a perfect time

Ok how long would a post have to be to be too long? I ask because I think this one just might be that long! You know what its like when you get back from holiday and you've got the holiday blues and all you can think about is how great it was well yeah I am still stuck in the holiday blues! I won't even tell you how many photos I took on holiday cause its mad but I am pretty sure you will be able to tell its a lot just from the amount I have added to this ridiculously long post! So I apologise in advance and if you make it to the end I applaud you!! There is however some good info in here and some great recommendations so its worth it!!


Well where do I even begin! I wanted to have a trip home to SA before my second baby is born and also to see my best friend who was having her second baby! Luckily my husband loves SA and is always up for going on holiday there. This time however we wanted to do more, firstly we wanted a proper safari and secondly my hubby has always wanted to see Sun City. So we did some research and my word the amount of places to stay and choose from is ridiculous and I am a very indecisive person so it was too much for me! Instead I got hold of an old school friend who runs a travel company called Classic Escapes. Well they put together a brilliant itinerary for us and everything completely exceeded my expectations! Not only did they choose places that suited us perfectly they also chose places that were just downright amazing! I will definitely be contacting them again the next time I travel anywhere in Southern Africa (and I do plan to do that a lot!) They were brilliant and I would highly recommend them!


So the first place I want to tell you about is Motswiri. This is a private safari lodge inside the Madikwe game reserve. Now I have done a lot of safaris in my time especially having grown up in Africa but this place really is amazing! We were originally going to go to Kruger but I wanted to stay away from Malaria Zones especially with kids so we decided on Madikwe and I am so glad that we did. It had such an incredible personal touch to it! The lodge itself is gorgeous and very secluded and the staff were some of the nicest people I think I have ever met and the great thing is you really feel like part of the family by the time you leave! And then there is the food - my word was the food good!!! Our ranger was absolutely brilliant and his love for his job was infectious! The game drives are amazing and I couldn't get enough of them! I really thoroughly enjoyed every minute of our holiday here and am very grateful to the staff for making it such a memorable experience! Here are some of the photographs from this part of our trip:

Our first amazing sighting! Wild dogs! These poor animals are becoming quite rare so it was very special to see them.

Our little man's interaction with nature - trying to tell the 'go away' bird to go away! 

(it got that nickname because that is the what its call sounds like, it is the grey lourie bird)

Apparently it doesn't speak toddler!

Yes it is always amazing to see Lion but to see the cubs as well is so special!

How cute is this little fella, he thought he was so tough! 

Another really amazing sighting is the lilac breasted roller. This is the national bird of Botswana. Our ranger knew where a couple were nesting and we were so lucky to see them diving in and out with food for their young!

For me the Rhino is the most prehistoric looking animal there is! My husband was lucky enough to see a black rhino while there! I didn't see any Rhino for the first few days and started to get worried! I was so happy when I did!

And then there is the elephant. This is probably my favourite animal. Every since I was a kid I could just sit and watch them for hours on end. The most majestic of all the animal kingdom!

But how special is it to see the babies!! AMAZING! I JUST LOVE IT!!

There are just so many amazing things to see in the bush and everything is so special. As you can see I have a lot of photos to share! I took so many and loved every minute of it! The two best jobs in the world - Wildlife Photographer and Game Ranger!

And then there is also the most illusive of all the cats and I have very rarely got the privilege of getting to see one! But as I said this reserve is amazing and the rangers were brilliant! Such a beautiful sight!

Of course as much as myself and my husband loved this, my little man could only handle smaller doses! I think he learn't a lot during his little mini safaris (thanks Andre) and I am very happy that he has had this experience! This however is what he did for the rest of the time:

But he did also get to play with daddy a lot and spot some giraffe and elephant and buck right from his swimming pool!!

And at the end of the day there is nothing better than an african sunset.

I was very sad to say goodbye to our bush house! It was such a gorgeous place to stay and it broke my heart to say goodbye! I often wake up in the morning and think of the people lucky enough to be out on their morning safari enjoying their coffee under an african sky!

So of course all good things must come to an end but that wasn't the end of the fun altogether!

Next stop was to see my friend's little baby girl!! She was still in the hospital and so so cute! If you haven't seen her and want to check out some pictures take a look. SHE IS ADORABLE!!

We then headed on to Sun City. Now I went there when I was a kid but my word has I changed! I can honestly see why the lost palace is one of the leading hotels of the world it is amazing! I loved the lost palace and the valley of the waves but was not that keen on the entertainment centre but then I am not a gambler so there really was nothing in there for me. There was also a lot for kids to do here and when I got home I realised that I had hardly taken any photographs while we were there, probably because I was too busy sitting on my fat pregnant bum doing nothing! It was very relaxing! You can also drive 5 mins up the road and you can go into the Pilannesburg National Park which is another game reserve and its very pretty! 

So here are the very few photos I actually took while there - shame on me!

And some of the happy faces of the dinky dude! He still asks for the hotel now haha! All he did the whole time he was on holiday was swim and play with us so now that he is back to everyday normality he is very unimpressed!

And apparently while on holiday he can be a bit of a poser!

Of course that didn't last long though:

Well good things must come to an end and now we are back in reality! I did warn you that this was probably going to be the longest post ever! If you have made it all the way to the end I am amazed and very grateful that you took the time cause I know that I am a bit of a rambler! 

It was a truly amazing holiday and please feel free to ask me any questions if any of you ever want to go to Africa on holiday I will always be more than happy to help! Its a magical place and if you have never been you really should go!