Press release

Africa. It’s vicious and alluring, brutal and magnificent, offering natural beauty and wildlife rarely seen elsewhere. Yet for many travellers, especially senior ones, Africa seems too far away and too forbidding to navigate. Reluctantly wildlife enthusiasts are forced to relegate their safari experience to viewing Nat Geo Wild on TV from the safety of their living rooms. Anyone who has experienced the real thing will tell you that this is no alternative and can in no way compares to actually being there in the bush.

Thankfully though, the (senior) wildlife enthusiast need no longer despair, for SA Senior Travel has been born and this is its story:

“Four lionesses – golden-brown and regal – have assembled near a wind-ruffled mound on the unfolding plains of Southern Africa. No word was spoken, no signal required. Their goal is common and their deadly formula proven many times over on hunts just like this one. Every sense is awake – their ears tuned for the slightest flutter, their noses sounding the breeze and their radar-eyes prospecting the savannah for miles around. Prey is nearby. Silently, and with military unison, they break from their makeshift den, easing from their haunches into a deft feline prowl. Still they must cower just below the grass-line so as not to break the horizon and reveal their lethal presence. One approaches square-on while two more cover the flanks. The fourth arcs around to intercept any escape. The scene is at once vicious and alluring, brutal and magnificent.”

Barry Goldstuck – a school teacher and proud owner of SA Senior Travel - recounts this scene with great fondness. His childhood vacations to the magnificent game parks of South Africa have instilled in him a deep enjoyment for the bush. It was during an evening around the campfire with students and family where the concept of SA Senior Travel emerged. While the day’s stories unravelled under the quiet African sky one of Barry’s students wondered aloud about a venture offering tailor-made safaris in Southern Africa. Barry was intrigued, but shelved the concept until nearly two years later.

It was the late 1990’s when Barry, perhaps inspired by the sight of another exhilarating moment in nature, finally brought the project to life. He experimented with business designs before settling on the model of top-end, boutique safaris, customised for small groups, blending luxury with genuine, up-close wildlife adventure, designed specifically for the client. He also decided on another very important innovation: At SA Senior Travel, the very same people who corresponded with the client in setting up their trip, are the same people who will be waiting for them to take care of all their needs until they step back onto their flight home. 

Even though SA Senior Travel has been around for 15 years now and has provided tours for over 350 guests; it still retains its quaint, personal approach, arranging a unique, custom-prepared vacation for each group. With them you no longer need to worry about being alone on your travels. They will be there for you at all times, eliminating such concerns as travel related illness, theft and scams aimed at foreigners. Their aim is to provide you with a thrilling yet safe experience.

Inside of the three major destinations of any safari – Kruger National Park, The Victoria Falls and Cape Town – the permutations of activities are almost endless.

Visitors open their African expedition fittingly at one of the spectacular private Game Reserve that forms part of the Greater Kruger Park wildlife sanctuary. Here superior game-viewing to any national reserve is on offer: All of the ‘Big Five’ along with over 140 other species of mammal. The delightful 5 star lodge accommodations are located deep within the reserve and provide comfortable refuge to call home during the time spent on safari. Many overseas visitors cite the silence of the bush and the startlingly clear portrait of stars overhead at night as lifelong memories from their first days on this enchanted continent. Spotting one’s first truly wild lion is another – the potency, balance and elegance simply cannot be appreciated in any zoo.

A short but scenic flight brings visitors to the utterly epic Victoria Falls of Zimbabwe. The local African tribe suitably named this natural wonder “The Smoke that Thunders”. Indeed, the gargantuan bank of water that plummets from the sheer basalt precipice grumbles with rib-shuddering force and a white mist hovers perpetually above. Again, in this tourist-friendly town the team at SA Senior Travel has all the logistics neatly in place. The charming Victoria Falls Safari Lodge makes for a comfortable abode.

Staring adaze at the beauty, volume and relentless strength of the Falls is irresistible as the opening activity, usually followed by a visit to the market where the masterly-crafted wooden carvings never fail to impress. There is also a buffet of outdoor activities including elephant-back safaris, walk with a lion pride and panoramic helicopter flips. A more leisurely day may include 18 holes at the Elephant Hills Country Club. Here small antelope trot freely on the fairways, monkeys chatter away in the nearby Acacia trees and a community of baby crocs ensures a watery grave for many a hooked tee-shot.

The magnificent Chobe Game Reserve, home to the world's largest elephant population, is only an hour by road from Victoria Falls is on Botswana's northern border and lies on the banks of the Chobe River just above its confluence with the Zambezi. A river boat cruise on the Chobe River will give you a totally different game viewing experience to the ones you have had until now. Here you will witness some of Africa's largest elephant and buffalo herds as they come to water with their young to drink and cross the river in front of you. You will

The journey is aptly rounded off at the southern tip of the continent – Cape Town. This cosmopolitan capital, known affectionately by South Africans as ‘The Mother City’, began life as a refreshment station for trading ships of the Dutch East India Company. Today the gorgeous Cape-Dutch architecture remains an alluring characteristic, especially in the surrounding farmlands. Guests are hosted at the exclusive Clarendon guest house overlooking the Indian Ocean and, of course, a plethora of superb outings is on offer. The beaches are ideal for sun-lounging and a day pottering around the acclaimed wineries, sampling the culinary fruits of their fine restaurants is unmissable. The historically-minded will be fascinated by a tour of Robben Island and nature lovers will be unable to resist the comical bustlings of the African penguins on Boulders Beach and, when in season, the magical sight of the endemic whales and dolphins.

Time permitting, no group ever regrets adding a final swansong touring up the picturesque ‘Garden Route’ to the resort-village of Plettenberg Bay. This stretch allows for a tangible experience of small-town rural South Africa culminating with the fun of the famous ‘Plett’ holiday atmosphere.

SA Senior Travel is essentially marketed by its erstwhile guests. Photograph evenings with family and friends seem to liven the sense of adventure and can animate even the most heavily cloaked explorer. The African outdoors offer something incomparable to any other region – the primeval simplicity of the hunt, the rich and earthy aromas of the day and the reflective stillness of the night. This heartening journey is wonderfully packaged by Barry and his team of imaginative chefs and experienced, passionate guides. Hand-picked lodges form another keystone of the trip, providing a cosy sanctuary at the end of the day. One simply cannot fight the feeling of upliftment. One appreciative American guest condensed the impact of her odyssey rather fittingly in a letter to Barry: “the warm glow of our fabulous trip remains”.

For more information visit their website: www.saseniortravel.com