Safari with Jaco

18/08/2026

📅 10 August 2026 – Full Day Addo & Schotia Safaris private game reserve 🐘🦁🌾
Lead Guide: Jaco ( Safari with Jaco ) 🇿🇦🤠
Weather: ☀️ Crisp, clear winter morning turning into a freezing, misty afternoon with icy rain by nightfall in the Eastern Cape.
Guest Manifest: 🌍 Private family safari with a mother, father, and son from Russia 🇷🇺, currently living in the UAE 🇦🇪—on board with Jaco for the entire day!
Time: 🕒 09:00 AM – 20:00 PM 🧭

🐘 Section 1: Addo Elephant National Park Morning Drive (09:00 AM – 12:30 PM)
🕒 09:00 AM – Picked up our Russian family at HQ for their private full-day safari. After a warm welcome, safety briefing, and our traditional start-of-day selfie, we fired up the cruiser and pointed the vehicle toward Addo Elephant National Park! 📸🚜🇷🇺🇦🇪🤠
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🕒 09:15 AM – Entering through the southern section of Addo, we immediately set out exploring the open thickets. Right on cue, we picked up a couple of magnificent elephant bulls, giving our Russian family their very first close-up looks at Addo's famous giants! 🐘🐘🌾📸
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🕒 10:30 AM – Navigating the southern loops, the veld was buzzing with game. We logged great sightings of Cape buffaloes, active herds of kudu stepping through the bush, red hartebeest out on the open flats, plenty of warthogs trotting around, and several ostriches strutting along the vegetation line! 🦬🦌🐗🪶🌾
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🕒 12:30 PM – Exited the southern gate of Addo right on schedule and made our way to Nanaga for a well-deserved, delicious sit-down lunch and a quick stretch before heading over to Schotia for part two! 🥧☕🍽️

🦁 Section 2: Schotia Tooth & Claw Afternoon & Night Drive (14:00 PM – 20:00 PM)
🕒 14:00 PM – Arrived back at Schotia HQ to kick off part two of our private day. After a quick safety briefing and snapping our afternoon safari selfie, we fired up the cruiser and headed through the gates into the reserve! 📸🚜🇷🇺🇦🇪🤠
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🕒 14:15 PM – Entering the main section of Schotia, we were greeted by a massive concentration of plains game across the open veld. Our private group enjoyed fantastic views of blue wildebeest, impalas, waterbuck, nyala, and even more busy warthogs foraging along the thicket edges! 🐂🦌🐗🌾📸
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🕒 15:00 PM – Moving deeper into the reserve, we tracked down a gorgeous herd of giraffes right at 15:00 PM. We paused to watch these gentle giants feeding gracefully on the high canopy against the afternoon light! 🦒🦒🌾✨
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🕒 15:30 PM – Stopped in at the Lapa for a quick afternoon tea break to grab hot drinks, warm up, and chat about the great start to our Schotia drive. ☕🍰🔥
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🕒 16:00 PM – Pushed into the northern section, where we were greeted by another rich display of plains game grazing across the open flats. 🌾🐂🦌
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🕒 16:25 PM – Arrived at Neckflair Dam for a spectacular display of hippos out in the water, followed shortly by a brilliant sighting of the white rhinos out grazing in the open. We managed to spot the Cape buffaloes as well, though they were keeping back in the thickets as the weather began to turn. 🦛💦🦏🦏🦬🌾📸
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🕒 17:15 PM – The Eastern Cape weather shifted rapidly—the temperature dropped fast, and a heavy, cold mist started rolling over the hills. Reading the conditions, we made the call to head back down toward the main camp section. 🌫️❄️🌡️🚙
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🕒 17:30 PM – We scoured the main section, but as the sudden cold front hit and the temperature plummeted, the lions stayed tucked away deep in the dense bush for cover. 🌫️🦁🍃
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🕒 18:00 PM – Arrived back at the Lapa right around 18:00 PM to escape the freezing air. We gathered around the roaring big fire to enjoy a wonderful, warm supper, sharing stories and laughing about the full day's adventures from Addo to Schotia! 🍲🔥🍷💬
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🕒 19:15 PM – After supper, as we fired up the cruiser for the night drive back, the weather turned even colder with a bit of icy rain falling over the reserve. We bundled up under thick blankets for the slow drive back through the dark, misty bush. 🌌🌧️❄️🔦🚜
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🕒 20:00 PM – Arrived safely back at HQ to wrap up an incredible day. Bid a warm farewell to our Russian family after having an absolute blast hosting them on their private safari experience! 🚙👋🇷🇺🇦🇪

09/08/2026

Turn your adventure into memories on Safari with Jaco at Schotia Safaris private game reserve

