South Africa

The excitement of booking my first safari came with something I wasn't expecting.

Nerves.

Not about the wildlife.

Not about travelling to Africa.

But about the journey itself.

Like many first-time safari travellers, I found myself researching flights for hours. I wanted a route that made sense, offered good value and got me to South Africa comfortably. Eventually, I settled on Ethiopian Airlines. My priority was budget, I needed to get to South Africa and it not cost me the earth, so I didn't pay for any extras, I didn't take the most direct route and it didn't cost me an arm and a leg and that's why I chose Ethiopian Airplanes.

If I'm honest, I'd never flown with them before and it actually gave me a lot of anxiety. I worried about things like: Was it safe? Are all airlines held to the same standard of safety like in Europe? and the classic What ifs?

Whenever you're travelling somewhere completely new, it's natural to have questions. I found myself wondering what the airline would be like, what the service would be like and whether I'd made the right decision.

As it turns out…

I needn't have worried.

The route I settled on in the end was Gatwick to O.R Tambo, Johannesburg  with a 4 hour layover in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

First Impressions

From the moment I boarded, I was pleasantly surprised.

The aircraft was clean, modern and well looked after. The cabin crew were welcoming and professional, and the whole experience felt calm, organised and reassuring.

There was a great selection of films and entertainment to keep me occupied, and before I knew it we were beginning our deployment into Addis Ababa for my stopover.

Sometimes the unknown feels much bigger than the reality.

This was definitely one of those moments.

A Stopover I Didn't Expect to Enjoy

I'll admit, before planning my safari I didn't know much about Addis Ababa. Actually I knew absolutely nothing about Ethiopia in general.

I expected it to simply be somewhere I'd change planes before continuing my journey.

Instead, it became part of the adventure.

One of the things that immediately caught my eye was the number of jewellery shops showcasing beautiful Ethiopian opals - opals are my favourite gemstone. I had no idea Ethiopia was known for opals, and it was a lovely surprise to spend a little time browsing while waiting for my connecting flight.

Another thing that surprised me about Addis Ababa is that they have indoor smoking areas, which were located just near the toilets. In the UK, smoking in indoor public spaces was banned in 2007 and seemed completely foreign to me even though I spent the first 16 years of my life in smoky pubs, bars and restaurants. 

Sometimes the journey itself becomes part of the experience.

The Moment It Started to Feel Real

As I sat waiting to board my connecting flight, something had changed.

The nerves I'd felt weeks earlier had quietly disappeared, instead I was filled with excitement.

I'd spent months dreaming about elephants, lions and open savannahs, I'd finally be arriving in South Africa.

Would I Fly Ethiopian Airlines Again?

Without hesitation.

As someone flying with Ethiopian Airlines for the very first time, my experience was really positive.

The aircraft was clean, the service was excellent, the journey was comfortable, and the stopover in Addis Ababa was an unexpected highlight.

If you're planning your own first safari and wondering whether Ethiopian Airlines is a good choice, I genuinely wouldn't hesitate to recommend them based on my experience.

Thinking about your own first safari?

Planning your first safari can feel overwhelming, especially when you're making decisions about flights, destinations and where to begin.

That’s exactly why I started Safari With Erica — to help bridge the gap between the Western world and the extraordinary world of Africa through supportive, thoughtful and personally guided travel.

If you'd like someone to guide you through the process and create a safari that's completely tailored to you, I'd love to help.

There are moments in life that you imagine so many times that, when they finally arrive, they almost don't feel real.

For me, stepping off the plane in Johannesburg was one of those moments.

I was in South Africa - finally.

My first South African breakfast

40 hours of travelling and no sleep, eventually, exhaustion gave way to hunger.

I spotted a Wimpy restaurant, something I'd heard of but never actually visited before, and decided my first meal in South Africa would be breakfast.

Running almost entirely on excitement rather than sleep, I finished eating, stood up...

|typewriter|...and walked straight out. Without paying. 😳🙈|/typewriter|

I hadn't done it deliberately.

My brain simply wasn't functioning particularly well after being awake for so long.

