safari at legend lodges

i'm pretty sure that most people's bucket lists

 include going on a safari...as they should! 

before coming to africa, i was so excited to

 finally cross this experience off my list -- 

but i wondered what a safari would really

be like! if you're wondering the same thing,

this will give you a taste of what to expect.

this safari experience was done through 

legend lodges at entabeni game reserve.

this is a great option for those interested

in a safari near johannesburg since it is

roughly 3-4 hours driving from the city.

the great thing about this area of entabeni

is how scenic it is. of all the different areas

we visited during the trip, i felt the most like

i was truly in africa here. the trees, hanglip

mountain, and landscapes were stunning.

as we drove into entabeni and to legend's 

hanglip lodge, we suddenly spotted this

pretty cheetah. unbelievable! these cheetas

are really rare to spot, especially up so close

on the road. our guide later told us that if you

do see them, they will be in the grass and

 tough to truly see. we couldn't believe it!

this already bodes well for our safari lodge..

so -- like a typical safari, we arrived 

to the lodge during the day, got the 

warmest of welcomes from the fabulous 

staff at legend, then explored the property. 

how about this gorgeous hanglip lodge? ^^

and, how about these rooms? ^^

we relaxed before our afternoon game 

drive which went from roughly 4:00 pm 

until 7:30 pm just before dark. the entire

safari experience is really exciting, but 

it also allows time to relax and enjoy

between the drives and animal sightings.

the game drives are typically big 5 drives,

looking for the elephant, rhino, cape buffalo,

lion, and leopard. you will likely see many

other animals along the way, but these are

the "big 5" you are hoping to check off the list.

on this particular drive we did not see all of

the big 5, but between our time in kruger

and other drives we did end up seeing them

 all! of course we loved seeing other animals

as well such as giraffes like pictured above ^^

^^ see:: here are the cheetah hiding in the

 grass on our game drive ... they were fun

to see this way, but we were glad we had

been up close to one on the way in too!

we got some fun shots from the gopro

mounted to the front of the safari jeep! ^^

^^ i spy a hippo! it's hard to ever see more of

them than this view, since they love to be

submerged in the water. one surprising fact

is that hippos are actually one of the most

dangerous animals...even though they don't

look like it! so beware of them if you ever

happen to see one out of the water :)

the breeze + cold waters kept us cool on

the drive. on a safari it's important to dress

in layers, because you can be roasting hot

one minute and chilled the next! the weather

can also change since the game drives last 

for hours, so it's always good to be prepared.

.. panorama picture break ..

we saw so many wildebeest on every drive.

they are really common on all safaris, but they

 started to grow on us...especially their little

 babies! we watched a pack interact before

 heading to our waterside lodge for the night.

hello, lakeside lodge! it was so cool to ride 

in our safari jeep all the way up the canyon 

to stay nestled up in the hills at this lodge on

the prettiest property overlooking the ravine.

after hours of the game drive, dinner in the

boma sounded lovely. the traditional braai

was served up, along with some dancing!

of course they convinced my mom to join in.

she is the best and always entertaining :)

dinner on safari is a very memorable dinner!

especially when you get escorted back to your

room at the end of the night due to animals.

and let's not forget that my dad topped any

safari guide's stories at dinner that night

with his bear attack...a different wild animal,

but just as crazy! they were amazed when

he showed them what a grizzly bear looks like.

after a night's sleep in our little cottages,

we woke up early {around 5:30 AM} to

leave on our morning game drive at 6 AM.

you can expect this early wake up call on

safaris, as animals are most active early

in the morning and it's the best time to

go out. you can always rest later in the day!

^^ a quick walk around the 

property before the morning drive

and, all equipped for the drive with my safari vest

and favorite cotopaxi backpack {gear for good} ^^

we left our very scenic 

camp at lakeside lodge --

our morning drive started off well by

getting up close & personal with a rhino

and it's baby! luckily these were white

rhinos so they were not agressive 

and we were able to get very close.

then down the canyon we went toward more

animals, and toward breakfast! along with

layers and a coat, it's also smart to bring a few

snacks on safari since you drive for hours & 

you want to enjoy it without distractions.

^^ after spending the early morning on

our game drive it was back to hanglip,

and back to a delicious breakfast!

i was so hungry by the time we had this.

the property landscape was so picturesque

and hard to leave after our stay! ^^

///

last but not least ::

after the complete safari experience, we got 

to have one more fun outing before leaving

 since legend is a safari AND golf resort.

you can see it's a very scenic golf course...

and - fun fact, you can pay to fly by

helicopter up to hanglip mountain in

the background to tee off the famed

19th hole. if you get a hole in one off

that, you win one million dollars! :)

^^ this putt looks like it made it, but it

veered off course at the last second :(

this guy is the best golfer. it's ridiculous.

it's a fun experience to golf right off

the reserve in the wild after exploring

and appreciating the animals around!

legend gives a balance between the wild

scenery and safaris // and luxury 

accommodations and attractions.

if you're planning to stay on safari for

a few days to a week, it's nice to have

options for other activities between

the game drives! it's a great property.

legend properties include a few different

lodges around entabeni. you can

see the different properties here.

we recommend legend due to the

level of quality combined with the

price and location options offered.

here's to crossing adventures off the

 bucket list! i am looking forward to bringing

chase on his first safari later this year!

xx