Welcome to my wildly long and detailed retelling of our 2 week trip through South Africa in April of 2023. If you’re starting here, you may want to go back and read:
Days 1 - 4: Journey From Hell, But Ultimate Arrival in Cape Town
Days 5 - 5: The Wine Tram in Franschhoek and Activities in Plettenberg Bay
If you’re caught up, let’s dive back in. We arrived in Johannesburg and the next morning, I was up and anxiously awaiting “a ride” to come and get me for my Soweto tour. I knew basically no information, but as most things seemed to do in South Africa, it just worked out.
DAY ELEVEN
A TOUR OF SOWETO
A driver named Isaac picked me up from the hotel and on our drive to Soweto, told me that many South Africans were sad to learn about what R Kelly had done because they really loved him! Fun fact.
At Lebo’s, where the tour started, we kicked things off by singing The Lion Sleep’s tonight which was written in Soweto’s streets.
Touring a township was important to me, but it’s certainly a moral conundrum and ethical issue for some people. My experience with Lebo’s tour was absolutely incredible and I’m so glad I ultimately decided to go for it - but it’s a personal decision for everyone to make! Allison stayed at the hotel and lounged at the pool and that was a totally valid call on her part, too. Having a great grandmother who grew up in Johannesburg, I felt some personal responsibility to see Soweto.
Our tour guide, Linda, got us set with bikes and then took us first to Lebo’s camping grounds, whose hilltop location afforded a view over all of Soweto. 2+ million people and 41 individual areas exist within the township - the majority of people own or were given there homes. 8 Soweto citizens are white.
We saw the Orlando towers which apparently you can bungee jump from and Linda assured us there would be black people below watching white tourists do this and laughing. The towers also act as advertisement space.
Linda pointed out Orlando Stadium, which was used as the practice facility during the 2010 World Cup which is when a lot of the corruption that now persists in South African government really began. They promised they would building hospitals and employ 20 people, but then they would hire 10 people, pocket the rest of the money, and the 10 people now working there would be in a terrible, overworked position.
For the World Cup, 500 apartments were built that the community has refused to move into for the principal of it. They were supposed to be free, and then they announced that they were in fact “rent to buy” (it would take 20 years of tenting to own it). While rent to buy sounds like an amazing proposition to me personally as a New York City renter, the solidarity of the community to say “no, that is not what we were promised and we are not moving into these” is amazing to me. The private company that built them has spent 13 years paying for 24/7 security so there are no squatters.
Linda also pointed out his home down below and let us know that he’s a Pirates fan - the two major teams are the Orlando Pirates and the Kaizer Chiefs (we are talking football, or soccer, here).
We also saw the “mine piles” - dusty mountains that were blowing so much dirt into Soweto that they started planting on top of it and refer to them as “their Table Mountain.”
We stopped by some pretty down-and-out looking buildings, “hostels,” but Linda made sure to explain to us that these people aren’t necessarily poorer, they’re just in buildings that are state owned which means they can’t make improvements as easily as others. They may have a 5-10 minute walk to a community bathroom or figure out a way to run water and share with multiple families nearby. These hostels were made for mine workers and used to house 8 miners!
As we biked through Soweto, Linda told us we might be referred to as “Umlungu” - a non offensive term for a white person and that we should respond with, “yebo!” We also learned how to say hello in Zulu which is a very-fun-to-say “sanibonani!” “Shop shop” is slang for “all is good.”
We stopped at a farm stand and tried some of their popular snacks (amakipkip) and I was bummed I hadn’t bought more cash with me as part of the goodwill surrounding these tours is that it gets people into the community and buying from the various street vendors. If you visit Soweto, bring cash and support the local vendors!
Linda made a side mission to his girlfriend’s nail lady to make her an appointment - it was a tent set up amidst a ton of other “shops.”
There was absolutely no sense of pity from our tour guide. These are hard working people who are doing what they need to do to survive and it was really difficult during COVID because they weren’t supposed to be out and about and there was no one to sell to.
