Paradise. A giraffe, a wildebeest, a herd of impalas and a zeal of zebras all co-existing in this beautiful sanctuary.

Going on a safari had never been on my bucket list. Unlike most people who probably list it as among the top things to do in a lifetime, mine is more of going to watch the FIFA World Cup live.

But this year, I was not only given the privilege to join a safari once, but twice in just two months time of interval.

With canopied beds and spacious shower and restrooms and with WiFi to boot, what’s not to love in Thanda, which actually means “Love” in Zulu, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa?

The first was in March. I experienced it for the first time when the group I was traveling with, a happy bunch of Southeast Asian journalists, were driven to Botlierskop Private Game Reserve along the scenic Garden Route of Western Cape in South Africa.

We saw wildebeests and impalas as well as rhinos. Some opted to go horseback riding, while some were aboard the jeeps because they wanted to freely capture wildlife photography.

My longer and more memorable exposure to safari came a day later in Shamwari Game Reserve in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa.

There, I would say, my enchantment began.

Prior to my African sojourn, I and most probably many have come to call the term of seeing wildlife aboard a moving vehicle as “safari.” But during that stay, it was always referred to as “game drive,” derived from the word “game,” refering to animals in the wild, and “drive,” the manner in which the tour is held.

It was, needless to say, a surreal afternoon drive. For someone who’d only seen all these animals in picture books and school textbooks, there I was, aboard the jeep, mesmerized and eager to see these animals in the flesh.

Beautiful creatures. The morning drive was made more memorable because the group caught sight of a pride of lions.

With the sun setting at 7 p.m., another first for someone who lives right in the middle of the tropics and is used to seeing the brightest star set at 6 p.m. at the most, my first game drive was altogether new.

One of the stops brought a sense of nervous excitement because we saw the carcass of a giraffe, with only its hoof remaining. Our ranger, Raymond, said the giraffe had been the meal of their lions. There I was, looking at how a larger-than-life creature had been reduced to a body part that was even smaller than my stature.

As we went along, we saw more impalas, the McDonald’s of the wild, which one will be able to immediately identify through the black hair that forms the letter “M” on their behinds.

There were also some warthogs (yes, Pumba was no longer just an animation in my mind) and some more giraffes, a couple even “mating.” And they mate standing, starting by smelling their scents from the nether regions.

Just as we were about the give up catching sight of a lion because it was getting dark and we had to go back to our villa, we were treated with the sight of the “king” slowly waking up. With his mouth wide open and giving our group a piercing look, we all fell silent, mesmerized.

After a moment of silence, the lion with the gorgeous crown of hair like grown-up Simba suddenly came alive, started walking leisurely towards the fading horizon, with his audience silently clicking away with their DSLR and smartphones, hoping they could take even a decent silhoutte of the glorious animal.

After my stay in the topnotch game reserve, I was already resigned that I would probably be able to visit South Africa after a few years but fate was so kind and I had the privilege of visiting anew the land that I did not know would make me fall so hard for it.

Last July, I was again in South Africa to cover its biggest fiesta, Durban July. This is a highly anticipated horseracing event held every July in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. It is another experience, another reason which made me rave once more about this newfound favorite land. People converge in this part of Africa, dressed to the nines to party the night away.

Besides partying till we dropped, our group was also treated to game drives. This time, I was more excited. There’s that giddy feeling of a fangirl being granted a wish.

Our group, this time scribes from the Philippines, was billeted at Villa Izulu at Thanda Private Game Reserve, just a few hours’ drive from Durban. It was another topnotch game reserve. Our villa had its own swimming pool and a food spread of freshly baked goodies and five-star quality dishes.

The rooms were as exquisite as the one in Eastern Cape. With canopied beds and spacious shower and restrooms and with WiFi to boot, what’s not to love in Thanda, which actually means “Love” in Zulu, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa?

Cheeky! These spices are sold at the Victoria Market, formerly known as the Indian Market in Durban Central. Durban is also known as the “largest Indian city outside of India.”

Just like the previous outing, we were greeted with different kinds of animals in the wild — impalas, zebras and giraffes. We ended the afternoon game drive with a sundowner on top of a hill overlooking the setting sun. It was not only the profusion of oranges, reds and yellow tinged with a little bit of gray in the horizon that gave us a thrill, but also the bottles and cans of spirits, including the region’s famous nutty and chocolatey liquer, Amarula, that were neatly arranged at the back of our jeep. We had nibbles and spirits pairing at dusk! And we capped the evening with a candlelit dinner and bonfire.

The morning game drive is probably one of the highlights of my second trip to South Africa. We drove out from our villa at the appointed time, dressed in our best cold-combatting attire. Or so we thought.

As our jeep — which by the way on both game reserves I’ve been to were open as opposed to those that I’ve often seen in movies where passengers were inside a closed jeep — drove past the electric gate of our villa, we realized we were underdressed.

The winter clothes, beanies and mittens our guide Vince Hindson and tracker Derrick Myeni wore were dead giveaways. Though Durban is often referred as the “warmest place to be” in all of South Africa, it was still winter there. Because we were in the wild, it was even colder at winter, which is from June to August. There was no snow — just chilly wind. Thankfully, Vince and Derrick had prepared blankets and warm compresses for each of us.

This drive was particularly dramatic. It started with us being greeted with the ‘McDonalds’ and several giraffes. There were also elephants. But we were set on seeing even just one lion.

We seemed to be driving to nowhere after an hour of not seeing any. Vince even had to distract us with trivia on the flora and fauna of the reserve. He was quite knowledgeable and as patient as Derrick. And when we thought to call it a day because it was nearing 8 a.m., we were surprised to see a pair idly walking side by side when we reached a bend. And so we were like children being handed with lollipops, giddily taking photos and videos. We thought that was good enough for the day.

When the pair reached a clearing, lo and behold, there were five or more lying in a shaded bush! To say it was an OMG moment is an understatement. It was around seven or more too plenty — a pride of lions, no less!

My notions of coming face-to-face with these feared yet revered creatures were sort of squashed. My companions and I were nowhere near being their breakfast, though they could if they wanted. Their speed alone, at 80 kph, is no match for our jeep. The trick when in any game drives, really, is to never agitate the animals and never make unnecessary movements like extending one’s arms or doing acrobatics while on board the jeep. I was told that most of the creatures see the jeeps as another big creature.

Of course, being Filipinos who love taking photos, we found the best possible angle from where we were seated and took a ‘groufie’ with them fine lions in the background.

After these game drives, I never thought I would say this: I will never get tired of going to a safari. I’ve been only to three game reserves, and South Africa has nine provinces where, for sure, more game reserves and national parks are waiting to be explored.

Mandla Nxumalo, Durban Tourism officer, does a fist in front of the marker of revered first president of the African National Congress, John Langalibalele Dube, located at the compound of the Ohlange Institute in Inanda. In their culture, pointing fingers at the grave of the dead is a sign of disrespect. Dube was instrumental in the country’s history. He served as an inspiration for many, including another great South African, Nelson Mandela. The Nobel Peace Prize winner famously said in front of Dube’s marker after casting his vote during the country’s first fully democratic and post-apartheid elections in 1994, “Mr. President, I’ve come to report to you that today South Africa is now free. May your soul rest in peace now.”

The city of Durban has a lot of sights and offerings for tourists to do. One guaranteed way of seeing Durban is riding the Durban Ricksha Bus Tour, which roams around the city and port area.

Check out these photos and the amazing things one can do in Durban.