Brave enough to pet young lions?

Durban fans have been treated to some magnificent cricket from all the teams, and even though I am moving away from my home for the next few weeks, I am hoping that a few of my teammates will make the most of seeing more of this magnificent "Rainbow Nation".

We are shortly heading up to Johannesburg, and most overseas visitors start their trips by visiting one of the many game lodges that are a short flight or a five-hour drive away from the international airport. The world renowned Kruger National Park is legendary for its vast size, quantity and quality of game viewing. The private reserves in the Sabi Sands area, adjacent to the Kruger Park, offer five and six star luxury in an amazing wildlife setting that is difficult to match, let alone beat, anywhere in the world.

My wife and I have been visiting these lodges ever since our honeymoon in 1994, and every time we try to go to a different camp, as they all have their own unique ambience (although the wildlife is fairly similar as most of the private reserves have dropped their fences which allow to the animals to roam in a much larger area, and so they flourish!). For my teammates, there are nature reserves closer to Johannesburg, as we don't get much time off with the rather hectic IPL schedule. But I am hoping to take them to the Lion Park, which allows them to get into an enclosure with young lions and pet them, if they are brave enough, that is!

The East coast also has game parks on offer, and three hours drive north of Durban, my wife and I love to visit Phinda, a private reserve, where we get to spoil ourselves in sheer luxury! When out in the open bush, we've enjoyed many a breakfast or an evening sundowneru00a0... there's nothing more grounding than being one with nature. It's simply surreal.

This might sound strange coming from somebody who spends so much time on the road, but my wife and two children are really important to me, and I value our walks, bike rides, and card games that we do as a family. Our children have also fallen in love with the abundant and exciting wildlife that South Africa has to offer and we often take them to the National Parks, Umfolozi and Hluhluwe, which are also about three hours away. Around Port Elizabeth there are also quite a few parks, Shamwari and Kwandwe being two of the most luxurious, and Addo Elephant Park offering some unique experiences with these amazing giants that we fondly called 'Ellies'.

Seeing these magnificent creatures out in the wild in their natural surrounding is a life-altering experience. Each of them the zebra, giraffe, elephant, rhino, lion, leopard, impala, kudu looks so majestic, it's awe-inspiring. I've heard the deafening roar of a lion from four feet away and quite often it still rings in my ears!

This is the second in an exciting series by former cricketer and Mumbai Indian's fielding coach Jonty Rhodes that showcases his native South Africa through his eyes