Happy to! Especially because the only reason I ended up doing that was because people here mentioned travel plans/dreams for doing a safari in South Africa! Without y’all it never would have happened (also the points/miles & bank bonuses made it happen but you have to get your travel ideas from somewhere too!).
Next stop on my trip reports- South Africa Safari! (Stop 1 was the Seychelles). This one made possible with bank bonus money, sometimes cash is King!
Mhondoro Safari Lodge & Villa. Located in Welgevonden Game Reserve (about 3 hours from Johannesburg by car). 4 nights, $2200, 5 star luxury lodge, all-inclusive. (As a solo traveler many lodges will charge you double so you need to find one that offers a “single supplement”. This did so I only paid 150% the going per person rate and got in on a deal to buy 3 nights get one free.) ANYONE GOING TO SOUTH AFRICA GO HERE! 100%. Absolutely. If you have to give up a Disney trip to make this happen? Do it. (Did I just cause an earthquake saying that? Sorry guys.) This was literally one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I cannot wait to go back- but I need more bank bonuses first lol! I found this place off a suggestion from someone in Reddit award travel. There are lots of safari lodges to chose from so I was lost. This isn’t Kruger, but on the bright side no malaria and no extra flight needed to get there. I arranged a transfer via Mhondoro that picked me up at Hyatt Regency Johannesburg and dropped me at the airport after.
Arrival- waited at front gate of Welgevonden about 20 mins for my pickup by a Mhondoro ranger (my driver drove like a bat out of hell and I got there half an hour before I was supposed to, the ranger felt really bad I’d been waiting as they really do pride themselves on giving guests the best experience). He set up a table with homemade snacks (chocolate truffles & biltong were my faves) red & white wine, Amarula & gin and tonic.
View attachment 406325
Obviously just the necessities to tide one over for the trip to the Lodge where lunch awaits
A couple showed up (at the right time, haha) and after everyone enjoyed drinks and food we loaded into the game drive vehicle (think Indiana Jones/ Dinosaur with elevated seats as you go back but much more comfortable seats than Disney) for the hour drive across the Reserve to the Lodge. At check in they inquire about allergies and dining preferences (I said I don’t really like spicy food and the kitchen always kept that in mind for me) they even asked if I’d like to have someone from the Lodge dine with me for meals as I was alone. (At first I said no, not wanting to be a bother, but after the first night I decided yes and I loved getting to know more about South Africa and some of the people who worked there. Wonderful hosts to a solo traveler like me. For meals you dine with your family/friends/whoever you are traveling with so this was a great touch of guest service.) And then they served lunch on the Lodge Deck overlooking their watering hole...
View attachment 406329
Still not sure how they got me to leave
Each day offered a morning and afternoon Game Drive of about 3 hours each driving around the Reserve looking for animals. It’s about 90k acres so plenty of ground to cover. Lots of rhinos (they are the only Reserve in South Africa to never have had a Rhino poached), also saw elephants, cheetahs, giraffes, baboons, hippos, warthogs, zebras & so much more. Lions on the last day from a distance, they had been easy to spot the week before- had even been at the Lodge’s watering hole right before I arrived!- but while I was there the cheetahs were the ones easy to spot. It’s nature, you just don’t know! We even saw a mama cheetah feeding on her kill with her 4 cubs right by the roadway one day! They have leopards but we never saw one. Last one seen by our rangers had been a month prior. The rangers are very knowledgeable about bird and plant life (in addition to animals of course!) if that’s your thing. I’m limiting myself to 2 animal pics!
View attachment 406330
While family of Rhinos on my first afternoon game drive. Crazy close!
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*sigh* the pics were inserting so well until nowAnywho, over Sundowners one day the ranger calmly says something like “get in the vehicle. Everyone get in the vehicle now.” From the vehicle we see this fella coming down the road. The rangers had us stay quiet and still and the elephant walked right by and stopped a couple times next to the vehicle to smell us and moved on. Seriously close encounter. (For those wondering about safety one of the rangers had his rifle out and would have shot the elephant if he had started to attack, thankfully he did not.)
Morning drive has a “coffee break”. This “bush coffee” consists of hot chocolate mix, French Press coffee the ranger does right then & Amarula. Delicious! Gourmet snacks again, they were always a little different. One morning a couple Mhondoro chefs were at a pre-determined spot making fresh pancakes for our morning snack! Aside from pancake morning all other breaks happen wherever/whenever the ranger thinks it seems like break time (he always asked if we were ready to break before stopping) out on the Reserve. Afternoon game drive has “sundowner” break with red or white wine, beer, Amarula or Gin and Tonic and, of course, gourmet snacks enjoyed somewhere on the reserve as the sun sets...