A lovely member of staff came looking for me and I'd actually got quite far (down a lift and towards the entrance🙈), before I'd realised my mistake. We met in the lobby of the airport, and she escorted me back to pay - how mortifying?! As I apologised profusely, she explained that if I hadn't paid, the cost could have been deducted from her wages.

That encounter stayed with me.

Not because it made me think badly of South Africa, but because it reminded me that travel isn't only about landscapes and wildlife. Sometimes the smallest interactions quietly reveal that life works differently elsewhere.

The adventure had already started

Looking back, it's funny that one of my strongest memories from arriving in South Africa isn't seeing my first elephant.

It's accidentally walking out of a Wimpy without paying.

And somehow, it felt like the perfect beginning.

Planning your own arrival?

One of the best pieces of advice my uncle gave me was to buy a local South African SIM card before leaving the airport. It made navigating my first few days much easier and saved expensive roaming charges.

[next:/journal/south-africa/buying-a-south-african-sim-card-at-johannesburg-airport]Buying a South African SIM Card at Johannesburg Airport[/next]

Why a Local SIM Card Makes Arrival Easier

Stepping off a long-haul flight into a new country is exciting, but it can also feel a little disorientating. One of the simplest ways to make your first hours in South Africa smoother is to pick up a local SIM card before you leave Johannesburg Airport.

I did this on my first safari and it made a huge difference. Having local data meant I could message my uncle when I landed, use maps without worrying about roaming charges, and check restaurant recommendations on the go.

Where to Buy a SIM Card at OR Tambo

After collecting my luggage and walking through customs, I followed the signs towards the main arrivals hall. There are several mobile network stores and kiosks in the airport terminal, usually close to the car hire desks and currency exchange counters.

The main networks you will see are Vodacom, MTN and Cell C. I went with Vodacom because several people had recommended it for good coverage in safari areas, but MTN also has excellent reach across South Africa.

What You Will Need

Buying a SIM card is straightforward, but you will need your passport. South Africa requires all SIM cards to be registered to a real identity, so the assistant will take a copy or note down your details.

I also paid in cash, but cards were accepted too. A basic prepaid SIM with a few gigabytes of data was very affordable compared to what I would have paid for international roaming.

How Much Data to Buy

For a two-week safari trip, I found 5GB to be plenty. Most lodges and hotels have Wi-Fi, so I mainly used mobile data for maps, WhatsApp and the occasional Instagram update.

If you are planning to share lots of photos and videos, or you will be away from Wi-Fi for several days, consider buying a larger bundle. The staff at the kiosk can help you choose.

My Honest Advice

Do not leave it until you are outside the airport. While you can buy SIM cards in shopping malls and petrol stations across South Africa, having data from the moment you land removes one small layer of travel stress.

If your phone supports eSIM, that is another option, but I liked having a physical card. It felt simpler and meant I was not relying on my phone settings behaving perfectly after a long flight.

Final Thoughts

Buying a South African SIM card at Johannesburg Airport was one of those small travel decisions that had a surprisingly big impact. It kept me connected, saved me money, and meant I could focus on the adventure ahead rather than worrying about signal or roaming fees.

If you are planning your first safari, I would absolutely recommend doing the same.

There’s a tendency to think a safari begins the moment you drive through the national park gate. Mine began long before that.

The road from Johannesburg towards Blyde River Canyon quietly changed everything around me. The traffic thinned, the towns gave way to open country, and somewhere along the way I realised I was properly, unmistakably somewhere else.

Camping with monkeys and baboons on the Panorama Route

One of our first stops was a campsite ringed by bush.

And monkeys.

Lots of monkeys.

Baboons and smaller monkeys strolled through the site as though they owned it — which, to be fair, they probably believed they did. We learned the rules fast: the doors and windows of Cedric, Ian and Cath's Toyota Land Cruiser, stayed shut whenever we weren’t beside him, and food never, ever got left in the tent.

They knew exactly what they were doing. Leave something edible within reach and there was a very real chance it wouldn’t be there when you came back.

It was my first proper reminder that in South Africa’s wildlife areas you aren’t visiting somewhere animals happen to live. You’re in their environment, and they have long since worked out how humans operate.

Spotting my first crocodile from a Blyde River Canyon viewpoint

We hiked out through the surrounding landscape and came to a ledge high above the water. The view was enormous — the river far below looking calm and impossibly distant, boats reduced to specks.

