Losing My Safari Virginity

Martha Beck’s African STAR retreat at Londolozi Game Reserve in South Africa begins with silence in the back of the Land Rover. The air is thick with a vibration so palpable it moves warm honey through my legs and up into my chest. Martha is entraining us all from the very beginning, and it works. We drop right in, and the animals can sense it. The giraffe is right there, so close we can hear her breathing. I am keenly aware that every giraffe I have ever experienced pales in comparison to this one. She is free to come and go as she pleases. She takes care of herself and doesn’t depend on feeders to nourish her. She is not here for our pleasure; she is just here, being her wild true nature, as all of us are yearning to be.

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