09/08/2026

📅 08 August 2026 – Schotia Safaris private game reserve Tooth & Claw Afternoon & Night Drive 🦁🌾
Lead Guide: Jaco ( Safari with Jaco ) 🇿🇦🤠
Weather: ☀️❄️ Clear, crisp late-winter afternoon in the Eastern Cape.
Guest Manifest: 🌍 An awesome European team with guests joining from Germany 🇩🇪, the UK 🇬🇧, France 🇫🇷, and Hungary 🇭🇺!
Time: 🕒 14:00 PM – 20:00 PM 🧭

🦁 Tooth and Claw Afternoon Drive
🕒 14:00 PM – Met up with our international group at Schotia HQ. After welcoming everyone on board, going through the safety briefing, and snapping our group safari selfie, we fired up the cruiser and headed into the reserve! 📸🚜🇩🇪🇬🇧🇫🇷🇭🇺🤠
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🕒 14:15 PM – Clear of the gates, we went straight on the hunt for the elephants. Right off the bat, luck was on our side when I spotted Millennium, one of our iconic big bulls! We had a brilliant, up-close sighting as we moved along with him for a bit while he peacefully navigated the bush. 🐘👑🌾🚙📸
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🕒 14:35 PM – Pushed a little deeper into the area and scored another heartwarming sighting—a beautiful female elephant accompanied by her young calf! Watching the little one stick close to mom as they browsed through the thicket was an absolute treat for our international crew. 🐘🐘👶🌾✨
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🕒 15:00 PM – Radio crackled with a sighting of the lions! We immediately pulled off a classic "Ferrari Safari," tracking quickly across the reserve to reach the site. We found them taking it easy, lazy in the veld and resting in the shade. On the way there, we were treated to a fantastic bonus sighting of a herd of giraffes and a large number of plains game scattered along the road. 🏎️💨🦁🦁💤🦒🦒🦓🌾
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🕒 15:30 PM – With the big cats ticked off, we swung into the lodge for a quick tea, coffee, and toilet break, letting everyone recharge and talk about that action-packed start to the afternoon! ☕🍰🚻
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🕒 15:55 PM – Back in the vehicle, we set our sights on the northern section. We passed by the lions once more to see if they had stirred, but the trio was still in full lazy mode, soaking up the afternoon sunshine! 🦁🦁🦁💤
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🕒 16:15 PM – Pushed further north, where the sightings came in rapid fire! First up was Neckflair Dam, where we caught the hippos out in the water. Moving past the dam, we picked up the Cape buffaloes, filling in a crucial piece of the Big 5 puzzle! 🦛💦🦬🌾
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🕒 16:40 PM – Not long after the buffaloes, we struck gold with the white rhinos. We enjoyed a stunning, close encounter with a group of three grazing quietly in the open veld—a magical moment for our guests from Germany, the UK, France, and Hungary! 🦏🦏🦏🌾📸✨
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🕒 17:00 PM – As the afternoon light began to soften, we looped back for one final lion check. Right around 17:00 PM, we locked in our last magnificent sighting of the lions before the sun went down. 🦁🌅📷
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🕒 17:20 PM – Opted to make the most of the twilight hours by searching for the elephant herds as we moved toward the front of the reserve. The lions were still lazy, but the plains game was active, and we were rewarded with another wonderful sighting of the elephants, including another female with her calf browsing in the evening light. 🐘🐘👶🦁💤🦓🌾
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🕒 18:00 PM – Arrived back at the Lapa right on 18:00 PM for a delicious, hot winter supper around the fire, swapping stories and laughing with our international crew about our action-packed afternoon! 🍲🔥🍷💬
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🕒 19:15 PM – Fired up the spotlight for our night drive back toward the gate. The nocturnal shift delivered extra magic, including sightings of nocturnal antelope moving through the thickets and a solitary Cape buffalo under the stars. 🌌🔦🦬🦌
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🕒 20:00 PM – Arrived back at HQ to wrap up the safari and bid a fond farewell to our wonderful guests from Germany, the UK, France, and Hungary! 🚙👋🇩🇪🇬🇧🇫🇷🇭🇺

09/08/2026

09/08/2026

Getting ready for an adventure safari is like a two-step for me... I love it 💪🏻🤠

07/08/2026

📅 02 August 2026 – Schotia Safaris private game reserve Tooth & Claw Afternoon & Night Drive 🦁🌾
Lead Guide: Jaco ( Safari with Jaco ) 🇿🇦🤠
Weather: ☀️❄️ Clear, crisp winter afternoon in the Eastern Cape.
Guest Manifest: 🌍 A group of 6 American guests 🇺🇸 joined by a fellow South African guide 🇿🇦—making it a great vehicle of 7 for the afternoon!
Time: 🕒 14:00 PM – 20:00 PM 🧭

