Sweet Goodbyes to SAF 3C!
July 22, 2026
SAF 3C families and loved ones,
We cannot believe that this is our last trip update of the summer!!! We cannot express how grateful we are for this AMAZING group of girls. They are hands down the funniest, kindest, and most incredible people we know and feel so grateful to have spent the last few weeks with them. Our final stop was SO memorable and we can’t wait to share all about it!!
We arrived to Mabula to a feast of burgers and fries before heading to our first game drive! Gussie was especially ecstatic about our new location and was making everyone laugh at lunch!! We were all sad to have left Mozambique but we were READY to spot some animals again!! We were so cozy bundled up in our blankets, ready to see some animals!! On our first drive, we saw lots of rhinos and impalas… and warthogs!!! They became an extremely controversial animal in our group, so be sure to ask everyone their thoughts 🤣🤣!! We wrapped up our night with a wonderful dinner outside and Moonup around the campfire before heading to bed, ready for our first full day in Mabula!!
Our morning started off CRAZYYYYY!!! We fueled up on some bacon and eggs and had a lively morning, laughing especially hard when Addie discovered that she sleep talks at night!! She was shocked to learn this news, and we haven’t been able to stop laughing about it! After breakfast, we got in the vans for a big surprise… the Mabula staff surprised us with morning Rhino feeding!! We learned that the rhinos need extra support during the winter time, so we got to hop on the back of the trucks and throw them alfalfa!! The rhinos immediately recognized the white vans and came right up to us!! The babies were especially cute trotting after their mamas🥰🥰! It was the closest we’d been to any animals yet! On our adventure, Lola also found a stick bug, named it Gabe, and kept him for the rest of the day😆. Gabe became the 16th member of the group and we were all devastated when he eventually went missing! Our lunch was a wonderful picnic by the water with lots of wraps!! And thennnnnnn, the BEST ACTIVITY EVERRRRR!!! Have you ever heard of a southern ground hornbill??? If not, you are MISSING OUT!! These birds are by far the best animals you can find in Big 5 territory. We listened to an amazing presentation (everyone had amazing questions) and even got to see some of the habitats that the Mabula Ground Hornbill Project made! It was amazing… And while it’s hard to beat the ground hornbills, we did have so much fun on our afternoon safari that afternoon! We loved seeing the zebras and giraffes, and all around just had an amazing time together, soaking it all in.
Day 3 in Mabula was one of the most special days we’ve had. That morning, we started out with predator monitoring. That meant we were out searching for the cheetahs! We tracked the male cheetah brothers, and Blair got to hold the telemetry device (GPS tracker) and led us to the cheetahs! Unfortunately, they ran away pretty quickly so we couldn’t go on foot to track them. We were all a little disappointed, until the Mabula staff decided to let us do something even cooler!! We became the first Moondance group all summer to track the mother cheetah and her cubs on foot! We walked into the bush to find them, and it was one of the cutest things we’ve ever seen. Being able to look at them from the ground was SO special and something we will absolutely never forget!! After that, we went to go see the lions!! The day only got more and more special as we IMMEDIATELY found the two female lions (which Matthew and I haven’t seen once this summer!!!) they were walking right with us for so long, it was unreal!! And then, we saw the three male brothers too!!!! It was the LUCKIEST morning ever!!! After lunch, we had some free time and spent it playing families!! Anne Claire and Katie are scarily good at it and kept guessing people correctly every turn!!! Our day ended with a sunset safari, seeing more of our favorite animals!!!
Our final day in Mabula… where to even begin!! We woke the girls up and told them to get ready for a walking bird safari! And while a walking bird safari most definitely sounds fun, it wasn’t the activity that they were most looking forward to🤣. We loaded everyone up on the vans to go, and met the reserve team. As soon as we got there, they broke the news to the girls that we were, in fact, not going on a bird safari, but DARTING A RHINO!!!! WHAT?!?! Safe to say, everyone was the most excited they’ve been all trip. Campbell and Tayloe were especially lucky, as they got to go on the truck with the vet to actually dart the rhino, while we all raced behind them as the rhino bull started running. It was EXHILARATING chasing after him!! As soon as he was down, we all quickly got to work! Caroline was most excited about this activity, and got to give it a vaccination!! It was SO COOL!! Jessie and Jane got to help put a new GPS tracking collar on it, and even got to keep some extra pieces of it (the most insanely awesome souvenir ever)!! Everyone got so involved, and everyone was giving it lots of hugs🥰. For being the biggest animal ever, it is sooo cute. We got to the safety of our van while it woke back up and watched it go back off on its way!! It was an amazing experience that we will always remember!
