at 6 am and 3 pm generally (at least during September). The middle of the day is reserved for a scrumptious lunch and a daily massage. While all the guides at Singita properties are skilled and experienced our trip planner made sure we were assigned the very best team (the A-team as we came to call them) Piet and Renneck. These guys have worked together for many years and seem to be able to sniff out the animal activity better than any one else.
One important tip- request your own Jeep and guide team, there is a supplemental charge for this but I believe it is totally worth it.
Our first foray into the field was filled with excitement, there were animals in every direction and we felt as though we hit the jack-pot. In case you were wondering about photographic equipment, the only camera I had with me was my iPhone 15 Pro Max, and the pictures included here are a minuscule sampling of the hundreds I took during the trip.
One of the highlights was coming upon a lioness and her cubs, and we were enchanted.
Before we headed back to the Lodge we stopped for a Sundowner expertly prepared by Piet and enjoyed with (gluten free) snacks. One of the greatest discoveries I made on the trip- Musgrave pink gin and Fitch & Leedes pink tonic- perfection! If anyone has a source to get the pink tonic in the US, please let me know ASAP!
Our first day on Safari was just perfect, and we capped it off with a tasty dinner and really delicious chocolatey dessert. At Singita each guest is assigned a staff member who is responsible for their meals and general comfort throughout their stay. We were lucky enough to be assigned Catherine who went out of her way to make sure we were happy (and well fed) every moment of the day. After dinner we were escorted back to our villa (there is always someone walking with you before sunrise and after dark to ensure there are no surprise encounters with animals, during our trip back the first night our escort shone his extra bright flashlight on a massive black hairy spider on the railing, I just about died).
Day two started with a 5:30am wake-up call and a 6:00am pick up. There was coffee to bring in the Jeep, as well as freshly made toasties. I decided to wait until we returned to enjoy breakfast, but my husband loved the cheese toasties while in the field. I loved the aforementioned hot water bottles on our seats which took the chill off during the early morning drive, and the sundowner break was replaced by a hot coffee/cocoa/Amarula stop which might also become a habit at home.
We continued to be awed by the variety of the wildlife, each new animal we saw was more exciting than the last.
Its hard not to anthropomorphize all the animals, it felt like the Lion King come to life. The giraffes were especially graceful and captivating.
As mentioned, the time between game drives seemed best spent getting massages (excellent) and eating (yummy). The Wifi was strong in our villa so we were also able to get some work done before it was time to go out again in the late afternoon.
On our second day we really got lucky with the lions. The Pride that inhabits this corner of Kruger is somewhat famous because they have endured a tumultuous history and the lioness (Tsalala) and her three cubs are true survivors. There are two males in the pride, brothers who seem to be vying for the role of King.
If you are going to click on one video in this post, please watch the interaction below.
We literally could not get enough of these lions.
While the lions took up a good deal of our time, we also managed to get up close and personal with many other magnificent creatures including a cheetah and her cub, and African buffalo, a tower (group) of giraffes, a pod of hippopotamuses, and many more elephants.
I have always been enchanted by leopards, so it was especially exciting to track down this gorgeous creature, a young male who was taking a rest under a tree.
You may be aware that I have working dogs, so it was a real treat to get to meet one of the dogs in the anti-poaching unit that patrols the area of Kruger which surrounds Boulders along with her handler. Poaching is a huge problem, specifically people killing rhino’s for their horns. I had no idea a single horn can fetch over a million dollars on the black market, so there are plenty of people who are willing to risk their lives to obtain one. If you are interested you read read more about their valiant efforts here.
The parade of animals literally did not stop, we were grateful to Piet and Renneck for their dedication in tracking down every possible species
For our final sighting of the trip we came across a massive pride of lions, a total of 18 who were all happily resting and digesting after what must have been a feast. Seeing the animals in their natural habitats is such a moving experience, something we couldn’t really understand until we actually witnessed it.
We were sad when we had to say farewell to Singita Boulders, but we were headed to another Singita Lodge within Kruger, Lebombo which I will write about shortly.
Boulders was almost perfect in every way, but if I had to pick out any negative I would say that while the meal service was incredibly accommodating and beautifully presented, the dishes for the most part were merely good, not outstanding. The ingredients were excellent, but the execution could have been better. Additionally, there was no interaction between any guests at all, it was a little odd. I might have taken it personally but it wasn’t just us, everyone kept to themselves; perhaps it was just an off week? In any case, these are minor negatives, as a whole the stay was incredible, and I would rank it pretty close to perfection.
Utterly dreamy!