We started asking Linda about his girlfriend and he got into a description of “lobolo” which is a bride price, dating back to a price as it related to cows. He explained that things like a college education, or a master’s degree, was equal to “more cows.” The two families sit down to negotiate a cost AND the men are still expected to buy an engagement ring. Linda, at the time, wanted to propose to his girlfriend who he had met at university where they both studied adventure tourism.
I asked a question about bikes - we saw so many people walking, and I wondered why more people didn’t use bikes to get around. Linda explained that they’re expensive and women look at men with bikes and say, “Oh, he doesn’t own a car.”
It seemed so serendipitous that Linda had started an organization in Soweto to get kids into swimming, running and mountain biking!! I was in awe.
We stopped by a tuck shop (convenience store) and shebeen (bar) as we continued our conversations and learning.
Minibuses in South Africa use a system of hand symbols - and I thought the MTA bus system was confusing! The owner of the vehicles charges around 600 rand a week (equivalent to about 32 USD) to people who wish to be a driver. Once they pay back that 600 rand, they’re free to keep any other income (and may be given a small salary for slow weeks). There are certain owners that own certain routes, and what used to be a pretty wild-west-situation is now more regulated.
We stopped by a school and learned that while kindergarten is not free, after that, education is free. Healthcare is also free, but there can be long waits for appointments so some people opt to pay for private insurance.
There are many people living in Soweto who could leave Soweto, but they don’t. Which just goes to show how proud people are of where they come from.
We stopped by the Memorial for Hector Pieterson - a 12 year old schoolboy who was shot and killed during the Soweto uprising which was obviously a sobering stop of the tour - it reminded me of another amazing book about South Africa that I read called “Hum If You Don’t Know the Words.”
Our last stop was the only street in the world home to two Nobel Prize Winners - Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu’s houses were SO close to each other. Fun fact, Nelson Mandela’s family buried the family’s umbilical cords in the backyard!
Right in this area Linda pointed out the restaurant that his would-be girlfriend yelled his name from while he gave a tour which led to their reconnection! AW!
Overall, the tour was amazing. I asked if tours in general have support in Soweto and Linda said that tours like ours, where we are out, interacting have better response than tour buses that just drive through with people looking and pointing out windows. I can definitely see where that feels icky!
We finished with a delicious meal cooked by Andile of potjie and carrot salad and I think it might have been one of my favorite meals of the trip. I also loved watching Linda eat with his hands - far from feeling weird or rude it seemed so natural when he did it!
the apartheid museum
Isaac was waiting and brought me to the Apartheid Museum where I met up with Allison and we went through the full museum reading EVERYTHING, absolutely enthralled. It was such an amazing museum, I’m so glad we took the time to really go through everything.
I’ve never learned so much about a country while traveling - and I think South Africa was different because it’s history is so alive and so much a part of its present. Everyone has lived through so much change, conflict, reconciliation and struggle in such a condensed period of time that it feels wrong to use the word history.
Apartheid was the “perfecting” of institutionalized racism. The Afrikaner National Party drew from the Jim Crow South, Naziism and the Caste System and came up with a mega system of segregation whereby the white minority (~14%) ruled over a black majority. Black South Africans were forcibly relocated, had to carry passbooks or risk being arrested and interracial relations were made illegal.
How could a white minority enact these sweeping policies? For one - guns and money. But the most powerful tool they used was the concept of “Divide and Conquer.” There are 11 official languages in South Africa. 11 different tribal groups with different cultures, languages, history, beliefs and reasons to not get along. Afrikaners used this to their advantage to keep South Africa’s apartheid system in place for 45 years. Ultimately, Anti-Apartheid activists like Nelson Mandela, Walter Max Ulyate Sisulu, Robert Sobukwe, Steve Biko, Joe Slovo and more were successful in uniting a nation behind the common cause of true democracy and freedom for all.
On May 29, 1994, Nelson Mandela was democratically elected as the first black president of South Africa.
And that’s where the story ends in most American history books. A, “and then they lived happily ever after - black and white South Africans holding hands and skipping off into the sunset” the underlying subtext.
