Review: 10-Day South Africa Safari, Cape Town, Camp's Bay, Sabi Sands Game Reserve, Stellenbosch

By far the most enjoyable part of our trip was the safari at Dulini Lodge.  This place is amazing and the very definition of luxury!  Six cottages, each a stand-alone building with bedroom, sitting room, huge bathroom with “wet room” walk-in shower and separate tub, along with an outside deck with plunge pool and outdoor shower.  The air conditioning worked great, and the wifi was reliable although a little slow at times.  Don’t count on getting a reliable cellphone signal.  The staff members were outstanding!  We had two butlers assigned to our us and our cottage was serviced each time we left for a meal or for a game drive (great job!).  Meals were served either family style (all breakfasts after the morning game drive, and some dinners) or at individual tables on the deck overlooking the river (some dinners and all lunches).  The food was delicious and very well-prepared.  Our only complaint with respect to the meals was that the menus tended to be a bit more focused toward carnivores than we’re used to, although to be fair each meal included at least two salads, so if we ate more meat than usual it was our own fault.  Drinks, including beer and wine, are included in the cost, so you can imbibe as much as you want.  Due to the low humidity and the early wake-up calls for the morning game drive we found ourselves drinking a lot more sparkling water than alcohol.  One unexpected treat was that laundry services were available at no charge; pack light and take advantage, but be aware that monkeys may steal laundry items off the clothes lines.

Each day we had two game drives, the first between 5:45am and 6am and the second at 4pm, to align with dawn and late afternoon when game is expected to be most active.  Our wakeup call came each day precisely at 5am, and coffee and a light snack were waiting in the common area en route to the Land Rover; rather than partake, I fortified myself with a double espresso and a couple of cookies before departing our cabin, and my wife grabbed a Coke Light from the minibar.  The Land Rovers were set up for six guests (usually there were just four of us), and each pair of guests was supplied with a pair of good quality binoculars and two fleece wraps.  Although it can be hot in the daytime, it’s the desert so when the sun goes down the temperature drops significantly; wear layers.  Our tracker and our ranger/driver, were in front, and those guys were amazing!  Our tracker was able to spot and follow the dimmest of animal tracks along the roads, and our driver's knowledge of the wildlife and flora, as well as his infectious enthusiasm, kept us engaged and entertained for the 3+ hours of each drive.  We could not have asked for a better team to lead our drives.

I should mention that during part of our visit we had a chance to talk with another guest, a professional travel agent, who was visiting Dulini Lodge as part of her survey of Sabi Sands properties.  She noted that Dulini Lodge ranked at the top of her list in terms of amenities, service and overall experience.  We only visited Dulini Lodge during our trip, but we can understand why she came to that conclusion.