View attachment 406344
Incredible right? Standing around with a glass of wine, eating amazing snacks... 5 o’clock at home just doesn’t measure up!
Food: 5 Star. Blew me away. After return from morning drive it’s time for breakfast (lol right? Cup of coffee and a morning snack and I’m good to go). Breakfast was a spread of fruit, cheeses, pastries & toast to enjoy while you wait for your order. They do a new menu each day with a few different choices. Your time is your own after that to swim, sleep, have a spa treatment (extra cost), whatever! Lunch is whenever you want it from like noon-2. They ask at breakfast when you want lunch so they can have your table set for you. Lunch was a variety platter each afternoon. With wine of course. Afternoon game drive an hour or so later! After that we would have cocktails at their bar/lodge area and then dinner. They give you a menu with a few options for appetizer, meal and dessert. My favorite dinner was the last night where I had Crocodile Carpaccio & perfectly cooked Ostrich Fillet with wine sauce.
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View attachment 406351
A couple of the lunch platters
View attachment 406348
Ostrich fillet. Their presentations were so beautiful I almost felt bad eating them. Almost.
Things they do to improve on the guest experience beyond game drives include “Boma night” with a big fire and dinner buffet of all sorts of food where some of the staff sang songs and did some dancing. Fun and delicious! One day they did a bushwalk between breakfast and lunch where the rangers took us on foot through some bush area near the lodge. A herd of Zebra ran by, we came across a sleeping Rhino- very cool. Another day on game drive they took us to see some Caveman drawings from like thousands upon thousands of years ago (a bit of a hike to access but even the older couple were able to make it just fine).
View attachment 406350
Boma night- not like any campfire I’d ever been too!
I did discover luxury safaris involved lots of booze lol. Bush coffee, wine with lunch, Sundowners, cocktails on return, drink/s of choice with dinner. And the staff are great about top ups and refills lol. Staying hydrated is SUPER important! Obviously if you don’t drink, or only want to drink a bit that’s totally fine. They’re family friendly after all! The butlers even made a rose tonic drink for a non-drinker in my group that she adored.
This lodge has an emphasis on guest experience and to their credit I’ve never felt so catered to and the staff were incredibly nice, not stuffy at all. Lots of places say they’re all about their guests, this is the only time I’ve seen that be the reality. From the managers to the butlers to the rangers, the whole team is focused on you having an excellent experience. The butlers have hot or cold towels (depending on the weather at the time) to greet you upon return from the game drives. Housekeeping was spectacular, came through twice a day. Even the rangers were happy to chat and answer q’s. You have the same Ranger the whole time which is great because they know what animals you’ve already seen. (Or unfortunate if you were my ranger, haha. He put me up front the first day and I loved being able to chat away and ask a million questions about animals and South Africa and I decided I’d happily stay there given the chance on following drives!) It was slow season and on my last morning the other guests departed early so I had the whole game drive to myself- and they didn’t make me feel bad for only being 1 person or tell me the drive was cancelled because their weren’t enough people. (Good thing- we finally saw the lions that morning!)
Room: I booked their “standard” suite which looked awesome on its own but I got upgraded to the Honeymoon Suite which gave me my own plunge pool! It was the furthest out from the Lodge but worth it. If you’re a couple splurge on this! Bathroom had a rain shower, an outdoor rain shower & a big corner tub- it’s the first time I ever faced a bathing question behind “bath or shower?”
View attachment 406353
Balcony of the Honeymoon Suite. To the left is a view of the watering hole. A bit away but you can tell what animals are or aren’t there.
If anyone has questions about the place feel free to message me here or on Reddit!
I love that @Lain and @SouthFayetteFan are so modestI know.
TruthThat’s so “Lain” of youhahaha!
I feel your pain. We always leave a light on at night for DS in case he gets up to use the bathroom, including when we travel. Last night DH left a light on near the hotel room door. DS got up and opened the door to the hallway before DH stopped him. Good thing the upper latch was on, but stil... Between that kind of thing and middle of the night fire alarms, I didn’t get an entire night’s sleep even on vacation.My kiddo thought it'd be funny to wake me up at 1 a.m. I haven't been able to go back to sleep, and now I'm waiting for SW to release their flights. I've been holding off on booking Thanksgiving travel.
