Chris AshtonWatching a trio of zebras grazing amid the dusty bushveld of Sebatana, a private game reserve located some 270 kms drive north of Johannesburg, it’s impossible not to think of the opening scene and song from The Lion King (the original 1994 version).
Herds and flocks of animals – a multicoloured menagerie of lions, giraffes, antelopes, elephants, wildebeest and many more – roaming the savannah to the rousing beats of the ‘Circle of Life’. It’s a scene deeply ingrained in my subconscious, ever since I first saw the film as a child, and it’s stayed with me for a couple of reasons.
One, it’s an ear worm and impossible to shake, and two, it was a completely foreign concept to a kid from suburban Perth. The closest I got to seeing wildlife (at the time) was a blue-tongue lizard that would occasionally hang out behind my dad’s shed. The African wilderness was something I desperately wanted to see in the flesh.
Fast forward around 30 years and a visit to Sebatana Private Reserve last year was my opportunity to finally realise that exact dream, venturing off on a TripADeal trip staying at the five star Leopard Lodge. It lived up to my expectations and more.
While I’ve covered the experience in great detail at Executive Traveller (read it here), I have a lot of photos just sitting on my hard drive (the shutter click of my Fujifilm camera was a constant companion from the moment my feet touched the ground at OR Tambo International Airport until the day I departed. It’s time to do something with them.
With that in mind, here are a random assortment of images from the adventure.
For more information on this and other TripADeal experiences, head to tripadeal.com.au
