It doesn’t matter how often you travel, there is always a rush in the morning on the day that you are travelling, a feeling of being overwhelmed. I’m guilty of trying to stuff my suitcase with my whole wardrobe. If you don’t have to sit on your suitcase trying to close it when travelling, you are definitely forgetting something. Off we go and yes, we are going the pothole Lydenburg route, but the scenery is spectacular. Hoedspruit is special, every time I go to this part of Limpopo, I always come back with this feeling that South Africa is alive with possibilities, I always come back recharged and full of gratitude.

Going to Klaserie Misava Camp you have to go through different gates, first you have to go through Guernsey Control Gate and pass the Eastgate Airport, then go through the APNR Control Gate, here they have search dogs, they are searching for ammunition, explosives and animal products because rhino poaching is a serious problem here in South Africa.

The last gate is Incheni Gate this is when you enter the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve. Two kilometres after entering Incheni gate we are greeted by two kings, what a sighting as we are entering the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, I couldn’t help but notice a lion seating on the road as we drove closer another lion emerged from the bushes two male lions, I was jumping for joy in my seat. This is my first time being greeted by two lions while entering the reserve. I foresee an exciting weekend ahead. We drove passed the usual zebras, giraffes’ blissful day it was. The directions are a charming narration in exact kilometres and landmarks.

On arrival, covid19 questionnaire and the indemnity forms as usual, Brenda showed us around the lodge on this beautiful 34-degrees day. The lodge décor has earth tones which is modern and fits with the surroundings of nature. We stayed in the new suites. Our suite was called Khwati which means forest in Xitsonga, one of the many South African official languages. The suite is beautiful and spacious overlooking the bush, just how I like it. Décor very minimal and functional. An oversized bed in the middle of the room. A beautiful bathtub with a view. There is an indoor and outdoor shower. I’m loving this indoor-outdoor living it makes you connect with nature more as the front of the room is a glass sliding door that gives you the view of the beautiful and tranquil savannah, and a glimpse of the Klaserie river in the far ground. They say a good view is like good picture, it must have something in the foreground, the middleground and ultimately something in the background.

Lunch is served by the pool deck overlooking the Klaserie River with views of the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve. The Misava Camp is perched high on a gentle cliff overlooking the river, beyond the sand drift is a great spread of the Nature Reserve, good food and incredible views are a match made in heaven. It is so hard to pick a spot to look at when beauty surrounds you. The food was scrumptious we had chicken lollipops, beef kebabs with salsa and for dessert we had a delicate carrot cake that was light and fluffy. A well-executed carrot cake must find a delicate balance between the ever-competing trilogy of ingredients, the sweetness, the spiciness, and the creaminess. In Misava camp your liquid consumption needs are planned ahead in the day while we were having lunch we were asked what we would like to drink on the sundowners on the afternoon game drive.

Off we go chasing sunsets and wildlife. It is always cool to be on an open-air vehicle in the bush. What will the bush reveal today? It is a mystery every time. It is also this wonderment that probably prompted the famous wildlife photographer to exclaim “Sometimes, life is a question mark”.

First sighting was a herd of buffaloes, my husband always says buffaloes look at us like we owe them money which is so true, they always give you that nasty stank face look as if they are asking “what are you doing here”. We came across a skittish leopard that quickly ran into the bushes. We saw some elephants drinking water and splashing themselves with water, what a beautiful sight. Our guide Nick is very passionate about wildlife, when we saw Impalas and we said “McDonald’s of the bush” because they are everywhere and they are predators food he explained to us the vital role that these animals play in the wild. We stopped for sundowners and enjoyed a drink on a riverbed. It is true that a dash of sand mixed with water, could melt a fully grown adult into a kid again, before you knew it most people were barefoot, walking around in the wet sand. What an appropriate intermission to a perfect introduction to the Klaserie reserve.

Food is an important aspect of every lodge/hotel. I am one of those people that don’t like surprises when it comes to food, but I do appreciate variations in the food that I love. I appreciate a mix of different flavours. I appreciate great presentation that is why I’m not a big fan of buffets. Chef Lance and Chef JB delivered a masterpiece every time. I just want to highlight my favourites I loved the salmon tower starter and the ginger gave it that zing loved the mango addition to this dish. I also enjoyed the main course which was kingklip with domino potatoes and salsa. The kingklip was cooked to perfection and the fish was very fresh. When it comes to dessert I do have a sweet tooth so I try and taste and not have the whole dessert but in Klaserie Drift I couldn’t help myself from light and fluffy carrot cake to rich and creamy chocolate cake and not forgetting the delicate granadilla cheese cake, I was high on sugar and loving it. One of the nights we had boma dinner under the stars, sitting outside and your hear the trees crunching it is the Elephants getting their dinner as you have yours, Lion calls from a distance what a delightful evening with cool breeze swaying the trees softly. The best thing since sliced bread was the garlic bread with cheese yummy! Butternut soup so creamy I had to remember to leave space for the main course and dessert.

For the morning drive we woke up at 4h40 and 5h15 we are out and ready to start the day with the rest of the bush. First sighting was a leopard yes! two days in a row a leopard, this leopard was being followed by a hyena. The leopard tried to shake this hyena off, but hyena kept on following and we are excited and mesmerized by these two. The lions started calling and just like that our ranger Nick says “I know where they are” and we drove off, the excitement mounting as we make our way to where our ranger thinks the lions are. We found them by an Air strip scattered around, a pride of lions with lots of cubs. The cubs were cheerfully playing around, what a sight. One of the cubs picked up a stick and was playing with the other cubs with a stick and you sit there and watch cause you will never see this again in your life it is a different experience every time. The lion cubs are the cutest thing ever you just want to pick them up and play with them. As we are sitting and enjoying the pride the male lions call from a distance and the female sitting with the cups started to direct them to where they are by calling as well. There were 23 lions in total that we could count from our view. After that we had our morning coffee stop and then we carried on with our journey in the bush, we saw elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, inyalas, impalas. We had great sightings.

We skipped the afternoon drive and chilled by picturesque pool with endless views of the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve. Even though we had FOMO (Fear of missing out) We had our own game viewing while wallowing like buffaloes in the pool we spotted some elephants and buffaloes by the river swimming and enjoying the sunset just like us.

When you travel you meet some of the coolest people? South Africans are such amazing people with lots of humour. The best saying, I heard this weekend was “You are never lost” but “You are temporary unsure of your current location” this here had me in stitches while we were on the game drive. I was literally in tears laughing.

“Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy and creativity. It is the source of hope, accountability, and authenticity”. In this delicate and vulnerable country of ours South Africa, there are still places where hope springs eternal and we can share a laugh, our collective love of food, and our authentic attachment to our true national treasure, our wildlife, welcome to Klaserie Drift, Misava Camp where luxury meets wildlife.

Klaserie Drift Misava Camp Experience