I can’t help but feel that when apartheid ended, what lay ahead was even more complicated - effective democracy and functioning society. And that’s never a black and white issue, it’s all about the shades of gray. It just goes to show how incredibly useless dividing people according to race is. It’s still a country with millions of unique individuals all with different ideas for South Africa’s future and the best way to get there.
Learning all this history while experiencing the reality of present-day South Africa was complicated, especially as a white woman. South African society still seems to be extremely segregated. I had to constantly reckon with the prevailing message that the “safe” areas are the white areas (because yes, there are still areas that are majority white - even in a country where only 7.7% of the population is white). I had to constantly question why all the nice houses were wrapped in barbed wire fences. Why my hotel was gated with a 24-hour guard. Why people were walking on the highways (only 30% of South Africans own cars) and why white South Africans we met were talking about their maids.
Of course, nothing is as simple as it seems. While my initial reaction was physical discomfort at the black woman working as a maid at our bed and breakfast - the reality is that South Africa has an unemployment rate of 36.8% for black South Africans. Am I meant to take the attitude of “Well at east it’s a job?” That felt icky too, especially when in comparison, the white South Africans’ unemployment rate is a much lower 7.8%. I found that I had to stop myself from feeling sorry for people multiple times. Especially during my township tour in Soweto. Yes there are corrugated tin shacks and people still using buckets as bathrooms. But after spending a day there, the overwhelming feeling that I had was that they are proud of their community. And they should be. The strides taken in 29 years are impressive. One street is home to two Nobel Prize winners (I was shocked at how close Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu’s houses were!) And most reports conclude that Soweto is safer than 97% of South African cities (this stat made more impressive by the fact that in 1976 the NYT wrote an article titled, “Crime Rate in Soweto Among World’s Highest”).
I left feeling that the people of Soweto and all of South Africa have something that I am incredibly jealous of - the ability to be happy with less. Less physical belongings, less creature comforts, less of the bullshit. They also have more in so many ways. More time with friends and family. A greater sense of community and commitment to that community.
In South Africa, children call their cousins brother and sister. Families live together, sometimes forever. They’re there for each other first and foremost.
The philosophy of ubuntu resonated with me so deeply - “I am because we are.” Life is about our relationships with others. We are human because of our relationships with other. The warmth of the ubuntu philosophy was felt throughout our travels, in all of our interactions. It makes me mad to see US politicians coopting this term in speeches when to me, it is so far from the “rugged individualism” that American thrives on.
For all that South Africa still has to overcome, their legacy of reconciliation is truly inspiring. Following apartheid, the black majority was not out for blood from their Afrikaner oppressors. Reading stories from the Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner, I was flabbergasted that politicians agreed to this. That a whole nation bought in. So many times, in museums and on tours, Allison and I just looked at each other and said, “We could never have been this forgiving.” It’s beautiful. And I also understand why it’s not for everyone. It’s reconciliation at the cost of justice. It’s complicated. Like so many things I’ve just reflected about are. This is the most complex, beautiful, compassionate, complicated country. It has so many challenges and issues, as all countries do, but I really want to see South Africa succeed. If the people we met along the way are an indication, I believe that they will. Zulu umuntu numuntu ngabantu. Recommended Reading: When Racial Progress Comes for White Liberals.
After the museum, we went to the neighborhood Parkhurst neighborhood where there was a road absolutely filled with bars and restaurants. We strolled for awhile before picking one out - which I cannot remember for the life of me, even after pouring over Google Maps. After dinner, we got ourselves some ice cream before heading back to the hotel.
We went to bed feeling like it was Christmas morning, because our SAFARI was going to start the next morning.
DAY TWELVE
THE START OF OUR SAFARI
Before we got to drive among the animals on African Safari, we had to get there. Another long travel day, but we were excited so it really didn’t seem too bad despite being a 5 hour journey.
Naledi had arranged for a company called “Swift” to handle our transport from Joburg airport to Bulela Game Reserve where Naledi is located (close to Kruger, but not technically part of it).
It was stressful because we were at a bus hub at the airport with tons of different shuttles and buses constantly pulling up and we had no idea what company we were supposed to be looking for. I called Kjell the Naledi owner and he answered right away and we found our little bus/van thing.
