“Why do you love it here? What makes you want to permanently live here, in the middle of the bush?”

This was a question I was asked at dinner one night by a guest. A question which in that moment seemed a little null and void... I mean isn’t it obvious? However, then it made me think.

To you slouched on your couch, or on your mid-morning coffee break half way across the world wondering the same thing, let me give you a bit of insight into one of the most soul enriching places on Earth.

05:30 and no you did not dream it, that really is your wakeup call! Crikey, I know... ‘what kind of vacation is this?’ some may initially think, but as the age old saying goes... ‘the early bird catches the worm,’ or in our case ‘early risers spot the good stuff.’ A strong morning coffee down and feeling human again, it’s time to hop on to your game viewer and set out into the vibrant and welcoming sunrise. There’s nothing like the smell of the bush early in the morning, crisp and fresh – alive with birdsong and possibility.

Half an hour in and around the corner stand some 20 elephants, feeding and interacting with one another... almost oblivious to the intrusion. After years, there’s still nothing quite like a herd of elephants to excite even the most experienced bush goer. To be able to sit only a few meters away from these wise, gentle giants and observe them in their natural habitat. Having them rumble around you, snap branches and give you the occasional sniff... it really is an almost indescribable experience.

It’s not only encountering elephants and rhinos or having a leopard saunter right past the vehicle that makes me love the bush. It’s having a drink out in the open plains watching the sun sneak below the horizon, it’s breathing in some of the freshest air, it’s lying in bed at night listening to the hyenas calling, it’s having dinners under the Milky Way, it’s listening to the summer buzz of Cicadas, it’s living in an environment where the only menaces are loitering baboons or Vervet monkeys having their morning tea party on top of my car.

Before you set out on the adventure of a lifetime – open your mind. Come on safari wishing to see the Big Five, absolutely... but don’t let that alone determine whether your time in the bush will be a success. The bushveld has so much to offer if one is simply willing to relax and take it all in. Notice the beautiful, striking Lilac-breasted Roller as you drive by, watch as the bare trees sprout their bright, shiny new Spring-time leaves... a small reminder of the prosperous times to come. Listen to the evening frog choirs, a journey of giraffes in the midday heat... just sit and watch. So, the Zebra is misbehaving and puts his head in the grass every time you lift your camera – take mental pictures, make memories. It’s truly amazing the things one can witness in our wild home.

In my time spent in the bush, I’ve had a teeth-brushing exercise interrupted by a passing elephant, I’ve lost two boots to some stylish hyenas, under the cover of darkness and we have elephants, antelope, monkeys, bats and birds which get to call neighbours.

Sometimes the bush may play with your emotions, it may leave you with an adrenalin rush... sometimes there may not be as much going on, it may be a little more chilled, leaving you relaxed and in awe. That in itself is what makes a true authentic bush holiday so exciting and a lot richer. Nothing is staged, nothing is tame, and no two days are ever the same.

So now I ask... “How could you not want to come and visit us in the middle of the bush?”