A bucket list – do you have one? If you’re asking what it is, then you must have missed the 2007 blockbuster movie of the same name. Basically, a bucket list is a list of all the things your soul craves to do, and it’s been something that guests continue to refer to in their reviews of their stay at Thornybush.
We’ve heard time and again that doing a safari is a bucket list item, so we’ve put together a few reasons why a safari makes the perfect addition to your list.
Approximately 1 350 of Africa’s wild species are under constant threat from habitat destruction, drought and poaching. Some of these are well-known, such as the black rhino and the African elephant.
South Africa offers you one of the best chances of seeing these animals in the flesh before they disappear, leaving nothing but National Geographic re-runs in their wake. You can’t fully appreciate how incredible these creatures are without getting up close to them or seeing them in their natural habitat.
As the birthplace of mankind, Africa has a certain kind of primeval pull to all who visit here. It’s a feeling of ‘coming home’ that just can’t be described. When you are out in the bush your survival instinct is rekindled. Your senses become sharpened, you feel more connected with the earth and its creatures, and you realise just how small your worries really are.
Watching the sun sink quickly over the vast horizon or gazing up at a million diamond-bright stars at night, it’s possible to imagine just how vast it is ‘out there’.
To embark on a safari is to fill your being with experiences that you will never enjoy anywhere else. It allows you the chance to just be, in a world far away from the hubbub of daily life and intrusions of technology.
When you book and pay for a South African safari, you are making a direct contribution towards conservation. In this way you are ensuring the survival of many species that would not still be around if it weren’t for the private game reserves like Thornybush that support them.
Likewise, you are contributing to the on-going survival of the families of the 700 000 people in South Africa who are directly employed in the tourism industry.
A safari takes you away from the things that distract you from what is really important. It gives you a chance for introspection, healing and a deeper understanding of your soul’s desires.
Surround yourself with a kind of silence that is created by the whistling of birds and shuffles of the bush, settling you into a natural rhythm of the wilderness.
You owe it to yourself to disconnect from civilization and reconnect with the bigger picture as you lounge by a sparkling pool, cocktail in hand, caressed by warm rays of sunshine – surrounded by the deep richness of the African bush.
Go ahead and book your safari holiday now, time is always running out and your bucket list isn’t getting any shorter!