When Sue Bourke and her partner, Pete Summerfield, from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, travelled to Africa they didn’t just fulfil a dream to see meerkats: they fell in love with this wondrous continent.
Pete and I travelled in May-June of this year [2024], spending four weeks in Botswana and South Africa. We’d been to Africa about five years earlier, but it was a very short trip and we’d always wanted to go back.
Because we were going for a longer time and things were going to be a bit more complex, we wanted some expert help. I did some Googling, found Encompass Africa, and saw some of their reviews and itineraries. It all sounded great, so I contacted Danica.
Originally, we were thinking about visiting Tanzania, but meerkats are a bit of a thing in our family and I thought, ‘If I’m going all the way to Africa, I’m going to go see some damn meerkats!’ Which ultimately led us to Botswana.
We flew into Johannesburg where we were treated like rock stars and escorted through immigration. We just skipped the queue. It was incredible. We then spent a couple of nights at Voco hotel [now called Hyde] in the Rosebank district, just shopping and relaxing and recovering after our flight.
Our next stop was Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, where we stayed at Batonka Guest Lodge. The Falls were amazing. You can see why they’re one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. I think we should have done a helicopter flight to get the full effect of the Falls, but Pete is a helicopter pilot, so it was too much like work for him!
While we were at Vic Falls we also visited a black rhino conservation, had a lovely afternoon tea, and enjoyed a lunch cruise, where we were the only ones on board. It felt like we were in The African Queen!
From Vic Falls we headed to Botswana, to stay at Muchenje Safari Lodge in Chobe National Park. The wildlife spotting at Chobe was incredible. It was so full of animals and we even managed to see a leopard. We also did a water safari and had lunch on the boat while we watched a whole herd of elephants swim across the river.
We then travelled to Sango Safari Camp in the Okavango Delta, which was lush and green, and very different to the Chobe. We did lots of game drives and, again, the wildlife spotting was great. We also did a trip on a mokoro, which is kind of like a canoe or gondola. It’s so peaceful and tranquil. It’s just like floating. And the birds… because you’re sneaking up on them, you get quite close. It was pretty amazing.
After three nights in the Delta we went to Camp Kalahari. This was the most amazing stop of our trip. It was incredible. The scenery in the Kalahari is completely different. You’re out on the salt pans and there’s nothing to see for miles and miles. It was just phenomenal.
We went on a brilliant quad bike tour and at the end they took us to a spot for drinks around a bonfire. They then led us through the darkness to a great long table, where we joined other guests from the lodge for a special surprise dinner under the stars. Afterwards, they took us in the pitch black to where they had beds all lined up, and invited us to spend the night under the stars, out on the salt pans. What a surprise!
You won’t believe it, but we were the only ones that took up the offer. Lying in bed, looking up at the Milky Way, which is just so bright when there’s no light pollution, we didn’t want to go to sleep. It was just us, and it was incredible.
Camp Kalahari is also where we saw the meerkats. They were so much fun and we got some great photos and videos, but my gosh, I’ve got a completely different appreciation for wildlife photographers after that experience. Because trying to get the little devils to stay still for two seconds to get that perfect shot was just impossible!
We then returned to South Africa, and stayed at the Victoria & Alfred Hotel in Cape Town. You’re up early and on the go quite a lot when you’re on safari, so we were ready for a bit of a rest, some shopping, and a sleep-in! While we were there, we did a tour that Danica recommended: Eat Like a Local. It was amazing. I had the <best> time and would recommend it to anyone. We also did a really fun tour in a vintage motorcycle with a sidecar, based on a trip we’d seen Danica do on Facebook.
Cape Town was the last part of the trip that Encompass Africa organised for us. After that, we hired a car and spent a few nights in an Airbnb in Montague under our own steam. Then we flew back to Joburg and headed home.
My dream is to go back to Africa once Pete’s retired – I’d love to go to Tanzania, but as stuff comes up on the Encompass Facebook page, I save any posts that resonate with me and put them in a little file, so when it comes time to organise our next trip, I’ll be ready!
Africa is such a large and diverse continent, you could spend a lifetime exploring it and still only see a small part. We’re so grateful we got to see the small section we did, and in such comfort. Of all the places I have lived or visited, Africa is at the top of my all-time favourite list. It gets into your heart and soul.
