Shawn Goldberg
I have been very fortunate to experience not one but two African safaris so far in my lifetime. I can honestly say that these were life altering experiences and that if you are even mildly considering a safari that you should book one. Immediately.
My first safari was to experience the migration into Kenya's Maasai Mara. Here I encountered first hand just about everything you have ever seen on National Geographic. Wildebeests, Impalas and Zebras as far as the eye could see. I even watched a baby zebra being born. It was truly amazing and something I will never forget.
Here, I also had the experience of safari by hot air balloon. I'd be lying if I told you this wasn't mildly terrifying - but I am glad I did it! Watching elephants and giraffes scatter as we landed was simply incredible.
One thing I didn't expect about the safari experience that was such a nice surprise were the relationships we made with our trackers and guides. During a stay at a safari lodge you typically stick with the same team of guides and trackers for all of your game drives. This means you are spending more than 4-6 hours a day with them. By the end of the week they are like family.
My second safari was in South Africa. This was a bit of a different vacation as we had both the metropolitan experience of Johannesburg offset by time out in the bush near Kruger National Park. On this trip we also visited Victoria Falls which I also enjoyed.
On this trip we stayed in Mala Mala -- the largest private game reserve in South Africa which borders Kruger National Park. We spent a lot of our time watching a few leopards who called this area home. This was a huge treat as we hadn't seen leopards in Kenya. We also had the fortunate experience of seeing Rhinos in South Africa as well which was incredible.
I cannot say enough about the Safari experience -- it is something that I hope to return to again and again as for me it will never get old!
I also hope to return to Africa for a Gorilla Trek -- this is at the top of my bucket list!