Into the Heart of the Wild

Our epic safari adventure in three acts.

At the end of last week’s essay (which was originally published two years ago), I told you to stay tuned for a blog post about our next big family adventure. That article never ended up happening, and it has been on my mind ever since. Like, for real.

Two years ago, we went on an epic trip to South Africa. We got back at the end of August, right into the start of school, followed by the Yom Tov season. My plan was to write an extensive recap right after the holidays, but then October 7th happened, and it was the furthest thing from my mind. Since then, it’s been hard to find the right time to put it out there, in addition to the mental space needed to sit down and get it all out on paper. When it’s not fresh, it feels so much harder to write about, and there’s always something else that seems to be a priority.

So after publishing last week’s essay, I felt that it was high time to get one of our most memorable, special, and impactful trips documented. I cannot believe it’s taken this long. Ironically, Israel is back at war, and as all-consuming as that is, we are not in the same place we were two years ago—and I am sticking with the plan!

I was a bit worried about being able to recall the details, but surprisingly, as I sat down to write, I’m not finding it difficult at all to take myself back there and feel the vibe of all the incredible experiences we had.

It was unforgettable.

Here we go!

The trip was divided into three parts, so that’s how I’ll structure this post.

Part 1 – Johannesburg

Real quick, before I get to the trip itself, I’m going to share some packing photos and the bags we used. I get asked these questions often, so I think it might be helpful. I packed each kid in a www.walkergoods.com duffle and backpack. That’s it for two weeks! Really proud of myself for accomplishing that. I also brought Aloha bags for the day-to-day schlepping on the day trips. They are light, durable, water-resistant, and I love them. Highly recommend. I also packed a bunch of snacks because I had no idea what would be available to us, and hungry children in a foreign country is not my idea of a good time.

I’m also sharing some photos of what I packed in their backpacks. We did so much traveling aboard multiple planes. I try to set us up for success, but at hour ten on a sixteen-hour flight, all bets are off. No amount of activities is going to be effective at that point.

We started off in Johannesburg. Chaim Shaul has cousins there, and we spent a beautiful Shabbos with them. I remember being blown away by the genuine kindness of the community and the warmth of having loving relatives in a foreign country. The kindness of the community was so notable that even my kids noticed it and were impacted by it. It worked out great to spend a few days getting over jet lag before we headed to safari.

Before Shabbos, we visited Soweto, a township near Johannesburg, and the Apartheid Museum. It was so intense; we spent a lot of time talking about and processing what we saw. Menny was more deeply affected than anyone, which is understandable. It was hard for him to leave the museum early. It was amazing to see all the kids connect and care for the people we met in Soweto, especially the children. Menny was literally taking the clothes off his back and giving them to the kids he met.

One of the reasons we travel is to learn, understand, and witness the way different people live and experience our world—understanding their history and culture, the circumstances, and, unfortunately, sometimes the persecution that led to the realities of their lives and the choices they make.

It is so important to step out of our bubble to connect and share space with others. You don’t have to go all the way to South Africa to do this! It was also very important for me to make sure we were doing so respectfully and not, G-d forbid, making people feel like they were on display or a spectacle for our amusement. We also came with gifts that were greatly appreciated.

The people of Soweto welcomed us warmly and shared their very limited space with us, and we will be forever grateful. It was a very deep experience for all of us. I believe it makes us better, more empathetic humans to not shelter ourselves from the reality of others.

We also enjoyed some lighter activities that Johannesburg had to offer: a super fun obstacle course and delicious kosher ice cream.

Then, bright and early Sunday morning, we were off to our next South African adventure.

Part 2 – Safari

On to the main event: safari!

This is where using a local tour company was extremely helpful and where we focused our resources. We stayed at Siviti Lodge in the Thornybush Game Reserve, connected to Kruger National Park. To make it the experience of a lifetime, we had our own little house with a private mashgiach so we could have fresh, delicious food at each meal. It was like nothing we’ve ever done before, and it was amazing. We arrived on Sunday afternoon and stayed until Wednesday evening. The fresh food and the beautiful presentation were a whole vibe—and one of the reasons the trip was so memorable.