That afternoon was our last night safari, and it was probably the best one yet. As we headed off, we almost immediately got a call for a sighting and raced off towards it! As we got close, our guides told us that it was the mother cheetah and her cubs on a kill! If you know anything about cheetahs, you know that’s a rare thing to see. We got to get right up close and watch the cheetah cubs with their mom, enjoying their dinner. And as if that wasn’t enough, right after that, we ran straight into a herd of elephants!! They were right next us, and one even passed right in front of our car. Sarah was especially excited about the elephants and kept talking about the encounter for the rest of the trip!! The guides kept saying how lucky we were to have been on that game drive because it was the coolest two sightings ever! We then headed out to the best sunset spot yet, overlooking the mountains, and enjoyed some sodas and snacks while watching the sun go down. It was so special. Back at camp, we had our big banquet dinner!! We had traditional Braii (South African barbecue) and some delicious chocolate cake before sitting around the fire and reminiscing on our time together. It was the perfect last night!!
This morning, we headed out on our last safari!! We waved goodbye to all of our favorite animals before jumping in the car to head back to the airport… Kennedy was especially reflective on the ride back and kept saying that she didn’t want the trip to end and get her phone back. I think that says a lot about how our trip was – no one was ready to say goodbye, and everyone loved the little escape we got without technology. This group got so close and it was so special to see.
We are so sad that this session is over and hated saying goodbye, but we feel so grateful to have had this group as our last session. We will always remember these girls and all of the laughs we had together!! SAF 3C – you are the most special people ever and we know you will do AMAZING things!!! Please stay in touch and know how much we care about each and every one of you!!! And to your families, thank you for trusting us with them and allowing us to spend the past two weeks together. We will never forget it!!!!!
Signing out for the last time,
Matthew and Bess 🩷
Magic in Mozambique!
July 17, 2026
Hellooooo SAF 3C loved ones!!!
We are having the BEST time here and cannot wait to share everything about our adventures in Mozambique!! It was a sad goodbye to Tofo Beach but we made some absolutely incredible memories together and are STOKED for the final part of our trip!
We last checked in with you on our way to Mozambique… We had a long (but beautiful!!) drive to Tofo Beach, most of which we spent belting Taylor Swift. It was honestly a blast, but we were definitely all ready to hit the hay and get some much deserved rest before our first morning in Mozambique! We awoke to a feast of fruit, cereal, and CREPES!! It was a dream morning, with all of us sitting around sharing our crazy dreams before getting ready for a full day at the beach! We were all speechless walking up the pathway of Tilak Lodge and finally setting eyes on the gorgeous beach. The water was SOOOOO blue!! And, it didn’t hurt that the we finally were in tank top and shorts weather! Our first group stopped at our home base (Tofo Scuba) while the second group went to surf! We were ecstatic to finally get on the waves and jumped in the water as quickly as we could after getting briefed on surfing basics. Campbell was the very first one to stand up on the board and the guides said she was a natural (even though she claimed she wouldn’t be good at surfing😆). Anne Claire also gets a shoutout for her extreme dedication – she was COMMITTED to standing up on the board and was so excited when she did!! And although surfing was already a crowd favorite, our guides made it 1000x better by singing fun songs and joking with us whenever someone fell off the board. Blair especially bonded with our surf guide Ozzie, and she kept talking about how funny he was! After surfing, we were all ready for some R&R on the beach so we headed back to Tofo Scuba for some snacks and soda before lunch. Meanwhile, Gussie and Campbell got into serious business mode, buying homemade bracelets on the beach and bartering prices! Ask them for a haul when they get back, they did some serious shopping!!
That afternoon, we headed out on our first ocean safari. We were stoked to see what we could find! Pretty immediately, we found HUMPBACK WHALES!!! WHAT?!?! This was the first session of ours to see a humpback whale, and we got SOOOO close to it! The whole boat was a mixture of excitement and awe as we watched them jump out of the water over and over. Let me be the first to tell you that humpback whales are MUCH bigger than you think they are…. It was honestly such a cool experience to be able to be that close to them. Tayloe filmed almost the entire boat ride so she got some amazing footage of the whales (and probably some of all of us screaming each time the whales jumped up🤣).
We had some downtime before dinner, with half the group playing a heated game of Presidents (the group favorite card game) and half the group in what we have now dubbed the “reading circle.” Katie keeps saying that being without her phone made her realize she actually does not hate reading, and is even looking for a new book to start now that she finished the one she brought! Dinner that night was so much fun, as we all sat around reminiscing on our first day in Mozambique. We finished up the day with Moonup on the beach, looking at the stars. It truly was a remarkable first day in Tofo.
