We all meet at the airport in Newark, NJ and depart, flying over the Atlantic as we count down 10 days of adventure!

You Made it! You will arrive in the evening, grab your bags, and head to a nearby lodge for a late buffet dinner. Prepare for a good nights rest, as we hit the ground running with exciting activities the next day. 

Start your first official morning in Africa with a warm breakfast.

You will then head off to experience the wildlife like never before, where you will get an up close and personal look at majestic cheetahs! Take photos, go on a drive in the open air within a group of cheetahs, and learn about their conservation.

Break for lunch and perhaps try out some Malva Pudding or other local foods. We’ll see some zebras or maybe some painted wild dogs on our way back to the cheetah center.

Board the bus and head to our private lodging where we will be met with a South African welcome and dinner buffet. Get unpacked and watch the sun set over the mountains.

Up early! We will jump in game vehicles and embark on a sunrise game drive out in the African bush. This is an amazing time to experience animals as they are out hunting or foraging.

Return to the lodge for a nice buffet breakfast followed by a teaching session under the covered portico from David Rives on the wonders of the animal kingdom, mathematics, and our special Earth. We’ll gather in a circle and all share stories, as we get to know each other and make new friends.

It’s not long before the sun will be setting! Time to load up with our cameras and try to catch the last golden hues on the mountain, where wildebeest and impala are basking in the last few hours of warmth.

Back for a chef-prepared buffet style dinner around the campfire in the Boma (enclosure).

Up for an amazing spread of hot breakfast foods, and a coffee or a cup of Rooibos tea.

Go for a Bush Walk as you learn from an expert local guide how to track animals, how to identify footprints, and how even dung can help identify the creatures with remarkable accuracy!

It’s time to go on a game drive over to the mountains as we search for birds of every type. Franklins and Go-Away Birds. Lapwings and Kingfishers. Perhaps we’ll see a hippo lounging in the water, or even a Nile crocodile! Stretch your legs and have some tea and Biltong, while we all chat about our sightings so far, and then it’s time to head back to camp.  

A gourmet meal, then immediately after dinner, learn from David as he teaches you in a visual way about astronomy and how the Heavens Declare the Glory of God. Then we will step beyond the light of the lodge, and look up, revealing billions of stars, while you learn how to find the Southern Cross, the Carina Nebula, and constellations that we never see from the US. It’s awe inspiring!

Time to turn in for the night.

Load up in the vehicles to depart before dawn. This morning’s game drive is all about the BIG FIVE. Could we catch a pride of lions feeding? How about finding an elephant by listening for the snap of a small tree in the distance? White rhinos at a standoff? Or maybe there are cape buffalo hiding in the marshes? How many can you spot?

Back for a warm breakfast buffet.

Free time. You might want to sign up for activities with the lodge. (these are coordinated with the lodge and may be an additional fee). Try your hand at horseback riding, or treat yourself to a spa experience with a massage. Grab an espresso and catch a soccer game on the tv in the lodge, or start a conversation with your new friends. If it’s warm enough, maybe you want to lounge around the pool.

We’ll regroup for a buffet-style BBQ around the campfire in the Bom, followed by a teaching from David. Learn the Language of Evolution and the bait and switch tactics that are used by atheists to deceive. We’ll go over apologetics and logical reasoning, and talk about the origin of life.

Have a good night’s sleep or hang out and talk late into the night. 

A bush walk this morning. David loves to experience Africa from the ground, walking in the quiet with a camera, listening for a blesbok to snort, making its presence known, or spot a “pumba”, (warthog) disappear through the tall grass with its tail strait into the air. Then back to camp for a late breakfast. 

In just a bit, we’re headed out in open-air vehicles to explore the flora of Africa. An often-overlooked area of God’s creation is botany. There are so many incredible plants, trees, thorn bushes, grasses, and flowers, and they all have a story to tell. Not a story of their slow evolution, but of their remarkable design. The photosynthesis that keeps them alive. The acacia tree designed for the giraffe. Lily pads on the water, with an Egyptian goose floating by. We’ll probably see some animals along the way, and perhaps a termite mound, while we learn the story of head-banging termites!

Back to camp for a late afternoon nap before gathering around a campfire in the Boma to learn from David about accuracy in Scripture that far pre-dated scientific discoveries. Let’s share songs and stories, poems and games around the fire, before having dinner at camp while we watch the sunset over the mountains and listen to the nature around us.

We’ll get some good rest, as tonight is our last night at this lodge. 

With bags packed, we’ll start our day in the lodge with a hot breakfast buffet. Board the bus and get ready to meet elephants up close and personal!

Stop by a luxury golf resort for a lunch under the African sun. Maybe you’ll spot nyala walking past as you dine.

When we arrive, we will be briefed on proper practices, as we will literally be touching these massive marvels. Off to the elephants, to see if they can remember your name and spot you among the group. Watch them dance, feed them, kiss their ears, and see their powerful trunk in action. 

Arrive at our lodgings where we’ll be for the last two nights, and have dinner while experiencing a local traditional dance.

Breakfast this morning while experiencing the culture of South Africa. Then we depart for our monkey adventure!

Walk through the forest with a guide while encountering bush babies, capuchins, spider monkeys, and more. Learn about their habitat and behaviors.

Just a short ride away, we’ll be face-to-face with one of the giants of evolution, the supposed “Cradle of Humankind”. David will teach you about the incredible deception of the “ape-like ancestors” and debunk the myths of human evolution, showing how you are Wonderfully Made. See the caves where these creatures have been found, and learn their significance.

Back to our lodging for dinner, and then gather ’round for a time of worship with David and to share your favorite memories from the trip… This is our last night in Africa.

When we arrive, we will be briefed on proper practices, as we will literally be touching these massive marvels. Off to the elephants, to see if they can remember your name and spot you among the group. Watch them dance, feed them, kiss their ears, and see their powerful trunk in action. 

Arrive at our lodgings where we’ll be for the last two nights, and have dinner while experiencing a local traditional dance.

Wake up today and make sure bags are packed. Have a hearty breakfast. 

Those choosing the optional Ballooning Experience will be able to glide over the African savannah in a hot air balloon, riding the wind currents as you float across the sky!

Load up onto the bus, and head into Johannesburg. On the way in, we will stop at a curio shop for some souvenir shopping, an espresso, gifts for family and friends, or an ice cream cone.

Arrive at O.R. Tambo International. Check bags, grab a meal, and prepare to board return flight.

We’ll arrive back in the states today, and catch our final flights to our home.

We’ve made friends for life. We’ve learned from world-class experts. We’ve grown spiritually. We’ve brought back photos, memories, souvenirs, and an amazing appreciation for God’s creation in beautiful South Africa!