Travel Review: Africa Family Safari, South Africa, Cape Town, Kruger National Park, Hermanus Whale Watching

Our entire stay at Grootbus Nature Reserve was awesome...whale watching, exploring the beach and just hiking though the fynbos.  The food and accommodations were absolutely fantastic.  Then we went north to the game preserves and having never on safari before, even seeing a zebra was exciting for us.  We saw all the main animals (so called big 5) within the first drive or two.  Ivory Lodge was beautiful and Sabi Sands deserves its reputation for game viewing.  We saw rhinos from the hot tub and visited hyena cubs.  Leopards on almost every drive, lions eating, arguing, roaring, being lions almost constantly.  Our last stay was at Ngala and we all were worried it would be a let down after Sabi Sands.  It wasn't...in fact we enjoyed the tent camp at Ngala and safaris there best of all.  Jackals, honey badgers, civets, tons of exotic birds, plus all the things you'd expect to see.  The safaries at Ngala stayed out late enough for the nocturnal animals to get active and we got to enjoy the night sky out in the bush.  2 amazing sunsets by a waterhole listening to hippos was probably the best part for me.