Could travel into space be the future of our adventures? The cost of such adventures are set to fall thanks to entrepreneurs like Sir Richard Branson and his company Virgin Galactic who intend to bring to a wider selection of the public a environmentally friendly trip into space at a fraction of the cost paid by Mr. Tito, the experience will last somewhere between 2 and 3 hours and as you enter the out atmosphere you will become an “astronaut”.

Aeroplanes are being designed now; that will travel higher than ever before, not necessarily out of the atmosphere but high enough to make a difference to the length of a long haul journey which in turn will improve the well being of the passengers and their susceptibility to “jet lag”. These aircraft will burn new environmentally friendly fuels and probably be able to carry a larger number of passengers. These journeys will not be in space like Virgin Galactic will take you, but our journeys for the conventional long haul traveller providing an efficient and quicker way to travel, they will be as near as most of us will get to travelling in space.

Do we need to go to space to find adventure? Although the highest mountains have been conquered and the poles of the earth regularly reached there are still many challenges left on this planet to keep most of us occupied for a lifetime so is space travel really necessary for most of us? If you have the money and desire to leave the world then great, but most of us will have to get our kicks from the adventures that this world has to offer us.

Take for example travelling on a safari holiday, much excitement can be had by getting up early, as dawn breaks on a new African morning and travelling through the bushvelt in an open land rover searching for predators, such as a lion or leopard returning home after a nights hunting and eventually coming across them feeding on a recently caught impala or experiencing a large herd of elephants crossing a river while crocodiles watch carefully from the bank. If you want to learn about space and the stars, go to a lodge where there is a resident astrologer, the remoteness of the lodges in Africa means that light pollution in the safari areas is nonexistent so on a clear night the stars come to life, almost as if you can touch them and with the guidance of a local astronomer and perhaps a telescope you too can travel to space! South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Kenya all offer wonderful opportunities to experience the stars and animals.

You may prefer to explore the depths of the world under the sea or just enjoy being in the sea. What has this got to do with space? In simple terms the relative distances of the earth and the positions of the moon and sun to each other all have an effect on the tidal patterns around the world. So if you go diving or snorkelling what you will see and your safety could be affected by the tidal patterns which are fixed by the positions of the moon and the sun in relation to the earth. Diving is a great adventure holiday and although this is not something you can undertake without instruction, it is something that most people can do and you don’t have to travel too far from the UK to experience the warm waters such as to Malta, Egypt and Turkey.

Those prepared to brave the colder waters can of course stay in the UK, but by travelling to places like Egypt you are likely to see a lot more. It is also possible to get great value cheap holidays to places like Turkey and Malta.

Flying into Jo’Burg is a good idea as it lands you right near the Kruger National Park area. A good idea is to take a few days out and get to know South Africa for a little while before you go on the actual Safari. There are plenty of nice lodges in and around the Kruger area that you can stay in with some top-quality service and luxurious accommodation. From this base you can explore the surrounding country-side and visit such local treasures as Pilgrims Rest, Bourk Lucks Pot Holes, Gods Window and the Three Rondovals. All of which can be guided visits or self travel.

Once you have acclimatised to the South African way of life you can then travel up to the Kruger National Park by light aircraft and arrive at your lodge greeted by your own personal guide. I would recommend about four or five days in the park to ensure you get the most out of your holiday as possible. You could either stay in one lodge for three or four nights or you could stay in two lodges in different areas of the Park for a couple of nights each to ensure that you see the full diversity of animals and scenery that this beautiful area has to offer.

Once you have finished in the Kruger National Park you can fly back to Jo’Burg and get a connecting flight to Zambia to visit the Victoria Falls, one of the most stunning wonders of the natural world. Spending a few days here is strongly advised as you will be able to soak up the atmosphere of this awesome spectacle and maybe even dare an exhilarating trip across the falls in a helicopter or microlite!!

In the Victoria Falls area you could also go on a boat journey along the magical Chobe River which provides yet more great opportunities for viewing wildlife such as hippos, crocs and various land animals. There are some great villages around this beautiful area to visit and you can spend some time relaxing at your hotel by the Victoria Falls.

From Zambia you can either return home or you could embark on another exciting leg of what is already an amazing journey. From here you could fly north to Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania. On the stunning island of Zanzibar you can soak up the sun in beautiful tropical surroundings whilst lazing on the beautiful white sandy beaches. This unique island with its myriad of little villages and bazaars provides you with some amazing cultural experiences ranging from amazing food to traditional dancing.

The other option from Zambia is to fly via Jo’Burg due East to Mauritius where you can spend some time relaxing in absolute comfort soaking up all that this vibrant island has to offer. Mauritius is a much larger island than Zanzibar so has a larger range of activities to keep you and your nearest and dearest occupied when on holiday.

