'Less than a hotel in Sydney': Nine things that surprised me on my first safari holiday

No, I haven't won the lottery. Nor am I dying and haphazardly ticking off items from my 'bucket list'.

And I haven't been sent on a fancy, all-expenses-paid assignment by my editor, either.

But I have just been on a safari - a trip which marks the pinnacle of travel for many.

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For me, it had always seemed a distant dream, too. I have hastily closed my internet browser after checking prices to do one many times in the past.

It was also the stuff of family legend. My great aunt, who I was named after, lived in Johannesburg. My mum still talks of visiting her in 1978 and going on a safari as if it were yesterday.

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And this year, while Aunty Nell is long gone (she apparently ditched her actual name, Sarah), I decided I finally wanted to go there myself.

One of the biggest shocks? It doesn't have to cost as much as you might think. Here are all the things that surprised me on my first safari.

1. Surprisingly, it doesn't have to cost your life savings

My husband and I decided to go to South Africa, not just because of the family connection, but because it's easy to reach from Australia. And easy means cheaper.

We used airline points to get to Johannesburg via Singapore, while we flew home direct to Sydney with Qantas.

From the city, there are dozens of expedition options.

While the most famous safari spot is Kruger National Park, that involved another flight or a five hour drive - and those costs add up.

I asked the experts at travel site Expedia for help and they suggested heading to Pilanesberg National Park instead.

While smaller than Kruger, it's still around half the size of Greater Sydney - and just three-hours drive from the airport.

So, we picked a hotel there for a three-night stay: Black Rhino Game Lodge.

Yes, it cost around $1000 a night, but bear with me. That price includes three hefty meals, some drinks, and two extensive game drives every day.

And our suite was bigger than my apartment and could sleep up to two adults and two kids. That works out at about $250 per person a night - cheaper than a luxury hotel room in Sydney.

Plus, one thing I noticed was that all the game-viewing trucks from various lodges were viewing the same animals.

And as our driver told us: "The animals don't care what you paid."

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2. It's not like on the television

Nobody wears khaki or those wide-brimmed safari hats, for starters. And the animals in South Africa generally are not roaming free.

They're in massive game parks, which can be either public or private wildlife reserves.

Public means people can pay to drive around themselves, while private means you have to be staying on the property to visit.

That means sleeping in a 'camp' or 'game lodge', of which there are various levels of luxury (some are even actual campsites).

You then go out on one or two 'game drives' per day with a ranger in an open truck, which is usually included in the price.

If you're prone to travel sickness you'll need extra strong tablets, as the dirt roads mean it's like being on a mechanical bull, while also riding a rollercoaster with cobblestone tracks.

(The locals fondly refer to it as an 'African massage').

Also important to note is there are breaks for the loo (proper toilets) as well as mid-ride drinks and snacks (a South African cream liqueur called Amarula is offered at every opportunity).

And while you might see some animals around your lodge - an elephant wandered by while we were unpacking and a monkey stole a lady's croissant from the dining table one lunch - most are fenced for safety reasons.

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Another important consideration is that all of Africa is subject to various travel warnings.

The official Smartraveller advice for South Africa is "exercise a high degree of caution."

Driving yourself around the country is risky, so I found a private driver online, which cost around $700 return.

3. Somebody will always out-safari you

Going on any safari is a dream for most. But there will always be somebody whose been on a 'better' one, I learned.

A German couple we chatted to on a game drive had traversed most of the national parks in the nation, they told us.

They then crossed the border to Botswana to see the "great zebra migration." From the air. Via light plane.

Sigh.

4. You have to get up very early for the game drives

I did a slight recoil when the receptionist told us we would have to meet at 5.30am every morning for the game drive.

Luckily we were able to go back to bed for a nap when we got back at around 9 or 10am.

5. You get really close to the animals

A baby elephant flapped his ears and waved his trunk at us in a playful mock 'charge'.

A pair of cheetah brothers prowled alongside the truck on their nightly stroll.

A crash of rhino blocked the road, warthogs wandered the plains, and impala leapt through the long grass.

Because animals see the trucks as one big object rather than a potential threat, you can often get really close.

6. You don't need a fancy camera

I almost splashed out on a thousand-dollar camera to capture shots of the animals. I'm glad I didn't.

They're not going to win any World Nature Photography Awards, but my iPhone was fine for the Insta pics I wanted to post.

And the folks clicking away with their lenses the length of telescopes from our truck were really annoying.

7. The game lodges take feeding you very seriously

Our lodge supplied a small buffet breakfast before the morning game drive even began.

Then another cooked breakfast after that.

This was followed by a humongous afternoon tea before the second game drive, and three-course dinner once we returned.

And yes, my trousers are now very tight.

8. It may not be hot weather

"How was Africa! Was it lovely and warm?" my colleague asked on my return to work.

I wanted to pull out a photo of me in a puffer jacket, beanie hat, thick socks, boots and hiking trousers, with a blanket over my head.

South Africa is a similar latitude to Australia, so gets cold in the winter, too. Especially on an open truck before sunrise.

But winter is the dry season and can be better for seeing wildlife. Plus, going in spring or autumn was more expensive.

9. You'll regret skipping any of the game drives

We'd already spotted four of the Big Five - leopards, elephants, rhinos, and buffaloes. But Eric, our ranger, said nobody had seen the lions in the park for a good few days.

So we'd come to terms with the fact that we probably wouldn't be seeing Simba and co.

On our last morning we decided to skip our final game drive and sleep in.

Big mistake.

We saw Eric returning from the drive, as we checked out. "I wish you guys had been there," he said. "We saw lions..."

Best time to travel to Africa

It depends where exactly you are going, but usually the dry season, from May to October, is one of the best times to travel to Africa.

Animals gather around water and can be easier to spot.

The wet season, from November to April, is more lush and warmer, but animals can be harder to see.

The shoulder season around May, September, and October can be quieter for visitors and offers decent wildlife viewing opportunities.

The writer stayed as a guest of Black Rhino Game Lodge for three nights with Expedia and paid for all other travel expenses.