The shuttle was 6 hours and packed with people but we had a rest stop every 2 hours (we continued to be in awe at how clean the rest stops were).
When we finally go to the Naledi gate after dropping off people at various other stops, our guide Vuyanni was there waiting for us! He brought us the remaining 15 minutes through the reserve to the lodge and on that drive we saw an ELEPHANT spraying himself with water. We were off to a GREAT start and then it got better because we dropped our stuff and sat down for lunch surrounded by the sassiest monkeys trying to steal our food and they said they aren’t there every day so I know they were visiting especially for me!
Lunch was a crispy chicken sandwich with potato wedges and a LUNCH DESSERT. I love lunch dessert.
Then we got dressed and it was time for our first game drive! Ah!
The evening game drives definitely ended up being my favorite and we saw water buffalo and SO MANY LIONS. They were walking right in front of us and I don’t think I ever expected to be that close to a lion in my entire life. I never realized on safari you are THAT FUCKING CLOSE to the animals!
As it got darker our tracker Sydwell even somehow managed to spot a chameleon in a tree…in the dark! I think my favorite though might have been the frog hopping alongside us that for some reason cracked me up beyond belief. The way his legs were sprawling behind him with every leap - how embarrassing if you had to hop around like a frog?!
It’s cool how the tracker looks around, looks for tracks, and listens for signs like bird calls and other animals’ behavior to figure out what animals might be in the area.
Sundowners that night was near a little structure fairly close to Naledi. “Sundowners” is a chance to stretch your legs and enjoy a gin & tonic, jerky, dried fruits, nuts, chips, chocolate. We talked a lot about COVID which Vuyanni joked was a “rich person disease.”
Then we went back to the lodge to a beautiful dinner spread which our guide joined us for. The white South African couple we were with talked a LOT about all of their safari experiences which was cool because they clearly were passionate about it but I also was loling because she kept repeating herself, “we don’t chase the animals,” and saying her son’s name (Sean Douglas) over and over again - two simple words that will now cause Allison and I to crack up if we text each other.
Then the chef came out to explain our meal to us - pork loin with corn bread and maize - and introduced herself as Chef DooDoo and I felt so immature but I was physically biting my lips to stop from laughing.
That night we were also joined by a black South African family - a woman with her daughter and parents. We stayed and talked for awhile and got to bed probably around 11. The next morning we were up with a knock on our door at 5:00 AM!
DAY TWELVE
FULL SAFARI DAY!
After at 5:00 AM wake-up-knock at our door, we were into the main building by 5:15 AM for some coffee and rusks (South African breakfast cookies that I loved) before heading out for our morning game drive.
The morning drive didn’t prove to be too great for us - we saw lots of impala and spent a lotttt of time looking for the wild dogs which we had learned about at dinner the night before and were apparently very rare!
We did see a hippo walk into the water though!
We had an amazing breakfast buffet when we got back - complete with curious little monkeys. The spread included fruit, muffins, toast, juices, yogurt, and an omelet with sausage.
After breakfast we had the option of chilling, going on a game walk or doing a bush hide and chose the hide. Essentially, they drove us out into the bush, left us in a tall wooden tower structure, told us to come down and pee if we needed to, left us with a walkie talkie and said - SEE YA IN A FEW HOURS! We hung out with our binoculars hoping something came around to the water hole below us. We saw some cool birds (one that I named the worm bird, it was wild) and saw lots of elephants parading around off in the distance! And obviously did a photo shoot. It was so cool and a little scary being out there alone, listening to the sounds, and knowing there were literally lions, leopards, rhinos, etc. out there.
Then we had only a little time to relax and I REALLY wish we had had an extra day. I would have loved the next day to not do a hide or a walk and just sit at the pool (even though the pool wasn’t thatttt appealing looking - I would say that was my only complaint because otherwise, the grounds at Naledi were amazing. We had to keep pinching ourselves that we got such a personalized, beautiful experience for such an affordable price!)
Soon enough it was time for lunch on the upper deck and we were joined with lots of elephants at the water hole including BABIES!! It was surreal eating lunch with elephants so close by.
The game drive on night two would prove to be the highlight FOR SURE.