Wednesday was an especially big day because it was ADDIE’S BIRTHDAYYYYYYYY🎉!!!! We started off the morning celebrations with a bubble wand (you’d be surprised how excited a group of teenage girls gets for bubbles) and two little stuffed toys as a birthday gift. Everyone was so ready to celebrate her all day!! The morning once again started with surfing! Day 2 waves were a little more intense, but this group was ready to conquer them and absolutely crushed!! Kennedy was MVP of the bigger waves and caught so many crazy ones! That afternoon, we headed to the market to stock up on souvenirs and gifts. We spent so much time looking around at all of the different stalls and bartering for everything. Lola spent the most time looking around and talking to every person in the market about their stores! After collectively spending probably a little too much money (who knows when we’ll be back in Mozambique!!), we got some smoothies and juice from a fresh drink stand outside of the market. Sarah got Nutella pancakes (with extra Nutella, YUM) and looked like the picture of vacation with her new dress on.
Dinner was one of the most fun nights of the trip. To start out, we played an intense game of trivia spearheaded by Jane and Jessie! Caroline started off strong, but we soon realized that Matthew was feeding her the answers to a lot of the questions and it got HEATED!! We’ve honestly never laughed so hard in our lives… Our dinner wrapped up with a delicious chocolate birthday cake, and we sang our hearts out to celebrate the end of Addie’s 15th birthday! Moonup was once again on the beach, but this time with an extra surprise! We decided to run down to the water to see the waves, but realized that every time we stepped, bioluminescent algae would spring out from our footprints. We jumped around like little kids for forever, kicking it around and watching the glow. It was SO cool and we were all enthralled by it.
Thursday, our final full day in Mozambique, was perfect. We started out with our ocean safari and got to see even more humpback whales… at the end of the safari, everyone got in the water to snorkel and see the fish! We didn’t see the whale sharks this time, but that just means that we all have to come back someday! After the ocean safari, we walked to a house in the local community for a cooking class. We got some fresh coconuts, and helped make the sauce and coconut bread before sitting down for one of the best meals of the trip so far!! It was an absolute feast of fish, rice, coconut bread, and fruit with LOTS of matapa sauce. It’s kind of pesto-adjacent, but honestly so much better!
Our night concluded with a sunset cruise on a traditional dhow boat. Picture all of us on a little sailboat, blasting our favorite music and all chatting as we watched the sun go down. Words honestly can’t do it justice. It was the perfect way to finish out our time in such a special place.
Matthew and I feel so many emotions doing everything for the last time, but we honestly couldn’t have asked for a better group to be with. Not only are they quite possibly the funniest people on the planet, but they are caring, genuine, smart, thoughtful, etc. I could literally go on and on forever. Thank you so much for sharing your AMAZING daughters/sisters/friends with us. We are so excited for the final portion of our trip but praying that it stops flying by so fast!!
Sending all our love from South Africa,
Bess + Matthew
A quick message from our crew!
Anne Claire – Thank you so much Mom and Dad and Di and Pop for sending me on this trip!! I am having the best time and can’t wait to see you soon! Also Happy birthday Dad I love you!
Jane – So many thank yous to my mom and dad for giving me this opportunity! Im having the best time, I’ll see yall soon!
Campbell- thank you so much for sending me on this trip!! Im having the best time and don’t want to leave, I’ll see yall soon!!
Sarah- i am so so thankful yall sent me on this trip i am having so much fun and loved surfing in Mozambique i miss everyone so so much and i am sad to leave soon but cant wait to come back and hug everyone. Thank you so much see everyone soon i love you!!!💗 I climbed a palm tree i lowk going to be a climber
Blair- Thank you do much mom and dad for sending me on this trip it’s so so much fun!! We went surfing and learned how to cook!! Miss everyone tons ok byeeyeyeyeyeyeey
Jessie – Thank you mom and dad for giving me this amazing opportunity! I am having so much fun and loved being able to visit these really cool places!! I love and miss you guys so much!! :))))
Caroline- Thank you so much mom and dad for sending me on this amazing trip!! Having so much fun here and I’m sad to leave but so excited to see you guys! Love youuuu!!
Gussie- Thank yall so much for sending me on this trip it’s actually amazing. Also feed hank por favor and see yall soon, also mom remember i have volleyball as soon as im home, i love you all and i will see you so soon! Bye.
