There is much chatter about “slow travel” these days. We modern humans are feeling a longing for rest, an escape from the relentless pace of simply existing in today’s world. Slow travel encourages us to let go of our conditioned urge to maximize every minute of the day, to experience our surroundings with intentionality and, if we’re lucky, a sense of wonder. “In an age of speed, I began to think, nothing could be more invigorating than going slow,” quotes luminary writer Pico Iyer.

I love the concept of slow travel. I’m all for it. The trouble is, attaining that peaceful state of vacation mode can be frustratingly elusive, whether I’m on a tropical beach or in a buzzing metropolis. What compels us to disconnect, completely and unreservedly, from our routines and screens? To wake up in the morning to a clear head, unencumbered with “to do”s, appointments, wish lists?

Whether you’ve yet to embark on your first safari, or are a multi-trip afficionado, allow me to wax poetic for a moment: there is nothing, nothing in the world that compares to a game drive. Specifically, a game drive in in South Africa’s Greater Kruger Region, one of the most celebrated safari destination on the planet.

Kruger National Park was founded in 1926. This varied, wildlife-rich biome stretches 7,523 square miles—another way to visualize that, as the Micato team once noted, is that almost 5,700 Central Parks could fit inside. The terrain, from acacia-dotted savannah to riverine forests, is home to countless wildlife and irreplaceable adventures.

But many people don’t know that there is so much more in the Greater Kruger Region than the national park. In fact, some of the richest and most diverse wildlife viewing in the country is found in the private game reserves that border the park: names that roll off the tongue like incantations: Sabi Sand and Sabi Sabi, Ulusaba, Thorny Bush, and others.

Offering exclusivity and privacy, a stay in one of these bordering concessions is for travellers who simply want the best.

Heading Out on a Game Drive

In the Greater Kruger Region, the classic game drive experience begins before the first beams of dawn touch down on the horizon. In the grey of early morning, as you lay cozily in bed, a gentle tap-tap on your door announces the arrival of your Safari Director, with tea and coffee, however you like it, in-hand. “I hope you woke up in a strange place,” American author T.J. Klune once wrote, and I have to agree. That thrill of excitement as we emerge from sleep and remember where we are—I’m on a safari, I’m heading out on a game drive—well, nothing can match it.

When you’re dressed—grab your hat, sunglasses and a warm sweater—and finish tying up your boots, we’ll head to meet our group. Take a moment, perhaps for a last sip of coffee or a nibble of rusk, South Africa’s delightfully crunchy cookie treats, best when dunked into hot tea. And then, we’re into the game-viewing vehicle and off into the bush, as the light changes around us with the rising sun.

Here, we enter the land of the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, and Cape buffalo). In areas such as the Thornybush Game Reserve, prides of lioness prowl the savannah or doze in the grass with their cubs, and bachelor groups of brotherly male lions make for an breath-catching sight with their black-tipped manes and powerful forms. Or, scan for herds of elephant or the elusive leopard in Sabi Sabi Reserve Game Reserve, famous for its plentiful population of the rosetted cats. Chances to see rhinos, giraffes and Cape buffalo are also plentiful here. When evening comes, a night drive brings with it the chance to catch a glimpse of rarely seen animals, such as the hyena, the petite genet or the African civet, the Verreaux’s eagle-owl, and maybe a wide-eyed bush baby.

Throughout the drive, the Micato Safari Director brings insights, knowledge, and stories at every moment. These experts all born and raised in the area where they now guide, and are professionally trained in everything from wildlife, tracking, and bushlore to conservation initiatives and palaeoanthropology. And that’s not all—they keep track of every logistical detail of each passenger’s trip, and travel exclusively with that group for the entire safari. It’s dizzying just to think about.

Micato’s Open-Air Vehicles

Safari-goers know that even the smallest of details in a safari vehicle can make a huge difference. Each custom-made, four-wheel drive vehicle is equipped with its own WiFi, a pair of Nikon binoculars for each guest, animal and bird guidebooks, bean bags for stabilizing long lenses, and ice-chilled beverages and snacks. At opulent, sustainability-minded lodges such as Cheetah Plains, these vehicles are electric-operated for silent sound and minimal ecological footprint. In South Africa, each game drive vehicle has your Micato Safari Director, a local Driver/Guide and a Ranger who sits out front. Rangers are gifted animal trackers who spot even the smallest signs of animal behaviour.

Different Ways to Consider a Luxury Safari

In these exclusive concessions in the Greater Kruger Region, a personalized itinerary is the best way to travel in the way you want. There are three approaches to a safari with Micato: private, one-of-a-kind Custom Safaris; small-group Classic Safaris which average to approximately 13 days long, such as the popular Jewels of Southern Africa; and Private Classic Safaris, in which travellers select an expertly curated itinerary and enjoy it in the privacy of whomever they please.

Timing is important too, although perhaps not as much as people might like you to believe. Embarking on a game drive, or heading out on an early-morning bush walk, can be humbling and awe-inducing no matter the month or year. I once trailed two white rhinos, accompanied by a private guide and tracker from Royal Malewane, in the grey mist of pre-dawn rain—I still vividly recall the thumping of my heart, the wet droplets on the acacias and tall grass around me, the softness of my boots on the damp earth as we quietly neared the incredible beasts.

But, for practicality’s sake, there are simple guidelines to keep in mind: Embarking on safari in Southern Africa from April through October coincides with a greater concentration of wildlife viewing, while traveling during the Quiet Season (November-March) can result in memories of lush landscapes with fewer travellers, a compete envelopment of the senses that lingers long after you depart back home.

Kruger, the King of Landscapes

The diversity of terrain here is a wonder to behold: acres of sandveld, woodlands, and golden savannah. And as your familiarization with big cats and other megafauna grows, you might also find yourself increasingly besotted with the more subtle, harder-to-spot details. That’s how you’ll know you’re falling in love with this place, that Greater Kruger is nestling its way into your heart. You’ll crouch, fascinated, next to the might of a termite mound, hungry to understand the mind-boggling social complexities of these tiny, crucial insects. You’ll hold your binoculars tight as you catch the iridescent flash of a lilac-breasted roller, posing on a branch so sweetly as if just for you. You’ll notice that the leaves of the mopane tree look like the wings of a butterfly. You’ll close your eyes as dusk darkens the sky at the end of perfect day, as the soft air caresses your cheek, and all you can think is that you must come back to this place.

To learn more, you can talk with a Micato Safaris expert.