On December 8 last year I got to unwind and spend a weekend away from the concrete jungle that is Johannesburg with my family, surrounded by serenity and nature.

The road trip to Bakubung Bush Lodge near Sun City in the North West was meant to take us about two-and-a-half hours.

But as many parents will attest to, travelling with children can be as much fun as it is unpredictable. We stopped several times along the way and though we had been on the same road to Sun City before, we ended up getting lost while trying to take a detour that prolonged our journey.

After picking up two boys – nine-year-old Lereko and six-year-old Kamohelo – from school we drove to the lodge and on arrival the temperature had reached the level we had anticipated.

The excitement about this trip had been building up in the family for days because it fell on the same week that my wife Kefiloe celebrated her birthday. In fact, it also came on the same day that we collected the school reports, which showed the boys had performed exceptionally, well enough to warrant a celebration of their achievements.

They had been looking forward to this day so much that the delays along the way hardly impacted their mood.

A few minutes after driving past Sun City resort, we drove through Ledig village – dodging potholes and cows on the road up the hill. At the other side of the hill lies Bakubung Bush lodge, a hidden gem nestled in the serenity of the Pilanesberg National Park.

As soon as we stepped out of the car, I saw the excitement on the faces of the boys go up a notch. We were met by friendly staff who welcomed us with grace and a delicious thirst-quenching cold juice to ease the heat and humidity of the air.

“We hope you enjoy our stay with us,” they told us. Enjoy, we did. As we entered our room, a spacious family friendly unit with a balcony overlooking the pool area, the first thing the boys wanted to do was to go for a swim.

While we had been on holiday as a family before, this was our first outing together at a game lodge. Within minutes of arrival the children had already fallen in love with the place.

First, they were delighted that there was Wi-Fi in the room to play mobile games. Second, they were looking forward to the activities available to us, including the junior game ranger programme, reptile talks and fun activities at the Hippo Kiddies Club.

We had the first taste of what the lodge has to offer at the Marula grill restaurant where a buffet dinner and spit braai was served to guests. The lamb was so delicious that we stayed longer, hoping we would be hungry enough later and go back for more. It wasn’t to be.

On arrival I heard a mix of accents, especially American, so I was curious what the split between domestic and international travellers was. I put this question to the lodge’s general manager George Mokotedi.

“One thing that is very important for us is that we have established ourselves very well domestically. We never really gave that much attention to local travel because we were spoilt with international travel being at the highest level that it was pre-Covid,” Mokotedi said.  “We are currently seeing a 70-30 split in favour of local visitors.”

On our first morning we woke at 4.30am to get ready for the game drive. I was pleasantly surprised that the boys weren’t complaining about getting up so early – perhaps this says a lot about their excitement and anticipation.

Our tour guide was a jovial man named Mpho who regaled the guests and children onboard with humorous stories of the wild animals in the park.

Although we were not so lucky to spot any of the cats – lion, cheetah or leopard – there was no sign of disappointment on the faces of those onboard. If anything, the children had the most fun spotting rhinos, elephants, hippos, giraffes, wildebees, impalas and buffalos, to mention but a few.  The drive itself offers unforgettable sights with spectacular views of sunrise and scenery in the wild.

Later in the day, after relaxing and watching children enjoy swimming in the pool, we got to spend time away from them while receiving a signature massage at the Bakubung Spa.  While we were soaking and relaxing in the breathtaking scenery of the wild at the spa, the boys were also having the time of their life taking part in various activities and playing games at the Kiddies Club.

“We have identified that if you want to grab the attention of parents, grab the attention of children first. You make it comfortable for the little ones and then you’re propelling the parents to travel to your area – that’s what we have achieved,” Mokotedi later told us.

And the experience wouldn’t have been complete, so we were told, without one of the most spoken about offerings at Bakubung Bush Lodge – the boma bush braai offering at night. This experience really put a cherry on top for this trip.  

We were driven through the darkness of the bush on an open game vehicle with bright lights on the sides to help with spotting some of the animals in the park including giraffes and elephants.  After about 20 minutes we arrived at the dinner venue where the sounds of marimba welcomed us. I had never seen my sons so energised before at this time of the night. We ate, danced and enjoyed good conversations until it was time to head back to the hotel for a much-needed rest.

Throughout the journey back all I heard from our car was “wow” as the children showed appreciation for the fun-filled day they had.

On Sunday, our last day at the lodge before heading to Johannesburg, we had booked another early morning game drive but such were the low levels of energy that we opted not to. We woke up a little later to enjoy breakfast at Bakubung before checking out at 10 am. Waking up to the chirping sounds of birds and the sight of monkeys climbing over trees was real bliss.

Sadness was written all over our faces as we departed because this had been one of the best moments we had together as a family.

Here's a look inside the lodge:

Our visit to Bakubung Bush Lodge came courtesy of Legacy Hotels & Resorts and Bakubung