Welcome to churner life. Lol
Thanks for sharing. I’ve been meaning to call and ask. I’ll just not pick the cars up vs trying to cancel the cars. As long as I don’t get charged additional fees, I’m good with that!
HOLY COW that is beautiful and amazing! I just spent the last half hour looking at the lodge's websiteNext stop on my trip reports- South Africa Safari! (Stop 1 was the Seychelles). This one made possible with bank bonus money, sometimes cash is King!
Mhondoro Safari Lodge & Villa. Located in Welgevonden Game Reserve (about 3 hours from Johannesburg by car). 4 nights, $2200, 5 star luxury lodge, all-inclusive. (As a solo traveler many lodges will charge you double so you need to find one that offers a “single supplement”. This did so I only paid 150% the going per person rate and got in on a deal to buy 3 nights get one free.) ANYONE GOING TO SOUTH AFRICA GO HERE! 100%. Absolutely. If you have to give up a Disney trip to make this happen? Do it. (Did I just cause an earthquake saying that? Sorry guys.) This was literally one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I cannot wait to go back- but I need more bank bonuses first lol! I found this place off a suggestion from someone in Reddit award travel. There are lots of safari lodges to chose from so I was lost. This isn’t Kruger, but on the bright side no malaria and no extra flight needed to get there. I arranged a transfer via Mhondoro that picked me up at Hyatt Regency Johannesburg and dropped me at the airport after.
Arrival- waited at front gate of Welgevonden about 20 mins for my pickup by a Mhondoro ranger (my driver drove like a bat out of hell and I got there half an hour before I was supposed to, the ranger felt really bad I’d been waiting as they really do pride themselves on giving guests the best experience). He set up a table with homemade snacks (chocolate truffles & biltong were my faves) red & white wine, Amarula & gin and tonic.
View attachment 406325
Obviously just the necessities to tide one over for the trip to the Lodge where lunch awaits
A couple showed up (at the right time, haha) and after everyone enjoyed drinks and food we loaded into the game drive vehicle (think Indiana Jones/ Dinosaur with elevated seats as you go back but much more comfortable seats than Disney) for the hour drive across the Reserve to the Lodge. At check in they inquire about allergies and dining preferences (I said I don’t really like spicy food and the kitchen always kept that in mind for me) they even asked if I’d like to have someone from the Lodge dine with me for meals as I was alone. (At first I said no, not wanting to be a bother, but after the first night I decided yes and I loved getting to know more about South Africa and some of the people who worked there. Wonderful hosts to a solo traveler like me. For meals you dine with your family/friends/whoever you are traveling with so this was a great touch of guest service.) And then they served lunch on the Lodge Deck overlooking their watering hole...
View attachment 406329
Still not sure how they got me to leave
Each day offered a morning and afternoon Game Drive of about 3 hours each driving around the Reserve looking for animals. It’s about 90k acres so plenty of ground to cover. Lots of rhinos (they are the only Reserve in South Africa to never have had a Rhino poached), also saw elephants, cheetahs, giraffes, baboons, hippos, warthogs, zebras & so much more. Lions on the last day from a distance, they had been easy to spot the week before- had even been at the Lodge’s watering hole right before I arrived!- but while I was there the cheetahs were the ones easy to spot. It’s nature, you just don’t know! We even saw a mama cheetah feeding on her kill with her 4 cubs right by the roadway one day! They have leopards but we never saw one. Last one seen by our rangers had been a month prior. The rangers are very knowledgeable about bird and plant life (in addition to animals of course!) if that’s your thing. I’m limiting myself to 2 animal pics!
View attachment 406330
While family of Rhinos on my first afternoon game drive. Crazy close!
View attachment 406332
*sigh* the pics were inserting so well until now
Morning drive has a “coffee break”. This “bush coffee” consists of hot chocolate mix, French Press coffee the ranger does right then & Amarula. Delicious! Gourmet snacks again, they were always a little different. One morning a couple Mhondoro chefs were at a pre-determined spot making fresh pancakes for our morning snack! Aside from pancake morning all other breaks happen wherever/whenever the ranger thinks it seems like break time (he always asked if we were ready to break before stopping) out on the Reserve. Afternoon game drive has “sundowner” break with red or white wine, beer, Amarula or Gin and Tonic and, of course, gourmet snacks enjoyed somewhere on the reserve as the sun sets...
View attachment 406344
Incredible right? Standing around with a glass of wine, eating amazing snacks... 5 o’clock at home just doesn’t measure up!
