Mongena Game Lodge

A group from Mikkola school (including me) visited our friendship school in South Africa in April. During our visit we also got to spend two days in Mongena Game Lodge. It's a little reserve area about 50 km Pretoria. So as our friendship school situates in Soshanguve one of the townships of Pretoria it was a good place for us to go to see African animals.

Animals on the reserve include buffalo, rhino, hippo, giraffe, eland, springbuck, impala, zebra, various wildebeest species and others. There is also a 25 Ha dam with a variety of birdlife on the reserve. We didn't see all the animals that was there but we enjoyed very much of the game drives (a jeep ride among animals), bush walks and a boat ride on a dam. It was amazing. We got very near to the animals.

Jack was a quide on game drives, bush walk and a boat ride. He did great job with us...

The boat ride was very special! I loved every second of it. The beauty of the river, sun set, bird sounds, view and everything...


Not only that we enjoyed the animals on the reserve area we also liked the lodge area where were the bungalows and houses for accomodation. It was peaceful, no souvenir shops, just relaxed athmosphere and calmness.
This is the house where we lived.
A little peek into our home in Mongena. Tuuli is one of our teachers and was in South Africa second time as I. There were also some animals on the lodge area. It was fun to get so close to them!
So if you ever go to South Africa and don't have enough time or money to go to Kruger national park or you want to avoid malaria go to Mongena to see animals. I strongly recommend! For us it was a unique experience.