From stalking a rhino on foot at Johannesburg’s Welgevonden Game Reserve in the Makweti safari lodge to witnessing a penguin invasion of Boulders Beach in Cape Town, artist Jenna Genio has experienced every curious adventure that South Africa has had to offer.

“South Africa seems to have so much of what I value in such a concentrated area. So many places were treated with vintage treasures, dark and rich wood, hunting trophies, leather, and luxurious adornments. My entire time there resonated with a part of my soul that has always wanted to be a sophisticated yet ruggedly adventurous man,” she writes. “How all these unique things collide is so curious. European architecture. Amazing food and flavored game meat. Quality wines. Friendly people. Seriously badass accents. Scenic roads, paved or otherwise. A maritime mien of pirate fantasies. Mediterranean landscapes. A roaring and passionate ocean. And the promise of infinite adventures out in the wild, chasing jewels and beasts.”

Here, she shares a few snapshots from the storied cradle of civilization that are still etched vividly in her memory.

Click through the slideshow above!

Photos by Jenna V. Genio

Source: Jenna V. Genio for Red Magazine, “Out of South Africa,” June 2015.