South Africa’s Other Game

For one month I've been exploring South Africa in search of the best World Cup soccer game this country has to offer. However, in order to mentally prepare for the final between Netherlands and Spain I decided to call a time out and spend some quality time surrounded by a different type of beautiful game. The kind of game you only see on safari, that live in the African Bush, walk on four legs and only care about the sport of eating.

Enter, The Shamwari Game Reserve, a spectacular 60,000-acre piece of land in the Eastern Cape, just outside the city of Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The Shamwari Game Reserve is a remarkable success story in responsible tourism. A wildlife destination that conserves the environment and sustains the well being of the local community through one of the finest eco-tourism projects in the world. Shamwari, which means "my friend" in Shona, is the perfect vacation spot because we got to socialize with the animals and give back to the planet at the same time.

About a century ago, the Eastern Cape was a rich wildlife zone and then hunting wiped out the animal population. European settlers farmed the land but drought, as well as cattle and goat farming, decimated it. Luckily, in 1994 the land was bought from 19 farmers and rejuvenated piece by piece by founder, Adrian Gardiner. Gardiner re-introduced a wide diversity of wildlife, and today a multitude of game roams wild and free at Shamwari.

The following is an account of our time at Shamwari — a day in the life of Ethan and Jenna on Safari.

6:30 a.m.- Our Ranger Jerom has the unfortunate task of calling to wake us up. I apologize repeatedly for sounding like a frightened hyena. We stayed in Bayethe Tented Lodge. It's not the style of tent from a fifth grade camping trip, it's a pimped out permanent luxury tent on stilts, nestled along the river and camouflaged under the trees. So, I indulged in game viewing (both soccer and animal), outdoor showering, fire starting and pool plunging.

7:00 a.m.- Head to the breakfast buffet and stuff our faces with fresh fruit, cereal, muffins and yogurt. Once we finish, we were handed a menu to order the "real" breakfast. Apparently, the full buffet was just an appetizer. Oops. It's a good thing the safari truck has 4-wheel drive to carry us around.

7:30 a.m.- Our ranger Jerom loads his rifle and we begin the morning game drive. In my opinion, mornings are a special time because it's a bit chilly, the sun is still rising and the animals are active. We see everything! Lions, giraffe, elephants, zebra, kudu, hippo, impala, cape buffalo and the elusive black rhino. You see, in 1853 the last Black Rhino in the Eastern Cape was killed. In 1856, the last free-roaming lion was shot. In 1919, the last Cape Buffalo was hunted and by 1931 only 11 elephants were left of the once vast herds. And now, thanks to Mr. Gardiner, the area has been returned to its proud and pristine condition. Jenna and I wished to hear the majestic roar of lions like they did 150 years ago ... and we got our wish.

10:30 a.m.- Back to the lodge for some shots of hot chocolate. We decided to be brave and take a "walking safari." It was fun, yet scary, to track animal movements on foot. However, Jenna asked Jerom so many questions that even the animals were ready to take the SAT's.

12 p.m.- Lunch! The lunch menu was jammed packed with African cuisine AND this place has couches just steps from the table. We just fell over and had a nap, just like the wildlife we saw earlier. Eat, sleep,eat and repeat.

2:30 p.m.- Tea Time. Jenna is pumped because this time of the day includes numerous pastries and things that taste like heaven. In case you didn't know Jenna's blood type is sugar+. We also took a moment to visit The Born Free Rescue and Education center at Shamwari. They provide a sanctuary for lions and leopards rescued from appalling captive conditions. We got to meet Shada, the lioness whose life was transformed once she arrived in Shamwari. For years she was kept in a rusty cage at a circus in the Dordogne, France, gazing through the iron bars with barely enough room to turn around. For only $45.00 you can adopt one of the big cats at Adopt a Lion or Born Free for a year so they can spend the rest of their days in a safe and natural environment.

Next up, we met with The Shamwari Wildlife Department that consists of two wildlife vets, two ecologists, an environmentalist and a variety of qualified nature conservationists. I was told that Shamwari has been the pioneer in the Eastern Cape eco-tourism resurgence and in order to ensure responsible wildlife management the Shamwari Wildlife Department was created in 1996. They recently become part of the Green Leaf Environmental status audited by Wilderness Foundation, South Africa and have won a number of International conservation awards.

4:00 p.m.- Afternoon game drive. We got to see the animals roaming free under the African sun. A male lion strutted five feet in front of us, an elephant almost pushed over our car and we saw a leopard and her cub. This was so surreal and took us back to an era when survival was the destiny of only the fittest. And when the sun begins to set, our ranger stops for a "Sundowner," which is just another term for "Happy Hour." Perched on a hilltop drinking wine, listening to the sounds of nature and surrounded by wild animals was like being in heaven.

6:30 p.m.- Back to freshen up before we roll ourselves to dinner.

7: 00 p.m.- Traditional brai dinner. Tonight's menu is a traditional BBQ or "Brai" as they call it in South Africa. I'm shocked we were not being stalked by lions; this feast was a carnivore's ultimate dream come true. A huge fire surrounded by meat. We had kudu, beef, impala, ostrich, eland, chicken and lamb.

9:00 p.m. - Hibernation. On the walk back from dinner we turned off our lantern and remained motionless for quite some time. It was eerily quiet and so peaceful. The darkness made us feel like we were blindfolded and the vast number of bright, vivid stars in the night sky was breathtaking.This trip back to nature could not have come at a better time. Our environment is so fragile and we need to do everything in our power to conserve it for generations to come.

Photos courtesy Ethan Zohn.