The first exciting thing was Allison spotting the silhouette of a REALLY TALL giraffe. I felt like I was getting a glimpse of the Loch Ness Monster! As we got a little closer the sun hit it’s patterned fur and I honestly teared up a little it was so majestic. We couldn’t get that close, but as we drove we came across two smaller giraffes chilling with some zebras! The zebras are smart and hang out with the giraffes, who can see predators coming due to their height. Or, their heads’ height!
We continued on and not much was happening other than STUNNING views of the Olifant river at sundown with hippos playing in the water below. The sun set and we stopped for sundowners, which made me sad because it meant we were going to turn around and head back to the lodge afterwards and our last evening game drive would be over.
I saw something walking in the distance and Allison and I both tried getting the guides’ attention as they set up the snack table but no one seemed concerned. Then we heard things and I don’t know, the vibes were off. Then our fellow safari goer had walked off to pee and when he came back, he was making eyes with the guides and whispering. We were joking if there was a lion out there, we would run into the truck but then ultimately…we started hearing low lions roar and the guides admitted that a male lion had literally walked right past us on his way to the water. HOLY SHIT. They casually said OK now that we are done get in the car and we will go see him…
We drove a bit, not that far, but far enough where I felt at least a LITTLE better about the fact that I was just standing there in the dark drinking a gin and tonic as Mufasa strolled by.
The closeness we got to this male lion was honestly terrifying. I couldn’t breathe. And them shining the lights in his eyes was making me sad and I felt like this is unnatural, that this lion is just laying here. I had tears in my eyes from awe and fear and a little bit of overwhelm, like, should this be happening?
Then the lion started roaring and there were literally vibrations. It didn’t seem real, I immediately thought of Disney animatronics. I still can’t believe the whole thing happened. And then, he just got up and walked away.
WOW. That had certainly put the cherry on top of the evening game drive! But it wasn’t over yet…
Because as we got about 10 minutes back in the direction of Naledi Lodge, our guides got a radio call that there was a leopard and without thinking about the time, we turned around and rushed towards the location.
It was really awesome seeing how all of the guides from various lodges work together and are in constant communication via radio out in the bush. They follow strict rules, like not allowing more than 2 or 3 trucks up close to a certain animal at any given time, and take turn so that everyone has their opportunity. I really appreciated how the guides always seemed just as excited as the guests about spottings!
We waited a bit for our turn up close with the leopard, and when it came we approached pretty quickly which caused the leopard to get up and walk away. I thought, “Oh well, at least I got a glimpse!” But Vuyanni was determined to find him again and we did some extreme off-roading for a good amount of time bit it paid off and we found the leopard sleeping and got to watch for a few minutes. The leopard laying with it’s eyes closed totally chill while we sat there with a light on it made me feel a little better about them saying the animals really don’t mind the trucks.
Then it really was time to head back (we came SO close to a hippo butt on the side of the path) and Allison and I were high on life and could not stop laughing when we got back which was awkward because everyone was seated around a fire waiting for our return so they could eat and we strolled up so loud and excited and they probably were like omg these obnoxious American girls!
Dinner was so delicious and TK talked about the different languages, different Xhosa clicks, poijke, etc. and even performed Pata Pata for us.
DAY THIRTEEN
GOODBYE SAFARI, BACK TO JOBURG
The next morning was our final game drive…so sad! We started out with BABY ELEPHANTS up close and I was squealing I couldn’t help it. Their little trunks!!!! I could have sat there all day watching.
But we started looking for a rhino, the last of our big five that we were missing. Sadly, no rhinos were spotted but again the chase of the wild dogs was on. I didn’t care about them that much and the new couple that had joined us were pissed we weren’t stopping to look at birds. But we did end up finding the wild dogs after lots of chaotic, fast driving that kind of went against the whole “we don’t chase animals” but…there are only about 500 wild dogs (not hyenas) left in the wild and they’re one of the world’s most endangered mammals so it was a big win especially to find them staying still for a bit!
On the way in to the lodge we were stopped by a BABY ELLIE and protective, trumpeting mom. Didn’t love that eventually, Vuyanni drove past the mom even though she was clearly agitated.