🦁 Tooth and Claw Afternoon Drive
🕒 14:00 PM – Met up with the group at Schotia HQ. After welcoming our American guests and connecting with our fellow SA guide, we completed the safety briefing, snapped our safari selfie, and fired up the cruiser to see what the reserve had waiting for us. 📸🚜🇺🇸🇿🇦🤠
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🕒 14:15 PM – Clear of the gates and straight into an absolute dream start! Within the first 15 to 20 minutes, we tracked down the elephant family. We enjoyed incredible, deeply personal, close-up encounters as the herd calmly browsed right alongside and passed right by the cruiser—an awe-inspiring moment that set the tone for the entire afternoon! 🐘🐘🐘🌾🚙✨
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🕒 14:45 PM – Entering the main section of the reserve, we were fascinated by a curious young elephant bull. He came in exceptionally close to inspect the cruiser, showing off his youthful confidence as he checked us out! 🐘🌾🚙👀
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🕒 15:10 PM – The young bull’s spotlight was stolen in spectacular fashion as three young lions emerged right at the entrance of Delville Gate! We watched in awe as the trio made their way down to the water for a drink—a breathtaking, early-afternoon predator encounter! 🦁🦁🦁💦✨📸
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🕒 15:30 PM – As we navigated through the main reserve, the plains were absolutely alive with game. We enjoyed fantastic sightings of blue wildebeest (gnu), zebras, impalas, and nyalas scattered across the open veld and thicket edges. 🦓🐂🦌🌾📸
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🕒 15:45 PM – Headed over to the Lapa for a well-deserved, quick tea break. Everyone got to stretch their legs, grab a hot drink and some cake, and chat about that young elephant bull and the three young lions drinking down at Delville Gate! ☕🍰🔥
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🕒 16:10 PM – Right after wrapping up tea, a radio call came in for a giraffe sighting up ahead. We set off toward the northern section and caught up with them right on schedule at 16:10 PM, watching these gentle giants tower over the bushveld against the late afternoon light. 🦒🦒🌾📸
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🕒 16:25 PM – Continuing our push into the northern section, we stopped by Neckflair Dam and spotted the hippos resting in the water. Just a short distance away, we hit the mark with the white rhinos, who were actively out and about grazing! The northern plains were buzzing with a large variety of plains game. 🦛💦🦏🦏🦌🌾📸
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🕒 17:45 PM – Decisions paid off! We made the call to circle back toward the lion territory before dark to see if the big guy would show himself. Just before 18:00 PM, our persistence was rewarded when we tracked down the magnificent male lion—a grand finale to our daylight drive! 🦁👑🌅📷🙌
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🕒 18:00 PM – Arrived back at the Lapa right on time for a warm, hearty winter supper. We gathered around the fire to enjoy a great meal and share stories about the day's highlights. 🍲🔥🍷💬
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🕒 19:15 PM – Wrapped up supper and took a slow, spotlight-guided night drive back toward the main gates. The night air brought out active nocturnal wildlife, including several black-backed jackals trotting through the bush. 🌌🔦🦊
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🕒 20:00 PM – Arrived back at Schotia HQ to officially wrap up the shift. Bid a warm farewell to our group of 6 Americans and our fellow South African guide after an incredible afternoon in the Eastern Cape veld! 🚙👋🇺🇸🇿🇦
Encounter

03/08/2026

Being kind and loving life...

27/07/2026

149 safari selfies taken on Safari with Jaco ... What an amazing adventure this past year and the memories we made... Can't wait for the many more to come 🤠💪🏻

27/07/2026

📅 23 July 2026 – Full Day Addo & Schotia Double Shift 🐘🦁🌾
Lead Guide: Jaco ( Safari with Jaco ) 🇿🇦🤠
Weather: ☀️❄️ Another beautiful, crisp winter's day in the Eastern Cape.
Guest Manifest: 🌍
Morning (Addo): A lovely group of 3 guests visiting from the UK 🇬🇧!
Afternoon (Schotia): Joined by another 4 guests from the Netherlands 🇳🇱—who coincidentally turned out to be close friends of the Dutch family I guided just three days ago! Small world bush magic at its finest.
Time: 🕒 09:00 AM – 20:00 PM 🧭

🐘 Part 1: Addo Elephant National Park Morning Drive
🕒 09:00 AM – Picked up our 3 UK guests at the main gate to kick off the morning leg. Fired up the cruiser and headed straight out into the fresh winter air to see what Addo had waiting for us. 🚜🇬🇧❄️
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🕒 09:15 AM – 12:15 PM – The morning drive turned out some stellar winter tracking! We picked up a great variety of active winter antelope scattered across the ridges and managed a great look at some formidable Cape buffaloes. The absolute highlight came when we pushed into the northern section of the park and ran into a massive, very large herd of elephants moving together through the landscape—a breathtaking wall of giants for our UK crew! 🐘🐘🐘🐃🦌🌾📸
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🕒 12:30 PM – Exited the park and switched things up, heading over to a new farm stall to treat the guests to a lovely afternoon lunch, stretch our legs, and share some laughs before heading back for the Schotia run. 🥧☕🍔

