I took my husband on an epic safari adventure for his 50th birthday. It cost less than expected, and we had a blast.

• For my husband's 50th birthday, we traveled the world and did our first African safari together.
• We saw elephants, giraffes, and many other animals up close, and had dinner in the bush.
• One day of safari would've been enough, but we had a good experience, and the price felt fair.

Business-class airline tickets were already booked for us to fly around the world for my husband's 50th birthday. Then he threw me a curveball: An African safari was on his bucket list, too.

I wanted to fulfill his wish while keeping money and time constraints in mind. After all, when I heard "African safari," all I could see was dollar signs — and not in a good way.

Plus, we had only seven days in South Africa, not including the travel days in and out of Johannesburg and Cape Town.

After a deep dive into Google searches and countless reviews, I booked a three-day, two-night safari for two in Kruger National Park through SafariWithUs for around 27,000 rands, which converted to just under $1,500 at the time. It included transportation in an air-conditioned van, hotel accommodations, and two meals a day.

The safari experience was more affordable than I expected, and I hoped it'd be a great value, too.

Although we were nervous, our trip got off to a strong start

On the first day of the safari, we waited anxiously at our hotel in Johannesburg for our ride.

Up until then, every detail of the safari had been handled over email. So, when our friendly driver arrived, we breathed a sigh of relief.

On the way to our lodge, he stopped at Alzu Petroport, which he called "the world's best gas station," where we could stretch our legs for a bit. It had tons of items for sale and several restaurants inside, plus it was surrounded by nature. Just outside, we spotted rhinoceros, giving us a cool preview of the wildlife we would see.

We arrived at the lodge around mid-afternoon. My husband can't sleep without air conditioning, so he was relieved to discover a unit in our room.

After settling in and a quick rest, it was time for our first game drive.

Our first day included close calls and dinner in the bush

One guide drove the safari vehicle, which was covered on top but otherwise completely open to the elements.

The other pro on board, the tracker, sat in a chair on the hood of the vehicle. It looked like he was barely hanging on, and I thought it was cool and also scary.

We spotted giraffes, hyenas, elephants, and a large herd of water buffalo. We also saw impalas, known as the "McDonald's" of the bush, our guide said.

Like the fast-food chain, they're everywhere and an abundant food source (in this case, for lions, leopards, and cheetahs). The nickname gets funnier when you notice the black markings in the shape of an "M" on their light-colored behinds.

Later, we had a close encounter with a young elephant, who seemed to be guarding his mother. I was sitting on the right side of the vehicle, the same side as the elephants, and my husband kept telling me to scoot in closer.

As we slowly drove past, the young elephant suddenly let out a loud trumpet, making us both jump. After our hearts stopped pounding, we laughed.

The night wrapped up with a dinner deep in the bush at a secluded spot I have no idea how the guides even found.

Despite being in the wild, the guides managed to set up an elegant dinner table complete with dim lighting and folded napkins.

We had chicken and a yummy sausage with vegetables, all cooked over an open flame. A hyena nicknamed "Bob" lurked nearby while we ate.

The experience was worth it, but I would've been happy with a shorter trip

Honestly, that one day and evening of safari was enough for me. I would have been perfectly happy heading back to Johannesburg after breakfast the next morning.

In my view, days two and three didn't add a whole lot more to our experience. We saw different animals like hippopotami, zebras, lions, and an ostrich, but otherwise it was much of the same.

We definitely could've saved money and still had a great experience by booking a shorter trip.

It's also definitely possible to do a safari of this length for two for less than $1,500, especially if you opt for self-drive safaris and campsites instead of hotels.

Even so, our experience felt like a solid value. For our first time on a safari, I appreciated having knowledgeable (and armed!) guides who knew the lay of the land, behavior of the animals, and how to time our drives for the best sightings.