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LION SANDS GAME RESERVE
SOUTH AFRICA

Mesmerized by the colours, I thought it was time I removed my sunglasses. The sun was already down, so I would not need them anymore. And above all, my sunglasses always add a shade of reddish or so… ‘I need to see the real colours of Africa’ I thought.

And as I moved my hand in order to take off my sunglasses, I realised that all this time I hadn’t been wearing any. ‘How is it possible?’ I asked myself. I blinked again and again. Then suddenly, it hit me; ‘It’s for real’.

These colours were for real. In fact, everything was for real. As real as it can get! That’s real nature. ‘Is this how the world used to be before we create skyscrapers, streets, stations, shopping malls, the internet and so on?’ I wondered.

And while most of the planet is looking forward to a ‘meta-life’ in a virtual world, I decided that I needed to reconnect with the real world. And this is how my African safari adventure and my stay at Lion Sands River Lodge officially begun.

And now, after all these game drives, after numerous breakfasts and candlelight dinners by the Sabie River, after several encounters with lions, leopards, elephants and many more wild animals or birds, after meeting wise people with incredible knowledge and respect for nature, after discovering the rhythms of traditional Shangaan music, after falling asleep to the sound of lions’ roars, I am supposed to write about it…

How can I express all these? How can I portray that sky, those colours, those smells, those clouds, those people and that light? 

Every effort I make to find the right words to describe Lion Sands Game Reserve leads to one thing: there are no words! And I know that this might sound cliché. I know that I might have said this before for other places but it’s simply the truth.

And then, there is the sunset! Under the African sunset light every ordinary cloud, every broken branch, every half-dried leaf, every single thing turns into pure beauty and your eyes can’t believe what they see.

My love for sunsets is famous. But I deny using any words for the sunsets I experienced in Africa. The horizon simply goes on fire and you have no eyes for anything else.

Imagine…Six people speechless, silent, in the middle of Sabi Sands, looking at the horizon. And when this spectacular time of the day has drawn to an end and you start thinking ‘wow that was magical’ here comes more magic…more star dust…literally!

Imagine…Driving in an open car, no sight of ‘civilization’, surrounded by pure nature, under the sound of frogs, crickets, lions, hyenas, feeling the breeze on your hair, breathing in fresh air and then you look up and you realise that the night sky has never been so glittery before. That’s a typical evening drive around Lion Sands Game Reserve.

I never saw so many stars in my life and who knows if I will be lucky enough to witness such a sky again. One thing I know for sure.

 Lion Sands Game Reserve, located inside Sabi Sands, which shares a 50km unfenced border with the Kruger National Park, is not only the ultimate safari destination in South Africa but also one of the most sophisticated places to connect with nature, connect with each other and experience things you will remember for the rest of your life!

Big thanks to Rector, Mitch, Philly, Warren and everyone at Lion Sands River Lodge for making this trip unforgettable.

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