Food: 5 Star. Blew me away. After return from morning drive it’s time for breakfast (lol right? Cup of coffee and a morning snack and I’m good to go). Breakfast was a spread of fruit, cheeses, pastries & toast to enjoy while you wait for your order. They do a new menu each day with a few different choices. Your time is your own after that to swim, sleep, have a spa treatment (extra cost), whatever! Lunch is whenever you want it from like noon-2. They ask at breakfast when you want lunch so they can have your table set for you. Lunch was a variety platter each afternoon. With wine of course. Afternoon game drive an hour or so later! After that we would have cocktails at their bar/lodge area and then dinner. They give you a menu with a few options for appetizer, meal and dessert. My favorite dinner was the last night where I had Crocodile Carpaccio & perfectly cooked Ostrich Fillet with wine sauce.
View attachment 406347
View attachment 406351
A couple of the lunch platters
View attachment 406348
Ostrich fillet. Their presentations were so beautiful I almost felt bad eating them. Almost.
Things they do to improve on the guest experience beyond game drives include “Boma night” with a big fire and dinner buffet of all sorts of food where some of the staff sang songs and did some dancing. Fun and delicious! One day they did a bushwalk between breakfast and lunch where the rangers took us on foot through some bush area near the lodge. A herd of Zebra ran by, we came across a sleeping Rhino- very cool. Another day on game drive they took us to see some Caveman drawings from like thousands upon thousands of years ago (a bit of a hike to access but even the older couple were able to make it just fine).
View attachment 406350
Boma night- not like any campfire I’d ever been too!
I did discover luxury safaris involved lots of booze lol. Bush coffee, wine with lunch, Sundowners, cocktails on return, drink/s of choice with dinner. And the staff are great about top ups and refills lol. Staying hydrated is SUPER important! Obviously if you don’t drink, or only want to drink a bit that’s totally fine. They’re family friendly after all! The butlers even made a rose tonic drink for a non-drinker in my group that she adored.
This lodge has an emphasis on guest experience and to their credit I’ve never felt so catered to and the staff were incredibly nice, not stuffy at all. Lots of places say they’re all about their guests, this is the only time I’ve seen that be the reality. From the managers to the butlers to the rangers, the whole team is focused on you having an excellent experience. The butlers have hot or cold towels (depending on the weather at the time) to greet you upon return from the game drives. Housekeeping was spectacular, came through twice a day. Even the rangers were happy to chat and answer q’s. You have the same Ranger the whole time which is great because they know what animals you’ve already seen. (Or unfortunate if you were my ranger, haha. He put me up front the first day and I loved being able to chat away and ask a million questions about animals and South Africa and I decided I’d happily stay there given the chance on following drives!) It was slow season and on my last morning the other guests departed early so I had the whole game drive to myself- and they didn’t make me feel bad for only being 1 person or tell me the drive was cancelled because their weren’t enough people. (Good thing- we finally saw the lions that morning!)
Room: I booked their “standard” suite which looked awesome on its own but I got upgraded to the Honeymoon Suite which gave me my own plunge pool! It was the furthest out from the Lodge but worth it. If you’re a couple splurge on this! Bathroom had a rain shower, an outdoor rain shower & a big corner tub- it’s the first time I ever faced a bathing question behind “bath or shower?”
View attachment 406353
Balcony of the Honeymoon Suite. To the left is a view of the watering hole. A bit away but you can tell what animals are or aren’t there.
If anyone has questions about the place feel free to message me here or on Reddit!
Found Chase URs very useful for Alaska cruise excursions. We were able to book a Misty Fjords floatplane and a Juneau whale watching trip thru the UR portal. We also booked a Yukon bus trip independently with Chilkoot Charters (can’t recommend them enough!) and reimbursed ourselves with URs.
I hope you'll share information about your trip once you're back
Do you have a trip report anywhere for prior trip(s) to Africa?
I thought we had to wait 2 years between opening a new A+ ? Or is it just 2 years since we received the bonus? It used to be quite churnable but that changed last summer.
Definitely makes me want to visit South Africa! DS really wants to go to China in 2021, not sure how I will make It happen yet.
I was told they would be emailed April 19th and then I emailed them on the 20th. no response so emailed again may 22nd. called them 5/29 and they rushed them so I got them two days later. hope that helps
We have never watched the movie...just love the show
You are definitely being shunned!!
Thanks for this great DP and detailed info
How frustrating for you...
