Best Of

Beyond Ngala - aka Safari Paradise

Travel to South Africa was up at 4:45, bags picked up at 5:15; escorts at 5:30 for coffee. Breakfast boxes were provided, and we were on the jeeps to Victoria Falls Airport by 6 am. We transferred onto buses after we were out of the park, and again switched buses after we transited Botswana exit / Zimbabwe entry border stops. We took a commercial flight to Neispruit/ Kruger, SA. We were wisked all together through passport control and security clearance to a separate area of the terminal to load our charter flights. We were split into 2 groups. They flew at 5,000 feet to Ngala . Ngala has its own private airstrip. We were picked up in the Safari vehicles at the airport and driven the short drive to the lodge.

The Beyond Ngala is an incredibly elegant, sophisticated and glamorous safari resort. Think - tiny Four Seasons in the bush. The rooms are little cottages which are decorated beautifully and well appointed such that there is no luxury left undelivered. There is a fully stocked mini bar, lovely crystal decanters with brandy, gin, port , a bottle of South African wine, and all of the necessary mixers and snacks for continual happy hours . There is also a separate coffee/tea station with slivered biscotti in crystal jars. We were whisked off to lunch, which was in their beautiful dining room and the menu, although limited , was well thought out. The food, as prepared was certainly equivalent to upscale restaurant food. They also did their best to accommodate picky eaters. When we arrived, the other few people in the dining room were young and looked as though they had stepped out of European Vogue. They must’ve been very disappointed to see this large group of old, sloppy, loud Americans walk in. It was actually pretty funny. Nothing was going to ruin our “ we are in fancy sleep away camp “ fun!

The resort backs to a natural lake, which is adjacent to their multi tiered outdoor swimming pool. Animals frequent the outdoor lake and come up to the swimming pool to drink. There is a group of elephants that manages to climb and get their trunks into the pool so they can drink its water. It is a daily event and great entertainment to the guests of the lodge. When the elephants are at the pool, you have to get out and let them drink.

Every day at 3:30 there is a high tea which is beautifully prepared hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and pastries. The Safari vehicles then leave for a 4 PM to 7 PM evening drive. The jeeps here are open and have three rows. Because it is private land, the trails are compressed dirt and are not as bumpy as those in Chobe where the vehicles can struggle with the sand. Here, the vehicles can also go off road to get closer to the animals. On our first drive at 4 PM we saw hyena, Zebra, and rhinoceros. We spent at least 30 minutes to 45 minutes following a rhinoceros and watching him. He actually laid down while we were watching him. It was quite a sight. By the time we left, he followed us off the trail slowly, staying out of sight. I think he was happy to see us gone . We then had a sundowner cocktail party which continued until dark. On the way back to the camp, the spotter used a high power spotlight to go back-and-forth on each side of the jeep to attempt to spot nocturnal animals. Dinner was next, in an elegant outdoor setting with hanging lights, fire- lit table lanterns, and a large fire pit in the middle. This place is truly safari Paradise.

Each one of the Safari vehicles is assigned a tracker who sits out front on a small seat and a driver/ guide who narrates along the way. They have a high-power rifle with them, just in case… (Quite frankly I still have not figured out if this is just for effect …… if a real emergency occurred I just don’t know if it could all be put together in real time for the emergency to be averted. 🤷🏻‍♀️) The tracker and driver are both highly informative and incredible at their jobs. They ask you what animals you have seen and what animals you would like to see. Our guide asked me what I would like to see on the way back from the airport. I said zebra and rhino. They then set out to find what you would like to see. The jeeps all communicate with each other to tell each other what they have been spotting and what potential dangers there might be. Each jeep has cushy seats, a storage area and comes equipped with blankets and refreshments. The guides really spend a lot of time communicating with each other.

Because this is a private reserve there are no other jeeps and no crowds around animal sightings. The only jeeps here are those that belong to the lodge. For one afternoon/ early evening game drive we went in search of wild dogs. The 3 guides/trackers assigned to us ( there are about 10 other guests at the lodge) covered different territories while they searched. We drove for quite a distance but were then treated to a pack of painted dogs, eating the kill of a leopard which they had chased up a tree. The dogs were greedily eating the Impala while the leopard looked dejectedly down upon them ( and us…). In the meantime, hyenas were close by and were chased off by the wild dogs. After situating ourselves exceedingly close to the action and watching for awhile, we pulled away. The third Jeep in our group arrived two minutes later and was treated to a male lion chasing the dogs and hyenas away and the leopard climbing further up the tree. Unbelievable. We then had a large gourmet dinner in the bush closer to the lodge. Other sightings while here include a large pride of lions ( with a white lion and a white lion cub), and a hyena den.

I cannot imagine a possible better safari experience than we had at Ngala. My husband was so happy, he said words I have never heard him utter during our 17 year marriage- “ Let’s go look in the gift shop,” I almost had an out of body experience…..

Safari portion wrap up:

Travel tips:
Depending on the month, the malaria risk changes in each of the places you visit. However, malaria is endemic in all of this tour safari destinations. If you can tolerate the malarone,take it. We all took it with breakfast and no one had ill effects (15 on tour).

This trip is an early rise trip. If you expect it, you won’t be surprised and unhappy about it. Drives in the morning are up at 5 AM, coffee in the main lodge at 5:30 and out in the Safari vehicles at 6 AM. Breakfast is when you return to the lodge either at 9 AM or 10 AM. No one on the trip seemed to mind it. I think it’s because we were all so jet lagged. It was just our new set time of getting up in the morning.

If you are a birder- please respect the other safari goers, who may not be as interested.
Pretreat clothes with permethrin.
Bring unscented shampoo, conditioner , body and face cream. Forget using hair products- they all have scents and will attract bugs.
Layer sunscreen and bug repellent. Sunscreen first- wait 10 min, then bug repellent.
Bring anti- itch cream if you are prone to mosquito bites.
Bring rehydration crystal packets in case you get sick or it is really hot. We used them because it was so hot. They dissolve in the bottled water.
Bring antibiotics for travelers diarrhea and any infections you usually get.
DO NOT worry about the integrity of the rolling duffels - they are strong and no one had any problems. Ours arrived home looking new. DO bring little locks so that you can lock together the zipper components.
Packing cubes are great for this trip.
Bring a rolling back pack as a carry on. Mine was the envy of all.