Timbavati Traverse - August 2025
This one needs some context, remember that half marathon we were training for while in Italy. Well it was no ordinary half marathon but more on that later. This trip started on a Sunday of all days, Sunday the 3rd of August. The reason for leaving on a Sunday was two fold, first we got cheaper reward flights with BA, the second was the wedding cake Sam made on the Saturday before we left.
This time Sam hated the travelling a little less, we took a bus from Bath to Heathrow followed by an overnight flight to Johannesburg and a domestic hop to Hoedspruit before renting a little car and heading into the bush and back to Ingwelala. When we arrived Rhys’s family were already there. The next few days were spent with the whole family including Rhys’s Nana and Grandpa with them leaving on Thursday the 7th. The sightings were good with lovely elephant and good general game it was a good few days of catching up with the family and winding down from a busy few weeks prior (again click the button above for that).
Friday was registration day for the Traverse but before we headed to the Timbavati we decided to do a guided bush walk. The walk was three hours long and the plan was that it would help open the legs and get them going before the next days race… only we had so much fun appreciating all the little things (ants, spiders, flowers, trees) that we only managed 2.65km in the allotted time.
Registration was excellent, it was held at the Graeme Naylor museum which is a must see (you do need to book in advance) we received awesome race packs and more importantly our kit. It was also great seeing one of the organisers Monique from Tanda Tula who we had not seen since our Honeymoon there a couple years before. That night was relatively quiet with some delicious food as per usual to prepare for an early start to as we needed to drive over an hour back to the Timbavati headquarters which was where the start, finish and events would be taking place.
The next morning we set off before the sun and were treated to a lovely sunrise on the road. With it being winter it was rather chilly when we arrived at the airstrip where the race would start, but there was a good vibe and some warm fires. By the time we arrived for our half marathon run the 80km cyclist, 45km runners and half marathon walkers had already set off and it was not long before it was our turn.
The mood in the herd (the 20 odd runners) was great and it was not long before we found ourselves in the middle of a large herd of elephants including one teenager that the rangers had to carefully navigate us around. Before long we arrived at the first of four incredible water tables sponsored by Simbavati and there to greet us was a gorgeous white rhino and her calf which was incredibly special.
The next few kilometres after that included a brown snake eagle, more elephants and a giraffe in a dry river bed which Sam called “Ew” although she claims she was referring to the soft river sand. We arrived at the next stop sponsored by the Timbavati foundation and Clemengold. This time situated on a lovely dam with hippos and some fun mascots to cheer us along. The next stretch was definitely a little harder with the group both getting a little quieter and spreading out a bit as it was clear the slow pace was tough to manage for some of the fitter members.
But again it was not long before we got to the next table sponsored by Tanda Tula. This stop was designed as a spaza shop and was very very cool and more importantly stocked with our favourite sweets. The next couple of kilometres were a bit more uphill and the presence of the photographers and videographer resulted in a significant increase in speed. Lucky for us near the top of the hill we came across a herd of around 200 buffalo. We were given the choice of getting onto the cars or walking through the herd, naturally we spent the last 500m of the hill on the back of a car which was lovely and came just at the right time.
The result was a nice downhill stretch to the final table provided by Amaya Lodge. After this stop some of the quicker runners got get-home-itis and pushed ahead splitting the group in two with us being caught in the middle of not quite quick enough for the front group but a little quicker than the back group so we decided to join the team bringing up the rear. The final stetch was up the airstrip, and with the walkers in front of us we sprinted across the line to a well earned beer, ice bath and some delicious food.
The afternoon was filled with some lovely entertainment from a band, some local dancers, a K9 unit and drummers. There was a fantastic raffle and unfortunately we did not win any of the amazing prizes but we had a great time. The event was very well organised and we would highly recommend it to anyone.
The next day both of us felt surprisingly good as we sent the family on their way as the next week would just be the two of us at Ingwelala. The previous week we had worked really hard to find a leopard and all it took was for the family to leave as on Sunday night we spotted “pretty boy” across the river as he was just wondering around. To finish off the evening we were treated to some very cute boing-boings (spring hare).
The next day was very windy so we decided to have a day in and work on a 2000 piece puzzle which was nice and relaxing. By Wednesday the weather improved so we spent the day at a hide which was lovely as two beautiful elephants came down. There was a small pride of lion being very cute, napping in the shade. On Thursday we responded to a call of a leopard in a tree and it happened to be “our girl” the same leopard that we had seen in April. On Friday we saw them - “our girl” and “pretty boy” together mating which was very exciting although slightly stressful as there were two hyena and a lioness in close proximity.
Saturday was the unfortunate loss of South Africa vs Australia in the rugby championship which I will not elaborate on. On Sunday (our last full day) Chad joined us for a drive, drinks and dinner. On the drive just before getting back to camp, Sam spotted eyes reflecting in the torch lights and it turned out to be an African wildcat and here two adorable fluffy kittens which was a really special way to end off what was an amazing two weeks. Travel home was also pretty smooth although this time it was Rhys’s turn for something to go wrong as my chair did not recline at all for a long night flight and the plane was completely full so there was not a single seat to spare.
“The food highlight of the trip was Sian’s sweet butternut cooked on the fire served with perfectly cooked fillet steak.”