Kennedy- Hey Mom and Dad, thank you guys so much for sending me on this trip. I am having the best time here and i also cant wait to see yall (and smella) i love you all and i will see you so soon! Tell sassy and Gaga i miss them sm Bye💗💗
Lola- Hi mom. Kiss Enzo and Millie for me. Thanks for sending me on this trip! Love u so much! Im very greatful and having the time of my life ty for that ttyl.
Tayloe – Thank you mom and dad for sending me on this trip and giving me this opportunity and experience. I love yall so much and miss yall and cant wait to see yall so soon.
Addie – Thank you so much Mom and Dad for giving me this opportunity to go on this trip. I am having the best time and will spare you no details when we get home. I miss you all so much and am so excited to see you in a few days. Love you all so much, please do my Duolingo, ❤️Addie
Katie – HI! Thank you so much for sending me on this trip! I’m having a blast here and can’t wait to tell you all about it! I’ve been journaling everyday and can’t wait for you to read it. I hope all is well at home and that Taylor is having a blast in Europe!!!I got some good souvenirs hehe 💗🤹♀️🧜🏼♀️🦄🦋🐆🐅🦓🦛🦒🐘🪼
Starting Strong with Safaris!
July 13, 2026
We greeted the group at the Johannesburg airport with plenty of excitement and quickly began getting to know one another!!! After everyone arrived, we headed to the hotel and ended our first night with PIZZAAAA!!! 🍕 It was the perfect comfort food after a long day of travel. The next morning, we packed up and got ready to head to our first location: LITTLE MONGENA!!!
Once we arrived, we were welcomed with fancy strawberry-pineapple drinks while everyone shared stories and took in the beautiful surroundings. After lunch, we moved into our tents and even spotted a KUDU wandering nearby!!! We relaxed by the pool before heading out for a sunset cruise across the lake. The group enjoyed snacks and cold drinks while watching the sun disappear over the water. We even spotted a CROCODILE!!! 🐊 It was sitting on an island with its mouth open, almost as if it were posing for the group. We learned that crocodiles do this to help regulate their body temperature. Hot chocolate was waiting for us when we returned, followed by a delicious dinner. We finished the evening with an energetic African drumming session. Lola especially enjoyed the drumming and brought so much fun energy as the group tried to keep up with the rhythms! We ended the night with Moonup around the fire beneath a sky full of stars. 🥁✨
The next morning, we began our first day of SERVICE!!! We traveled into the local community and started painting a church with a fresh coat of white paint. Caroline immediately got into the work and enjoyed seeing the building begin to transform. After returning to camp, we headed out on our FIRST GAME DRIVE!!! One group spotted hippos, while the other had an unbelievable view of BABY CHEETAHS!!! Katie was especially excited during the cheetah sighting and loved watching them move through the reserve. 🐆 When we returned to camp, it was time for our own version of MASTERCHEF!!! The group split into two teams and competed to make a traditional South African dish called potjiekos. Sarah took charge of preparing the vegetables for her team, while Jane jumped into the competition and helped her group create its final dish. The kitchen was filled with friendly competition as everyone worked to impress the judges! We ate the group’s creations for dinner, and everyone could not believe how delicious the food was!!! 👩🍳
Our second day of service gave us even more time to connect with the community. We continued painting the church, this time adding a bright coat of BLUE!!! Afterward, we spent time playing with the children. Kennedy fully embraced every moment as she danced with the kids and joined the soccer game. Jessie stepped into the goal and became one of our STAR GOALKEEPERS!!! Tayloe spent her time laughing with the children and building meaningful relationships with them. It was amazing to watch how quickly the group connected with everyone. ⚽️💙 That afternoon brought another INCREDIBLE game drive, and the wildlife did not disappoint! We saw elephants before coming across lions with their cubs. Blair absolutely loved seeing the BABY LIONS and was amazed as she watched them explore near the rest of the pride. Campbell was especially excited when the elephants appeared and loved seeing how enormous they were in the wild. Gussie has enjoyed every safari so far and has kept our guides busy with thoughtful questions about the animals. We ended the evening with a traditional South African braai. 🐘🦁
The following morning, we attended a local church service and were officially thanked by members of the community for helping paint their church. It was an incredibly meaningful moment that allowed the group to understand the importance of the project. Addie has especially enjoyed learning more about South African culture throughout the experience and appreciated hearing directly from the community leader.
