Our last day here and I'm sorry to be leaving this amazing part of the world. Ever since I was kid I've been fascinated with Africa, and I remember in vivid detail the first time I ever came here.
Back then, safari meant Kenya. Today, for me, South Africa is by far the best place to come on safari. There is incredible biodiversity – everything from savannah to tropical forest, as well as a huge surfeit of animal life from great white sharks to lions to raptors, all within a couple of hours' drive of each other.
South Africa is also very accessible, with good flights and roads, and well-trained guides you can rely on to take care of your security and comfort as well as supply intriguing information. At Little Bush Camp in the Sabi Sand reserve, we enjoyed top-rate guides (Neil and Rico) and many encounters with the mega-fauna. I saw and learned so much in just a few days.
The highlight of my safari yesterday was definitely the African wild dogs we encountered, with the head of a small buck they'd killed. I feel an affinity to dogs, and wild dogs are rare, elusive (because they roam over such large areas) and undeniably savage. We were so fortunate to spot them. For me, a dream come true would be to follow a group of wild dogs for a month and just watch and learn more about their behavior.
On safari here, you never stop learning about the incredible animals, big and small, that share our planet with us. I'm also keen on botany, and there is such a rich variety of flora – many plants have amazing cultural stories around their medicinal uses.
Last night, after enjoying sundowners in the realest sense possible – with a view of wide-open savannah stretching out to a huge orange globe greasing downwards – we had a superb candlelit meal and a bottle of South African chardonnay under the vast canopy of stars, aware that just metres away a leopard might be tip-toeing through the bush on high alert for prey.
Buzzing on energy and information, I'm off back home to the UK today. I'd like to say my mission has been accomplished, and it was a tremendously rich and rewarding experience. But there's always more to see and learn in the bush, so I'll be back, because I know that this afternoon or tomorrow something amazing will happen here. And as yet, the pangolin, my favourite animal along with the wild dog, remains unticked. That's why there is always a thirst to return – the inevitability of another great encounter and the hope of a good photo.
An experience never to be forgotten, and definitely recommended. If you're planning a safari, I know where I'd come. After all, that pangolin is out there somewhere. I'm thinking a movie, Captain Corelli's Pangolin!
