Joburg, Kruger & Karongwe National Parks and Victoria Falls with a Boat Cruise on River Zambezi
Amit Rudra, Barun Dutta and Rohitaswa Das
Our journey to southern Africa was a truly unforgettable experience, filled with vibrant cities, breathtaking landscapes, and incredible wildlife. It began in Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest city and capital of the Gauteng province. With a population of 6.3 million, Joburg or Jozi, as it’s now popularly called, is a bustling metropolis that defied our initial expectations. Contrary to its reputation, we found the city to be lively and welcoming, with beautiful leafy roads, palatial houses, and well-managed shopping centres. What’s unique about South Africa is its three capitals: Pretoria (administrative), Cape Town (legislative), and Bloemfontein (judicial).
Oliver R Tambo statue at Joburg Joburg City skyline buildings Motorway in Joburg
We explored Soweto Township, once home to Nobel laureates, Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. The Mandela House Museum, Apartheid Museum, and Constitution Hill offered a poignant glimpse into the city’s complex past. We also visited the Satyagraha House, where Mahatma Gandhi once lived. The Satyagraha House offered us a glimpse into the life of this iconic figure. For, here he started the concept of homespun cloths, vegetarian diet and growing one’s own vegetables. Along with Hermann Kallenbach, a Jewish-German architect born in Lithuania, Mahatma Gandhi mooted the idea of Satyagraha. With Kallenbach’s help in designing huts and a farm called the Tolstoy Farm, he built several huts where they and other Satyagrahis lived and farmed the land around.
Mahatma Gandhi’s at Satyagraha Satyagraha’s huts by Kallenbach Mahatma’s name in 11 languages
Mandela is everywhere at the museum named after him A statue of him outside the Foundation
Despite initial concerns, we found Joburg to be lively and welcoming. The shopping centres were impressive, with designer brands, supermarkets, and food courts. Some of the super-malls like the Nelson Mandela Square at Sandton is an enormous one designed as a typical European town square boasting several chic and branded stores selling top quality merchandise and we reckon would match or even exceed the quality presented at renowned and fashionable cities of the world. Leafy roads, palatial houses, and affordable fresh produce made our stay enjoyable. We even discovered a Bengali community and savoured delicious Indian cuisine. Being Bengalis, we did have the opportunity to meet members of local BASA (Bengali Association of South Africa), enjoying delicious Hilsa, Aloo Posto, Biryani and Chingri Malai Curry from an authentic ex-Presidency College Bengali couple. We were surprised to find a top-quality Woolworths supermarket, which not only sells fresh food, but also all kinds of food stuff along with upmarket dresses, furniture, electrical goods and has a snack bar with a high-quality service.
While some tourists skip Joburg due to concerns regarding crime and aesthetics (e.g. four-meter-high perimeter walls with electric-wire fences atop in well-heeled suburbs), we found that venturing beyond the well-known revealed a hidden gem. So, by avoiding hotspots and taking necessary precautions, viz. avoiding walking on the streets alone and during dark, we uncovered the city’s authentic charm. For example, the hotel that some of us stayed in was unique in style. The Parkwood Hotel in Rosebank is a boutique one and is managed by a lovely couple who provide a unique and personal touch to the residents. They checked in on us almost every alternate day to find out how and where we went and were very cooperative in providing us unique insights, tips and details about various aspects of the city. The exclusive atmosphere of the hotel was so comforting that the thoughts of living inside the highly caged walls and the fact that we couldn’t walk the city’s streets were soon easily forgotten. One big tip is that if you don’t have enough time in South Africa to visit the world famous national and safari game parks, you must visit the Lion & Safari Park just over an hour’s drive north of Joburg.
Lion & Safari Park – (clockwise from top right) Male Lions, a lone Leopard, wild beasts and a Sable
After exploring Joburg, we embarked on a thrilling tour of southern Africa’s wilderness. Our first stop was Kruger National Park, where we spent three exhilarating days spotting an incredible array of wildlife, including the majestic ostrich, rhinos, giraffes, spotted hyena, wild buffalos, elephants and impalas. A guided game drive took us deep into the heart of the park, where we witnessed a surreal courtship display by a colourful male ostrich. We witnessed this incredible scene, where in a distance, a colourful male ostrich started courting a female with his plumes in full spread. Sure enough, after a while, the female gave in and sheepishly followed her mate. This was indeed a surreal scenario, which none of our dozen tour mates had ever seen in their lives before.
With tour guide and CEO at Kruger and safari vehicle Impalas are everywhere in Kruger
A giraffe strikes a majestic pose Striped zebras are easy to spot at Kruger
Next, we travelled to Karongwe Private Game Reserve, a hidden gem nestled in the heart of the African bush. Here, we enjoyed intimate game drives and walking safaris, getting up close and personal with the fascinating creatures that call Karongwe home. The reserve’s stunning scenery and diverse wildlife left us in awe, including the “Big Five”, viz. lions, leopards, rhinos, wild buffalos and, oh, of course, the elephants.
No one in Karongwe disturbs these rhinos A mother lion and her cubs feasting on their morning kill
Karongwe Cheeta male sibling trio – they are very fond of each other and get distressed when separated
Note the near circular spots on their skin
From Karongwe, we journeyed to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, one of the world’s most spectacular natural wonders. As we stood before the roaring falls, we felt tiny in the face of such immense power and beauty. The next day we took a thrilling helicopter ride over the falls for a bird’s-eye view of this incredible sight. A guided tour of the falls’ edge and a boat cruise on the Zambezi River added to the adventure.
The majestic Mosi-oa-Tunya (Victoria Falls) or the ‘The Smoke that Thunders’
Dancing with the dressed up Zulu warriors Some of us at the Victoria Falls
A lone Hippo in Zambezi River Majestic female elephants are everywhere
Above all, the warmth and hospitality of the people we met along the way made our journey even more unforgettable. As we reflect on our journey, we are all filled with gratitude for the incredible experiences and memories we’ve made. Southern Africa, with its incredible wildlife, stunning landscapes, and warm people, has left an indelible mark on our hearts. For it’s not our senses but rather, our hearts that it touched.
We returned home thunderstruck and with a newfound appreciation for the beauty and diversity of our planet. The call of the wild still echoes in all of our souls, beckoning us to return and explore more of Africa’s secrets.
Until next time, we shall all cherish the memories of our unforgettable journey to Kruger, Karongwe, and Victoria Falls.
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