🦁 Part 2: Schotia Safaris private game reserve (Tooth and Claw Afternoon/Night Drive)
🕒 14:00 PM – Arrived back at Schotia HQ where the 4 Dutch guests joined the vehicle. Once we realized the awesome connection to my previous guests, the energy was top-tier! We did our safety briefing, snapped the group safari selfie, and hit the reserve tracks. 📸🚜🇬🇧🇳🇱🤠
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🕒 14:15 PM – Right out of the gates, the reserve turned it on! We were immediately treated to an incredible sight as one of our massive elephant bulls moved right alongside the road. He brushed past the cruiser incredibly close, completely calm, relaxed, and collective. It was a beautiful, profound example of the absolute trust and mutual respect relationship that we as guides build up with these magnificent giants over time. A deeply moving experience for the guests right at the start! 🐘🌾🚙✨🤝
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🕒 14:40 PM – We proceeded down into the main camp section, and the veld opened up into an absolute masterpiece. We were treated to a picture-frame perfect view of symbiotic mutualism, with a massive variety of species all grazing and browsing peacefully together. The landscape was teeming with giraffes, zebras, blue wildebeest, impalas, nyalas, warthogs, kudus, and massive elands. An unbelievable, postcard-perfect scene of African wildlife harmony! 🦒🦓🐂🦌🐗🌾📸
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🕒 15:30 PM – Headed over to the Lapa a little bit on the early side for a quick, comfortable 20-minute tea break. Everyone got to stretch their legs, enjoy some hot coffee and tea, and swap stories about that incredibly close elephant encounter and the bustling main camp plains game. ☕🍰🔥
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🕒 15:55 PM – Back on the cruiser, we made a direct line for the eastern gate. During our tea break, a radio report had come in that the lions were active out that way, so we pushed out east to see if we could catch them before the daylight shifted. 🚜💨🧭
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🕒 16:20 PM – When we arrived at the eastern gate, the pride had already cleared out. Not to be deterred, I managed to lock onto their spoor (tracks) in the dirt. Trusting the tracks, I followed their movement all the way up toward the northern boundary fence. 🐾🔎🌾
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🕒 16:25 PM – Hard tracking paid off beautifully! We caught up with the pride along the northern boundary and scored a magnificent, up-close sighting. All four lions were resting right next to the road, giving our UK guests and the Dutch crew an absolutely incredible, close-up view of the apex predators in the perfect late-afternoon winter light. 🦁🦁🦁🦁📷✨🙌
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🕒 16:40 PM – We climbed up into the northern section and immediately locked onto the white rhinos. It was a strikingly beautiful winter sighting as these massive, prehistoric-looking giants grazed peacefully right out in the open near our vehicle. 🦏🦏🌾📸
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🕒 17:00 PM – Pushed further along the northern tracks and scored a stunning view of the rare sable antelope, their jet-black coats and sweeping horns standing out perfectly against a backdrop of active winter plains game. 🦌🖤🌾
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🕒 17:25 PM – Dropped down toward Homestead Dam just in time to catch the hippopotamuses. They were highly active in the twilight water, blowing bubbles and yawning as the daylight began to fade. 🦛💦👀
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🕒 17:45 PM – The perfect sunset finale! Just as we had to turn the cruiser back toward the Lapa for supper, we crossed paths with the formidable Cape buffaloes. Watching these heavy-horned legends of the bush grazing out in the open against a spectacular, glowing African winter sunset was a postcard-perfect moment for the cameras. 🐃🐃🌅✨📸
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🕒 18:00 PM – Rolled right up to the Lapa right on time. A roaring fire and a wonderful, hearty winter supper were waiting for us. The UK crew and the Dutch friends had an absolute blast sharing stories around the table, celebrating a massively successful day from the Addo giants all the way to the tracked-down lions and sunset buffaloes. 🍲🔥🍷💬
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🕒 19:15 PM – Loaded back up onto the cruiser for a slow, peaceful night drive back out toward the main gates under a beautiful, clear winter sky. The spotlighting turned up a great variety of nocturnal antelope active in the thickets, and we made a quick stop at the quarantine camp to give the guests a brilliant, up-close look at the spotted hyenas active in the dark! 🌌🔦🦧🦌
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🕒 20:00 PM – Arrived safely back at Schotia HQ to officially wrap up another top-tier double shift. I dropped the group off, bid them a warm farewell after an absolute cracker of a day in the bush, and put the cruiser to bed. Another beautiful day in Africa! 🚙👋🇬🇧🇳🇱🇿🇦