Then I saw something. A dark mark against the water, barely there.

I stared at it for a while before turning to Ian. “I think that might be a crocodile.”

From that height it felt like a ridiculous claim. Ian looked anyway. “I think you’re right.”

A boat was passing beneath us. Then it turned around and headed straight for it. The passengers had clearly spotted the same thing.

Apparently my safari eyes were already coming along nicely.

Off-road to a wild bush campsite near Blyde River Canyon

From another viewpoint, Ian noticed a Land Cruiser on the far side of the river, and what looked like a campsite beside it. That was all the encouragement he needed. Out came the navigation apps, and eventually he found a route.

Calling it a road would be generous. Cedric was built for off-road, and this was very much off road. We bounced and lurched through the bush while I took on the crucial role of shouting “BUMP!” every time something violent appeared, so Cath could brace herself.

When we finally arrived, it was quite possibly the most isolated campsite I’ve ever stayed at. Deep in the bush, no crowds, no neat rows of caravans — just us, the landscape and the wildlife.

And then there were the bathrooms. The bathtubs looked like something you’d find in a horror film. Rustic doesn’t quite cover it.

Waking up to baboon chaos in the bush

The next morning I woke to a racket outside. The baboons had arrived, raiding the bins, flinging things about and reeking havoc.

Watching them was fascinating. They’re seriously intelligent, and campsites hand them opportunities nobody intended to offer. Entertaining from a distance — and another reminder of why sites in wildlife areas are so strict about food and rubbish. A baboon that learns humans mean easy food quickly becomes a problem, for people and for the baboons themselves.

Swimming in the river 

That afternoon, Ian suggested a swim. The word swim is an exageration.

That afternoon, Ian suggested a swim, and I use 'swim' loosely here.

There was a stretch of fast-flowing river with a branch reaching out over the water. My version of swimming involved gripping that branch for dear life while the current tried to take the rest of me downstream.

Ian assured me crocodiles weren’t a concern in that particular stretch — fast water isn’t their preferred habitat. I chose to believe him, mostly because I was already hanging for dear life in the river.

Blyde River Canyon viewpoints on the Panorama Route

The following morning we drove to another viewpoint in the Blyde River Canyon region of Mpumalanga, and this was one of those moments photographs simply don’t prepare you for. Vast cliffs, deep valleys and forest rolling away into the distance.

Blyde River Canyon sits on the Panorama Route, one of the most rewarding scenic drives to combine with a journey towards the Greater Kruger. For anyone heading from Johannesburg towards safari country, this is exactly why the journey deserves its own time. You could drive straight to Kruger — you’d just miss an enormous amount.

The waterfall you can stand inside

While exploring, we found a waterfall. Not one to admire from a viewing platform, but one you could actually step into. Naturally, I did.

Standing there with the water crashing around me and that huge landscape behind us was wonderful. There was also a fairly significant drop nearby, so it was very much a one-wrong-step-and-it’s-bye-bye-baby situation.

Beautiful? Absolutely. A place to watch where you put your feet? Definately.

Planning a Johannesburg to Kruger road trip?

Frequently asked questions

If you’re travelling from Johannesburg towards Kruger National Park, build in time for the Panorama Route and Blyde River Canyon rather than treating the drive as a transfer. For a first-time safari traveller, slowing the journey down means you experience far more of South Africa’s landscapes, wildlife and everyday adventures before your first game drive even begins.

How long should you allow between Johannesburg and Kruger?

We took several days, and I’d do it that way again. One long driving day gets you there; a few days lets you actually stop at the canyon viewpoints, the waterfalls and a campsite or two along the way.

Is the Panorama Route worth adding to a safari trip?

For me, completely. It’s a totally different side of South Africa to the bush — canyons, forest and waterfalls — and it makes arriving at Kruger feel like the crescendo rather than the whole story.

Do you need a 4x4 for Blyde River Canyon?

Not for the main viewpoints, which are reachable on ordinary roads. We only needed Cedric’s off-road ability because we went looking for a remote bush campsite most people would never attempt to reach.

Next in my South Africa journal: the drive into Kruger — and the moment the safari obsession truly took hold.