I am a jaded traveler and I've learned to under-anticipate so that I will not be ultimately disappointed. I mean, really, how many cathedrals, mountains, castles, temples, etc. can one see before they all start to become a blur, right?

Occasionally, something that is billed as a "must-see" does, indeed, live up to its' hype and makes your jaw drop. The Grand Canyon, the Matterhorn, and the Colosseum come to mind here.

But, nothing, and I mean nothing, ever exceeded my expectations like the safari experience at Singita Boulders Lodge. I'm not going to rehash old territory by restating everything that's been said before in previous reviews. I'm going to speak directly to other uber-travelers who are already planning their trip and are just trying to decide in which specific lodge to stay.

I'm sure there are other safari camps that are quite lovely. But I will never see them because this one was so perfect that I will never stay anywhere else. For example, and, major props to whomever trains the staff at Singita, there is not a gram of stuffiness or hoity-toity attitude to be found. Every one on staff is genuine, real and imminently approachable.

Take Gift, our "butler". First of all, her name is not really Gift, but neither Europeans nor people from the Americas can pronounce her real name which involves a click or two in the back of the throat; hence, Gift. Okay, Gift was hilarious. When one conjures up the term "butler", one would never picture Gift. She was the anti-butler. She was Sir John Gielgud in Arthur. I wanted to take Gift home with me and introduce her to my bridge group. She would have them eating out of her hand in a New York minute.

Keep in mind, while on safari, one, by necessity, becomes very close to the staff to which one has been assigned and, also, to the other guests in their Land Rover. One spends the vast majority of their stay with just a handful of individuals. The management at Singita preselects and prearranges these groupings prior to your arrival based on your pre-submitted profile. Somebody there must have worked previously at Match.com because we and the other two couples in our group immediately bonded with our tracker, Johnson, our field guide, Wade and with each other. I know. I know it sounds corny, but it was true. And, it made all the difference between having just a fantastic time and having the best experience of our lives.

For example, by Day 3, our little group had seen everything up close and personal except Cape buffalo, (which is exceptional because buffalo are thick on the ground at Singita). They're like the pigeons of the bush. Consequently, Johnson was on a mission. Using hand signals, not unlike a S.W.A.T. commander, that only Wade understood, he made us stop the Land Rover on some remote dirt by-way. He then got out the binoculars and perused the landscape. Over hill and dale, for just under a kilometer, Wade maneuvered the Rover on Johnson's commands through thick vegetation. Voila, a small herd of buffalo. How did Johnson find them? He monitored from afar the flight patterns of the birds known as "ox peckers" that feed on the ticks that congregate on the underbellies of the buffalo. It was absolutely unbelievable.

And that brings me to Wade. I'm very hesitant to tell you how awesome he was because you will all request him and then he won't be available when I return. Your field guide is the crucial pivot point on your safari. A good one can make the difference between just a great time and a blow-your-mind-never-want-to-go-home-time. Wade was a virtual encyclopaedia of flora and fauna. No matter what inane question we came up with, he had the answer and, quite diplomatically, refrained from rolling his eyes or chuckling under his breath at our never-ending display of stupidity. Thanks to Wade I now know that it's a dazzle of zebras, a crash of rhinos and a tower of giraffes.

I like to hike. I live in Switzerland and I hike some random Alp every week. I wanted to go hiking in South Africa. I expressed this wish to Wade. Even though it was probably a huge inconvenience and he probably had to skip his own lunch, he took me on a hike. On foot. No vehicle, no protection except Wade's big, scary gun. It was the most fun I have ever had, without exception. We were stalking enormous animals through the bush, trying not to let them know we were there. I got my best photos and my best memories on that hike.

I cannot reiterate enough that a safari experience at Singita Boulders Lodge will surpass every lofty expectation you will ever entertain. Just go. It's that good.