Here’s what our schedule looked like for our three days on safari:

There were two excursions a day. The first was at 6:00 AM before sunrise. The driver and guide would be waiting for us with blankets and hot water bottles for our laps to keep us warm. August is winter in South Africa, so the mornings were quite cold, and the truck was exposed to the elements. A few hours into the day, it would warm up and we would shed all our layers.

The trip would last about 3.5 hours, and about an hour in—just after sunrise—we would stop and have tea or coffee. It was surreal being in the middle of the safari with a cup of tea, reveling in Hashem’s incredible world. We would come back around 9:30 AM, have some breakfast, and then chill and relax until around 2:00 PM. At 2:00 PM, we would eat lunch. At 3:00 PM, we would head out for our afternoon excursion, coming back around 7:00 PM. All perfectly planned so that in the heat of the day, when the animals are searching for shade and are less visible, we were also in the shade enjoying some downtime. During the hours around sunrise and sunset, we were out and about scouting for animals. We would come back around 7:00 PM with a delicious dinner waiting for us.

Pure joy!

The safari itself was magical. Being out there with our amazing driver and guide (also called a tracker, because they literally track the animals), immersed in nature and witnessing the cycle of life happening in real time in the wild in the way G-d intended, was quite a spiritual experience. Honestly, as I write this, I can put myself back there and feel it in my body! It makes me want to go back so badly.

Anyway, at one point we spent over an hour tracking a lion all over “the bush,” and we actually found it! We spotted a leopard sleeping in a tree, a lion chowing down on a warthog after sunset, a rhino and its baby, many elephants, a whole pride of lions, zebras, giraffes, wild dogs (super hard to spot and the most vicious), water buffalo, hippos in the water, kudu and impala (antelope species), and so much more.

The experience was beyond what we could ever have imagined and was well worth being the longest trip of our lives.

Part 3 – Cape Town

We spent six days in Cape Town.

Cape Town is a spectacular city. The beauty is out of control. We really packed it in so we could see and experience as much as possible. The fact that it was winter was great for the safari, but less great for Cape Town. It was cold, windy, and quite rainy, but we are Montanans, and we didn’t let it stop us. We needed to buy an extra layer, but it was a good investment—we are still using the jackets we bought in the Cape.

I’m going to do my best to remember all the things we did. First, the drives were beautiful: ocean, mountains, cliffs, rock formations—they have it all. We took the cable car up to Table Mountain, went to the Cape of Good Hope, Seal Island, saw penguins, visited the gorgeous Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, went sand surfing, visited a monkey sanctuary, explored multiple beaches, saw beautiful wineries, went to an ostrich farm, and had lots of visits with our amazing cousins in all areas of Cape Town.

Wayne was our amazing Afrikaner tour guide, and he was with us each step of the way. We were able to be flexible and change plans due to weather or the kids’ capacity. I would highly recommend having a tour guide in a foreign country who knows the ins and outs—it makes a world of difference.

There are so many reasons not to travel with your family—and trust me, there are moments on these trips when I ask myself, What was I thinking? I can’t tell you how many people have said, Why don’t you wait until your kids are older? But every time, it’s worth it. Especially a trip like this. We still talk about it two years later.

I can’t wait for our next family adventure, because there is something so soul-nourishing, so cathartic, so culturally expansive about immersing ourselves in parts of the world that are different from our own and gifting these experiences to our children.

Family trips aren’t a vacation—but they are energizing, bonding, adventurous, and sometimes just what you need to air out and reconnect.

It was a trip of a lifetime, and I am so happy to finally be able to share it with you.

Love,

Your travel-obsessed friend,

Chavie

P.S. Here is the link to the tour company we used: https://www.tourismthatcares.com. They did a fabulous job and are experts at creating a trip tailor-made to your needs and budget. Email them at operations@tourismthatcares.com and use the code "MYKOSHERSAFARI1" in your inquiry.