We have just returned from a three day safari at a private game reserve about seven hours south of Johannesburg called Phinda, which is run by Conservation Corporation Africa (CCAfrica). The game reserve itself is gorgeous but before I get into that, CCAfrica is unique in that it invests a portion of its profits in the surrounding villages as well as employing inhabitants from those villages, who make up eighty percent of their staff. The money they invest goes to three different types of projects: education, primary healthcare and income generating activities, which is awesome because their faith in the community has fostered a great relationship between CCAfrica and the local villages.

Our home base was a camp on the northern part of the reserve named Bayete and we had our own personal guides named Nicky and Ross who took us on five game drives throughout our stay. The experience as a whole was unparalleled. Every day we woke up at sunrise and drove around the reserve in these big Land Cruisers with open tops searching for animals. I would say "Ross! Find me some elephants!" and then we'd drive around following elephant tracks and then stumble upon a herd making their way to a watering hole. Our guides knew everything there was to know about the reserve and every animal in it and I found myself asking them so many questions, trying to soak up as much information as possible. It turns out that Nicky is the sole female ranger on the reserve and only one of four employed within the whole of CCAfrica. She has so much enthusiasm for her work that working in a completely male dominated profession doesn't even phase her, which is pretty impressive.

It is insane how much we saw. Saturday Nicky led us to a pride of lions and we spent all morning with them, just watching them lounge in the shade. Then by chance we saw a family of rhinos grazing in the long grass on the way back to camp. I caught a glimpse of a cheetah drinking from a pond not one hundred feet from the place where we ate breakfast every morning. Observing the animals was only half of it though. The landscape itself was truly inspiring: the rolling hills; the wind blowing softly through the long grass; the peaceful ponds with water lilies dotting the surface; and majestic forests made up of knotted grisly trees that are still oddly beautiful. However the piece de resistance was the sky. I can't really explain it but the sky in the bush is different than at home or even in Johannesburg. It seems to vault up over you until it hits the horizon when it merges with the ground. During the day its as blue as the sea; at night its an inky black canvas dotted with the most magnificent display of stars, and sunrises and sunsets are dramatic displays of color and light. Its incredible.
Never in my life have I been so content. I would ride in the car with the silliest smile on my face because I couldn't believe how much I was enjoying myself. I am so grateful Phinda was incorporated as part of our trip because it has expanded my appreciation for the phenomena of nature and alerted me to just how precious and fragile it all really is.