How Does a Trip Like This Even Happen?

Sometimes the best trips are the ones you never planned to take.

Teresa and I support several charities around the Tampa Bay area, and each year we attend a number of fundraising events, galas, and charity auctions. Like most auctions, there are always a variety of items available. Gift baskets. Event tickets. Weekend getaways. The occasional vacation package.

At one particular event, one package caught Teresa’s eye.

A South African safari at a place called Hippo Lakes Luxury Safari Lodge in South Africa’s Waterberg region, complete with safari game drives and accommodations that were described as “luxury tents.” At the time, we didn’t know much more than that. We knew it involved wildlife, game drives, and a chance to experience a part of the world we’d never visited before.

It sounded interesting. So Teresa placed a bid. To our surprise, we won.

As I recall, we had roughly two years to redeem the trip, which gave us plenty of time to figure out exactly what we’d just committed ourselves to.

Africa Wasn’t Originally the Plan

Now, don’t get me wrong. We love to travel.

Over the years we’ve checked several dream destinations off our list. Iceland. Japan. Numerous cruises. National parks. Historical sites. We’ve always had places we’d like to visit someday.

Africa was certainly on the list. It just wasn’t near the top of it. At least not yet. We had talked about Egypt. Cape Town had crossed our radar. We had watched wildlife documentaries and occasionally found ourselves falling down YouTube rabbit holes featuring safaris, elephants, lions, and spectacular landscapes. Victoria Falls had certainly caught my attention more than once. I’ve always had a soft spot for waterfalls, despite repeated advice not to go chasing them.

Still, Africa wasn’t a destination we’d been actively planning.

Then this safari package landed in our lap and suddenly we found ourselves asking a different question:

“If we’re going to Africa anyway, what else can we see while we’re there?”

That question changed everything.

Learning About Hippo Lakes

As we began researching the trip, we discovered that Hippo Lakes has essentially perfected a weekly safari rhythm. Guests typically arrive in Johannesburg on Saturday, often staying overnight at the airport-area InterContinental, before transferring to the reserve on Sunday. The next five nights are spent immersed in safari life, with game drives, wildlife encounters, dining experiences, and all the activities that make the reserve famous. By Friday morning, guests can either return home or continue on one of several extension adventures offered through the lodge.

The more we learned, the more appealing it became.

The property sits within South Africa’s Waterberg region and operates as a luxury safari lodge built around a private reserve experience. Their entire operation is designed to make international travel as easy as possible for first-time safari visitors.

What really impressed us was how seamless everything appeared. Airport pickups. Transportation. Activities. Meals. Excursions. They seemed to have the process down to a science.  Free styling was not in this trip.

That was reassuring for two people preparing to visit a continent neither of us had ever seen before.

Why Victoria Falls Won

As we learned more about the trip, we also learned that Hippo Lakes offered several extension options for guests who wanted to continue their African adventure after the safari portion ended.

Cape Town was one possibility. Additional safari experiences were another. There were cultural tours, scenic destinations, and several other opportunities to explore different parts of Southern Africa.

In other words, the difficult part wasn’t finding something to do. The difficult part was deciding which option to choose.

Each extension offered something different. Cape Town promised spectacular scenery, history, and world-class food. Additional safari packages would allow us to spend even more time searching for wildlife. Other destinations offered cultural experiences, famous landmarks, and opportunities to see a different side of Africa.

As we reviewed the options, one destination kept capturing our attention, Victoria Falls.

Part of the appeal was practical. It was relatively close and fit neatly into the existing travel plans. But the bigger reason was that it offered something completely different from the safari experience.

The safari would be about wildlife. Victoria Falls would be about one of nature’s great spectacles.

Instead of tracking animals through the bush, we’d stand beside one of the largest waterfalls on Earth. Instead of scanning the horizon for lions, we’d watch millions of gallons of water plunge into a gorge. It felt less like repeating part of the trip and more like adding a completely new chapter to it.

The more we looked at the available extensions, the clearer the choice became.

Cape Town wasn’t being eliminated. Neither were the other options. They simply became reasons to return someday. For this trip, Victoria Falls felt like the perfect complement to the safari experience.

As we would later discover, it was exactly the right choice.

The Planning Begins

Winning the trip was the easy part. Planning it was another story entirely. International travel requires a little more preparation than throwing clothes into a suitcase and heading to the airport.

We reviewed passport requirements and expiration dates. We researched recommended vaccinations and health precautions. Typhoid? Malaria? Hepatitis? No concerns here, but a reality there. We compared flight options. We looked at travel insurance. We debated luggage. We debated camera gear. Then we debated camera gear some more.  If you’re a photographer, amateur or professional, you probably understand.