Throughout our free time, Anne Claire has loved bringing everyone together for card games and helping make each group activity fun. Later that day, we headed out on a GUIDED BUSH WALK!!! We saw rhinos and zebras while learning how to identify animal tracks throughout the reserve. We also spotted wildebeest and warthogs along the way. Walking through the bush gave us a completely different perspective from the safari vehicles and made every sighting feel even more exciting!
We finished the day with a beautiful dinner in the bush, surrounded by the sounds of the reserve. 🦏🌿
Our time in South Africa has been such a special beginning to the trip. The group has fully embraced each experience and has already grown incredibly close. From greeting everyone at the airport to our final dinner in the bush, this group has brought so much energy into every day.
NEXT STOP: MOZAMBIQUE!!! 🇲🇿🌊
Shoutouts:
Kennedy- Hey mom and Dad! I miss yall so much, I am having the best time here so far. We have done so much service work and it was so cool hanging out with the kids and I love my group and counselors. Pleaseeeee tell Ella I said I miss and love her so much and tell her to say the same to Graham. Tell Grandma and Grandma great I said I miss them. Byeeee
Gussie- Hey guys i miss everyone so much but lmk having the time of my life and do not want to come home. But I love yall and tell PJ Gabriella and Jane i love them and miss them. Jane screenshot this and tell GIGI happy bday idk when yall r getting this.
Sarah – Hi everyone i miss yall so so much but I am having so much fun. Me and Campbell almost literally died from the leopard otw back from bathroom but king Daniel saved us. My group is amazing and my doctor issue is a lot better so we are good. Please tell James I love him and I am having so much fun but cant wait to see him BYE I LOVE YOU💗 ( im on letter 2)
Caroline- Hi mom and dad!! Miss you guys so so much and I hope you guys are having fun without me. Africa is great and i know you guys are going to have so much fun summer of 2027. Miss Ainsley and Alexandra’s so much to!! Ask Ainsley how her Akris internship is going? Howe’s going to the city everyday?? Love you and miss you!!!!
Campbell- hiii guys I miss yall so much but am having lots of fun! We have done lots of safaris and stuff. Hope Arizona is fun and everyone’s good. Tell my friends and Grant I say hi and miss them :)))))) love yall byeeee
Blair- Hey guys I miss everyone so much!! South Africa is so cool and different!!!! I don’t really know what to say but shoutout virg and Ella!!!! Can’t wait to see everyone love everyone byeeeee!
Katie- HEYYYYYYY!!!!!!! I’m having sooooo much fun in South Africa. I can’t wait to show you guys all of my cool flicks. I miss y’all but I’m having lots of fun. We are doing ocean stuff tmrw! Give Boots my love and affection and tell Taylor I say hi and that I didn’t get eaten by a hippo! Byeeeeeee
Anne Claire – Hi Mom, Dad, and Robert! I miss you all so much but I am having the best time! We just go to Mozambique and I am so excited!! Also tell Banks I love him and tell MD I say hi! Can’t wait to see you soon!!!
Jessie – Hi guys!! I miss everyone so so much!! How is everything in New York? I hope Morgan is having a great time at tennis camp and Taylor is living up her summer!!!! Mom, we have seen the coolest animals EVER! Dad, I can’t wait to show you pictures on my camera when I get home :)))) Love and miss you guys SO MUCH!!! 💗
Addie- Hi Mom, Dad, and Millie! I hope you all are having a wonderful time in Kentucky and Amelia is winning on Chip. I am having a great time and doing so many cool things. I have met so many amazing people and it has honestly been a culture shock to me. Tell Pat Pat, Grumps, Grampie, and Noey that I miss them! Also please do my Duolingo and love on Flippy for me, Love Addie
Jane- hey mom and dad! Im having a great time. Tell Walker i say hello and that i miss him! Also give Millie a hug for me 🙂
Tayloe- Hi Mom, Dad, Perry, Landry, and Dabney! I miss yall so much! We just arrived in Mozambique after being in SA for service work and safari’s. I’ve loved playing with the kids and meeting new people. I am having a good time and I love yall so much. Miss you!
Lola- Hi mom and dad hope your having fun in Europe and i hope you remembered to make a video to London boy. Please take photos of every cat you see in Greece because i really want to see. Moondance is literally amazing. No offence at all because i love yall but im having to much fun to miss yall but i miss Enzo and Millie and there cute lil faces. Shoutout to Brigitte and Tess tell them im very excited. Also tell sienna i miss her and cant wait to show her photos.Tell Stella i say hi and that i want to visit her in South Carolina often because a lot of my friends here live in South Carolina. Ok love you guys SO much cant wait to see your face love you momma.