A holiday in the south of Africa and the surrounding islands provides a perfect mix of safari and beach holiday that you cannot find anywhere else in the world. This a unique area with a hugely diverse and interesting eco system that you really have to experience to understand just how magical it really is.

Our first step onto South African soil was at Cape Town International Airport. Having collected our luggage and made our way through the arrivals hall, we found our private car transfer ready and waiting.  The drive to our hotel was around 40 minutes as traffic was quite heavy, and our driver was constantly talking to us about places to visit and giving us useful tips. Tips, for example, like traffic lights are known as ‘robots’!

We arrived at the Romney Park Suites, a five star property roughly a 10 – 15 minute walk from the V&A Waterfront.  We were upgraded to a two bedroom suite which was far bigger than we actually needed, but who could grumble at a freebie!

During our stay in Cape Town we discovered some wonderful restaurants. You can expect to pay slightly more for dinner right on the Waterfront, but you are paying for the location and it is worth every penny.  Meats including Zebra, Springbok and Wildebeest were served which went down very well with a glass or three of red wine.  We were lucky enough to get to the top of Table Mountain on a fair day, where views were absolutely stunning. We also went across to the famous Robben Island, as well as going on a full day tour of the Winelands which included Franschhoek and the Stellenbosch region. We had four nights in total in Cape Town, which we found just right.

From Cape Town we flew to Johannesburg but were only here for one night in order to get a connecting flight the next day. Having heard very mixed reviews about how safe or dangerous Johannesburg is, we decided to order Room Service and stay put.

We then took our car transfer back to Johannesburg and waited for our flight to Mala Mala Airstrip.  Upon boarding, I was horrified to see that the aircraft only had 12 seats and two propellers!! I personally feel safer the bigger the aircraft.  I had never travelled on this sort of plane before and found the flight very turbulent and bumpy, and I was continuously watching the propellers willing them to keep going! 

Arriving at Mala Mala was a real eye opener; the runway was tarmaced which is apparently quite a luxury compared to some other National Park areas.  We were surprised to see though, that there was no terminal building. We had quite literally landed in the middle of nowhere and all that there was to greet us was a man in a high-vis jacket who took responsibility of check in, baggage handling, security and passport control (which we found highly amusing!). We climbed aboard our Land Rover and our driver took us to our lodge – The Lion Sands Ivory Lodge.

Continued in South Africa and Zambia – Part 2

At Lion Sands there are two Lodges – Ivory Lodge, which comprises of 6 individual lodges, and River Lodge which has individual lodges but with shared facilities. Everything about Ivory Lodge was just slightly better, more exclusive and more special.  Our Lodge was huge with a large bed, bathroom, outdoor shower, and lounge with fireplace.  The outdoor decked area had a small plunge pool overlooking Sabie National Park and we were right in front of the Sabie River. We saw so much game just from our viewing deck along – a fantastic location!

We received two daily game drives which allowed us to see the big five, and much more including bush baby, hyena lizards and birds. We saw a lion run to make a kill, a leopard that had just made a kill, and a pride of 15 lionesses and cubs. 

On our departure it was almost like saying goodbye to family, as the experience here was so personal.  We bought a couple of Lion Sands souvenirs and have already decided that we will be going back.

We next flew to Livingstone and, for any travellers suffering claustrophobia, I wouldn’t recommend this airport! It was tiny with one terminal and one departure lounge, it was incredibly busy and extremely hot!  We stayed at The Royal Livingstone which was an amazing location directly on the Zambezi River and from our room we could see the slight mist from the Victoria Falls. The monkeys here are a nuisance but also rather funny, and on one day six zebra walked right past us whilst we were in the pool.  At the time of year that we visited, the Zambian side of the falls was almost dried out so we decided to take a helicopter flight so that we could also see the Zimbabwean side. After Zambia we flew home, our luggage got stuck in Zambia as our plane experienced technical difficulties due to the heat, but we received it back the next day and fortunately it was our homeward bound journey!

As an summary, Cape Town is a lovely city and it’s definitely worth doing as much as possible here. It is somewhere that we can say we have been but probably wouldn’t go back, purely because there as so many other places to see .  Zambia was lovely and the setting is just a cut above the rest of the hotels here, although we found the service slightly over the top. 

For my husband and I the ultimate experience that nothing can top was definitely the safari.  The location of the lodge, the service, and the game drives were all just amazing, and seeing animals in the wild was such a breathtaking experience.

A few pieces of advice would be to buy the Zambian Visa before arrival as the queues at the airport are huge. Take plenty of Mosquito repellent (although it didn’t really work for me!) and take plenty of warm clothing as the morning game drives are very cold.

This was a once in a lifetime experience for us, and we would definitely love to go back!