I’ve just returned from an amazing safari at Sabi Sands, a private nature reserve in South Africa. This was my second time there this year and one of many safaris I have been fortunate enough to take, and I will tell you — it never gets old. I’m incredibly fortunate to get to travel for a living and experience incredible things.
Here you can see the Big Five animals: lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and buffaloes. I love South African game reserves because you can go off the beaten path and track animals, which gives you the opportunity to get extremely close to them.
Dean, who just turned 2, and my parents were all able to come on safari this time because we stayed at the family-friendly camp Cheetah Plains.
It’s a small lodge, and every group is assigned its own safari guide and tracker, so it’s much more flexible in terms of bringing young children. All of your game drives are in a private vehicle, so in the end, this made for a great family trip.
And this is where my love for points and miles comes in — they can be the key to getting to do things like fly the family to Africa to create amazing family memories traveling together! You can check out the Instagram highlight I made about our experience at Cheetah Plains.
Even though most safari camps are not bookable with hotel points, you can sometimes use flexible credit card points that offset travel charges, and you can certainly use your airline miles to fly there like we did. Additionally, there’s a new points-friendly safari hotel in Africa — the JW Marriott Masai Mara safari lodge in Kenya, which opened last year.
If you plan on going on safari, I highly recommend speaking with a travel adviser who specializes in safaris. I personally use Roar Africa; I know the CEO, Deborah Calmeyer (she’s amazing!), and she and her team have been to all the top camps so they are well versed in planning these trips. A travel adviser will know the ins and outs of planning these trips, and the best times to go, but will also take time to get to know your travel preferences.
Another great option for planning trips is with TPG’s sister company Elsewhere by Lonely Planet, which can help plan and craft the perfect itinerary and connect you with expert guides in the destination of your choice.
If you had $10,000 to plan the trip of a lifetime, where would you go? Maybe it’s on a safari or to Madeira, Portugal, for a luxurious stay like I experienced last year with Elsewhere’s guidance. For a limited time, you can enter for a chance to win $10,000 in the Elsewhere sweepstakes. You can find all the details here.
Have a great weekend,
BK
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Photo Credit: BRIAN KELLY/THE POINTS GUY.
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