This week’s blog is a guest posting from Barbara Wiseman, President of The Earth Organization. She has been to South Africa on their Eco Safari and experienced it up close and personal! We are going on the June Eco Safari, and I asked her to tell me a little bit about the trip, for which Spirit Quest Tours is now a partner.
My Eco Safari Adventures to the Thula Thula Exclusive Private Wildlife Reserve and Safari Lodge have truly been the trips of a lifetime for me! Our Eco Safari tours start with a stay at the five-star luxury Woodhall Guest House in Durban; an African adventure! optional zip-line canopy tour at the base of the Drakensburg mountains, where you’ll traverse in a harness across 9 towers and 8 long slides, above and through the subtropical forest. Once you get to the magical Thula Thula reserve you stay in 4 and 5 star accommodations both at the lodge and in the bush.
While at Thula Thula we take game drives every day in open vehicle safaris and also go on bush walks. I can’t describe what it’s like to be out in the bush on an eco-safari, with nothing between you and the open sky and the truly vast landscape and to see the animals who live there walking near you, or following along with the Landies (that’s what they call Land Rovers there!) You truly feel like you’re a part of something greater than yourself on your African adventure. It’s a spiritual experience no matter what your beliefs.
For our exo-safari meals we get to have traditional South African and gourmet cuisine, prepared by a Cordon Bleu chef, which means even if you’re vegetarian you’re completely taken care of. One of the many elements that makes this safari unique is meeting the elephants rescued by “The Elephant Whisperer” Lawrence Anthony, world renowned conservationist, legendary adventurer and owner of Thula Thula, who just passed away last week. When his wife Francoise is in residence she will even join us for a dinner around the fire. We are so lucky to get to experience Lawrence’s legacy of the amazing Thula Thula preserve.
Other nights we are entertained by Zulu dancers, a local children’s choir, or our own intimate conversation (since the groups are small enough that it’s almost like your own private visit).
Proceeds from the Eco Safari Adventures go to support the global work of The Earth Organization. Which means when you go, $500 of your Eco Safari is tax deductible and gives you a year’s membership in TEO, a little bonus as part of this incredible experience! We can’t wait to see you in South Africa!