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africaLUCY STEPHENS HAS THE EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME ON SAFARI IN AFRICA.

WHEN MY BOYFRIEND first asked if I’d like to go on an African Safari in South Africa, I was hesitant. It was something I’d always wanted to do, but the thought of becoming dinner for a pride of ravenous lions absolutely terrified me (The Ghost and The Darkness, anyone?) His close friend, Michael Jeh - Fox, as he’s affectionately known - recently qualified as a game ranger and started up his own safari business Barefoot in Africa, falling in love with the continent after many trips there, and asked if we’d like to come and give it a test drive.

After hearing Fox’s many stories and seeing the amazing photos from trips, my initial qualms quickly dissipated, and were replaced by growing excitement. When we first arrived in Johannesburg, our additional safari trippers weren’t arriving until the following day, so Fox, my boyfriend Simona, and I stayed the night with a local and former Oxford University buddy of Fox’s, Craig. He took us on a tour of Jo’burg which, while an eye-opener, wasn’t quite the crime-ravaged city I’d envisioned. We went into the slums of Soweto, where we sampled a traditional African lunch at his pub, Chaf Pozi (which translates to “our secret place”). It was hard to believe we were sitting enjoying lunch in Soweto – a place that had built a reputation as one of the most dangerous townships on the planet.

The next day, we picked up the other Aussies

who were joining us on the trip – Olympic gold medal cyclist Sara Carrigan and her partner Steven, Jacqui and her partner Scott plus Scott and Sara’s parents, Kay and “Rooster”.

Our first stop was to a lodge called Nyala, situated near Hoedspruit in the Limpopo Province, where we met our game ranger Hennie van Deventer. Each day consisted of one to two game drives, with an afternoon bush walk where we’d attempt to track an animal on foot, following footprints, excrement, and our noses. On one of our first walks, we were able to get within metres of a crash of rhinoceros. I was initially petrified, but Hennie was able to sense how close we could get without agitating the animals.

Our most memorable encounters were at our next lodge, Struwig Eco Reserve, where we literally stumbled upon our first elephant while on a game drive. Another elephant suddenly appeared, and he was in musth: a three-month period of heightened aggressive and sexual behaviour in a dominant male elephant. The elephant started walking towards us, the first elephant branching off attempting to ambush us as the road turned to the left. Needless to say, we shifted into reverse very quickly! As my heart rate dropped back to normal, I smiled in amazement – what an encounter!

Hennie also gave us an insight into how each and every organism plays an integral part of Africa

as a bigger system. The trip also has an emphasis on conservation work, and we helped to repair a patch of dry gully that had become eroded, and visited an animal rehabilitation centre.

In the evening, we’d share stories over dinner as animals came to drink or wallow in the river in front of our camp, and we’d fall asleep in our thatched-roof chalets listening to the gutteral growls of lions, the whoops of hyenas and trumpeting of hippos! We woke one evening to see a pair of lions walk right past the window of our lodge (luckily they had no interest in making a meal out of me). My African experience was unforgettable. It left me with a deeper appreciation of animals and the bush. If Africa isn’t on your bucket list – it should be. I’ll definitely be heading back!

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