You haven't experienced the South African bush until you've been to the Mpumalanga. Home to the Kruger National Park, it's also home to the Songimvelo Game Reserve and the Sabi Sands Game Reserve (which shares unrestricted animals with the Kruger) amongst others. It’s not enough to just visit these places; we tracked down the most unique options out there so you can enjoy them from a completely new angle.

Elephant Safari

This safari experience is not only aimed at elephant-watching, you get to ride the animals as well. Camp Jabulani is also in the Kruger area. If you’re thinking, “roughing it up on top of an elephant is hardly luxurious”, worry not, the service at the camp makes up for it. They provide personal butlers, champagne breakfasts and bush dinners. If for some reason you need more than an elephant safari, there’s clay pigeon shooting and boat trips to try out.
A little aside, the camp was named after Jabulani, one of the African elephants raised by the Hoedspruit Rehabilitation Centre.

Walking Safari

Sure, driving in a Jeep offers an up close experience with the animals. But walking amongst them is much edgier. Jock Safari Lodge (it takes its name after the famous Sir Percy Fitzpatrick novel, Jock and the Bushveld), situated within the Kruger Park offers such daring opportunities. Of course these are guided walks and it’s better to do exactly your guide tells you to do, if you don’t want to leave remains in the wild. It’s also important to tread lightly as you might damage the environment. And if you want to milk the whole experience for all it’s worth consider sleeping in tents.

Horseback Safari

At first thought this sounds completely dangerous. Seeing yourself perched on a horse in the wild, where the horse is not the toughest animal… disaster. Fear not, you won’t be sent away into the bush by yourself or towards the danger zone. At Songimvelo Horse Safari, just near Barberton you’ll get to see 3.5-billion-year-old rock formations and 1 400 species of plant life while enjoying the sights of wild animals. The horseback safari option is popular here because only five per cent of the land is accessible by car. In case you’re worried, they have 20 species of herbivores and to date there’s only one carnivore, an elusive leopard which hunts mainly at night.

Click here to book your alternative bush experience.