It was our last day on safari in South Africa when we spotted a male leopard stalking an impala as it lurked in the dry brush of a private nature reserve.

The ranger parked the open-air Land Rover at a safe distance, giving us a chance to take photos of the leopard as it darted toward the antelope.

After a brief chase, the leopard broke from his pursuit and turned his attention toward us.

Determined to get good pictures, I kept my camera on the leopard. He glared back at me while stealthily walking toward the vehicle. He was within 10 feet when he apparently lost interest and turned away to hunt for prey.

We drove off to look for more wild animals. A quick review of my photos revealed multiple shots of the leopard’s piercing eyes fixed on me. Luckily, he didn’t have an appetite for Filipina, or I would have been a tropical-bred breakfast flown in from Hawaii.

The thrilling encounter with the leopard was the highlight of my adventure in South Africa, a dream trip fulfilled.

For four years, a longtime friend, Hezel, and I had talked about seeing wild animals in their natural environment. We decided to head to South Africa after my birthday in March — a present to myself — and before Hezel tied the knot with her beau in December 2012.

We boarded a plane in mid-May and traveled halfway across the world for a 12-day trip to South Africa, four days each in Cape Town, Hoedspruit and Zimbabwe.

We stayed in a luxury, colonial-style suite at King’s Camp in the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve in Hoedspruit. The reserve spans 185,000 acres bordering Kruger National Park and is a world of seemingly endless, unspoiled plains where animals freely roam.

Temperatures in the morning dipped to the 50s and 60s and warmed to the 70s and 80s in the afternoon as South Africa’s winter season approached. South Africa’s coldest months are June through August.

I didn’t have a thick jacket or pants to stay warm during the chilly morning safari drives, so I layered on nearly all the clothes I had packed: five shirts and pants and two jackets — one of which I named MacGyver, after the secret-agent character in the 1980s television series, because of its multiple hidden pockets.

The jacket came in handy to store memory cards, camera lenses, tissues and other items, but it became a challenge to remember what I had put in which pocket.

At times during our safari, it appeared — much to the amusement of my traveling buddy — as if I was bursting into a toned-down version of the "haka" as I slapped my hands against the front pockets of my jacket to find something as simple as my sunglasses.

We were joined on our first game drive by a traveler from California and honeymooners from England. A tracker sat on an elevated seat in front of the Land Rover’s bumper. He and the ranger regularly communicated during the drive in our search of wild animals.

Our first sighting was of a leopard camouflaged by a large banyan tree. It was exhilarating to see the wild cat with golden-colored eyes and rosette fur sitting less than 75 feet above us on a thick branch.

Sharp thorns jutted from acacia tree branches that brushed against the truck, forcing Hezel and me to duck frequently to avoid punctures.

The fresh scent of wild sage perfumed the morning air.

Among the animal sightings on our four-day safari were a herd of elephants, a pride of lions, giraffes and buffaloes. I felt safe in the Land Rover; the game ranger and tracker were highly experienced and knowledgeable.

The African elephants were by far my favorite sighting. Once, we were watching a pride of lions sunbathing on a dry, sandy river bed when they suddenly turned toward a hilly area behind us. We swung around and saw the silhouettes of elephants, one trailing after the other, toward a reservoir.

The trumpeting sounds of roaming elephants could be heard in the evenings after we retired to our suite.

During the night and early morning hours, a watchman escorted guests around the campgrounds because although the camp is surrounded by a low-lying electrical fence, wild animals could still find their way onto the property. We were, after all, visitors to their habitat.

Before our spectacular safari, we visited Cape Town where we stayed at the Vineyard Hotel & Spa. Our witty guide took us to the Cape of Good Hope, the southernmost tip of Africa where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet. Travelers were greeted with strong wind gusts and a shoreline view of treacherous waves.

Our stay in Cape Town also included a boat trip to Robben Island to visit the prison cell where former South African President Nelson Mandela had been incarcerated for 17 years.

We saw the quarry where he and other political prisoners had broken limestone into small pieces to be used for road projects. It is said that the grit of the quarry permanently damaged Mandela’s tear ducts.

It was surreal to visit the prison where the iconic leader and the first elected president in post-apartheid South Africa was imprisoned for his activities to bring democracy to his country. It is a battle that continues as the country struggles with high unemployment and poverty.

Zimbabwe was the last leg of our tour. We stayed at the rustic Victoria Falls Safari Lodge on a plateau 2.5 miles away from the falls — twice the size of Niagara Falls and one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The balcony of our room overlooked a watering hole in the Zambezi National Park where we often saw elephants and buffaloes.

At Victoria Falls, our guide provided us with full-length raincoats to protect us from the rain forest mist, which was more like a downpour that drenched us at some scenic vantage points. The sheer power of the falls was breathtaking. On our short hike, we saw a group of baboons on the side of the paved pathway, unfazed by our presence.

During a sunset cruise through the Zambezi River, we also saw hippos swimming through the tranquil waters and an enormous crocodile on a muddy grassy patch lining the river.

Billowing mist from the falls could be seen during our cruise. Drinks and appetizers were served, including crocodile meat prepared kabob style that tasted like salty, chewy chicken.

We spent our last day in Africa shopping at curio shops and open markets for souvenirs for family and friends. Our trip home took more than 24 hours, 16 of which were spent on a direct flight to Atlanta from Johannesburg.

While the long hours on multiple flights to and from Africa were brutal, it was more than worthwhile.

Several months have passed since our adventure. As I returned to the daily grind, memories of the serene, natural surroundings and wild animals of South Africa instantly put my racing mind at ease.

It was a trip of a lifetime to an extraordinary place I can’t wait to revisit.