When we got back they had our breakfast out quickly because we had to check out and get driven to the gate by 9:40 to be picked up by the shuttle. Our second breakfast was fruit, rolls, toast, juices, yogurt and eggs with bacon, beans, etc.
Then we were told, “Oh actually you were supposed to be at the gate at 9:40…oops!” Luckily, they held the shuttle for us!
The safari was a once in a lifetime experience, but I would gladly do it again!
We absolutely loved our time at Naledi, though we obviously can’t compare it to anywhere else. We learned that guides and trackers typically work 24 days on and then have a week off - it can take them up to 5 hours to make it home for that week off because they don’t have cars and need to wait for mini buses to be full to take them where they’re going!
Make sure to tip your trackers and guides! (20 USD per couple per day to your guide and 15 USD per couple per day to your tracker!)
Our daily schedule while ~on safari was:
5:00 AM - Wake up to a knock on our door
5:15 AM - Meet in the dining area for coffee and rusks
5:30 AM - 8:30 AM - Morning game drive with a stop for coffee/Amarula (like Bailey’s) and more rusks
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM - Freshen up
9:00 AM - Breakfast - a huge spread. Our first breakfast included fruit, muffins, toast, juices, yogurt, and an omelet with sausage.
10:30 AM - Leisure time - we chose to go on a game hide
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM - Poolside reading
2:00 PM - Lunch
4:30 PM - 7:30 PM - Evening Game Drive with a stop for “sundowners” (gin & tonic, jerky, dried fruits, nuts, chips, chocolate) and a chance to stretch our legs.
8:00 PM - Dinner with the other guests at the lodge (and on night one our guide joined us!) We seriously ate each more other than breakfast in a different spot on the property which was so fun and added a nice touch!
The shuttle journey back to Johannesburg was uneventful and we got back to our hotel, ate dinner at the hotel restaurant, and went to bed.
DAY FOURTEEN
CONSTITUTION HILL
Our final day in Johannesburg we went to a guided tour of Constitution Hill where I learned a ton about the South African government.
Then, we spent the rest of our time before our late night flight shopping and haggling at a local craft market and enjoying one final meal in the Rosebank area.
Luckily, our journey home was a lot less eventful than our journey TO South Africa.
reflecting
What an incredible trip. I came to South African excited to see animals and stunning landscapes and to eat new foods and drink cheap wine. But those are not the things that I will remember most.
I’ll remember Bongani from South Africa Airways who took it upon himself to help us for 5+ hours finding our lost luggage and getting it on a plane from Johannesburg to Cape Town and not leaving the airport until he saw it in our hands.
I’ll remember Andile from Local Knowledge Travel who made our one day in Cape Town absolutely perfection from start to finish. Sure there were the sea lions and the Cape of Good Hope and the sundowners at Chapman’s Peak but what will stick with me are the open, candid conversations about everything from LGBTQUA issues to abortion.
I’ll remember Vinthi from Nothando Backpackers in Plett who worked all day on a literal feast for us and the Belgian group staying there. We talked for hours about everything under the sun and her parting words of “stay left and drive left” were perfection.
I’ll remember Romeo and Franco from Untouched Adventures whistling Christmas songs, flipping our lilos and asking if Florida is really that weird (yes).
And I will never forget Linda who shared his city in a way that truly cannot be expressed. I won’t forget the excitement in his eyes talking about his girlfriend and wanting to propose…showing us where they reconnected after college. Joking about ice hockey players being crazy. And feeling comfortable enough to ask, “how do people really feel about us being here and taking tours?”
I’ll remember the way every single person we passed in Soweto had a greeting (sunabonani), a smile or a wave when they could have way more easily had suspicion or anger.
Alongside memories or close encounters with lions and elephants and giraffes I will remember Vuyani’s nonstop laughter and shared excitement at every animal spotting - even after 15 years as a safari guide.
Up until our final Uber ride, where our driver answered our long list of questions abut load shedding as he navigated Joburg’s stoplightless streets.
As cliche as it sounds - South Africa changed me. I wish everyone had these opportunities. And I’m so grateful!
