Waterberg, South Africa
Flight schedules from London to Johannesburg are very helpful for intrepid safari-goers keen on spotting the Big Five in a weekend. Fly overnight each way to get four nights in the bush and only lose a couple of days out of the office. South Africa’s malaria-free Waterberg is the perfect destination since you don’t want to be messing around with medicine on such a flying visit. Leave Thursday evening and after landing early on the Friday morning, take a 45-minute flight, or three-hour drive from Johannesburg to Waterberg. It’s worth doing one leg by four-wheel drive to benefit from an authentic snapshot of typical South African rural life, past ostrich farms, under turquoise skies and through one-street villages where roofs are all corrugated iron, and horses are tied up outside sell-everything stores. At Waterberg, stay at home-from-home lodge Ant’s Hill in a private game reserve. The five rooms are kitted out with woven Kenyan fabric, seven-foot wide four-poster beds, and tables made from railway sleepers or acacia knocked down by elephant. It’s a short walk from rooms to the communal dining area, across a manicured lawn where a white rhino will usually be grazing. After a late and leisurely lunch, lap the infinity pool set over a gorge, head for the surrounding hills on foot, mountain bike or horseback, before an evening game drive. You’re guaranteed to see the Big Five, either in or around Ant’s Hill or in neighbouring reserves. Dinner is usually a boisterous affair presided over by lodge owners Ant and Tessa Baber, with fellow guests telling safari-spotting tales. The following day follows a similar pattern, and you either leave the lodge on Sunday at 5pm in order to get back to work on Monday, or spend an extra night and start work on Tuesday morning.
Hours from London: 11¾ (but only a two-hour time difference) or 14 if all legs done by four-wheel drive
Travel modes: Flight, light aircraft or four-wheel drive to Waterberg
Number of nights away: Three or four
Aardvark Safaris offers three nights at Ant’s Hill from £2,200 per person. This includes international flights, one transfer by light aircraft and one four-wheel drive, all meals and activities such as game drives. Call +44(0)1578 760222 or visit aardvarksafaris.com. BA flies to Johannesburg from London Heathrow, visit ba.com
