Just before Phil’s parental leave ended, we decided to take our first trip with Sonja down to Addo Elephant Park. Sonja was just about 1-month old when we packed up our car and embarked on her first adventure.

Careful to limit the amount of time in her car seat, we broke the trip up to allow for plenty of rest stops (aka me nursing at gas stations or on the side of the road in a camp chair). We spent our first night at a farm style cottage in Bloemfontein. The AirB&B was elegant and relaxing. We wished we could have stayed a second night and vowed to stay there again if we ever found ourselves back in the Free State.

On the second day we made our way to Mountain Zebra National Park where we stayed in one of the Park’s cottages. We arrived just in time for a quick sunset drive up to one of the lookout points. On our way up we saw buffalo and of course Mountain Zebra - which are a unique breed and different from the more common Plains or Burchell’s Zebra. After the sunset we experienced the most challenging night since Sonja had been born. Sonja was losing it and there was nothing we could do to console her. For hours she screamed and cried until finally, somehow, she wore down and fell asleep. Drained and defeated, we had to decide - do we push on and continue to drive even further from home, or do we just give up and head back? As I lay down to sleep, I decided to abandon the trip and make our way back home the next day. However, by morning Sonja was back to her usual self and we all felt like the figurative storm clouds had passed. Let’s do this! Our confidence returned and we decided to continue South. It’s amazing how much sleep can help you reset.

As we entered the Eastern Cape, the landscape turned green and more tropical. Just a few miles from the park entrance we got our first glance of the coast and felt a sense of relaxation and accomplishment. We spent two nights in the Southern, less developed, part of the park. Despite sharing a bathroom with the biggest spider I’ve ever seen and having vervet monkeys sneak in through the window and eat all of our snacks while we were napping, we had a very comfortable stay. I loved sitting out on the balcony with Sonja in my lap soaking in the beautiful scenery and listening to the birds fly by.

On the return trip, we spent the fifth night at a lovely AirB&B in Cradock. This was probably our second worse night with Sonja where again, nothing we could do would calm her. However, we now knew that she would eventually fall asleep and that we would survive the night. In the final stretch we spent one last night in Bloemfontein before making it home.

So was it worth it? We think so. While SJ wont remember any of it, this trip gave us the confidence to travel with her and to continue making the most of our time in South Africa. Plus, how cool to have a picture of you next to a herd of elephants at 1-month of age!

Animals Spotted:

• Buffalo
• Mountain Zebra
• Elephant
• Bokmakierie

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