Today we ate an early breakfast and went to the Boiling Pot for one last look for the Falls. They certainly are magnificent.
Then it was back on the bus to make our way to the airport. The Livingstone airport was a nightmare. I have never been to an airport so inefficient as this one. It was mass chaos from the moment we walked in and there were only 2 flights leaving. One person to check in an entire flight. Another line for exit visas, another line for security. It was hot, disorganized, and a step back in time from our American airports. We couldn't believe that the flight left almost in time after what we went through to get through the airport.
Back in Johannesburg, we had to say goodbye to most of our crew who were staying there for a few more days. It was hard to leave everyone as I feel like we were family after spending several weeks together. Amy and Maggie shared our flight back home so it was nice not to have to leave absolutely everyone. We then had a 6 hour layover in the airport so we walked around, did some shopping, and ate some food.
Finally, we boarded our flight to JFK for our 15 hour flight home. We all felt exhausted after already a day of travel, but luckily we all slept a bit on the flight and watched a few movies to pass the time. I kept dreaming of still being in Africa looking for animals in the bush...I wonder how long that will continue? Luckily, customs went quickly in JFK and we were soon on our flight home to Burlington.
Flying in it was beautiful to see the green mountains of home. We hadn't seen green in a while and it was beautiful to fly in right over the lake (and our neighborhood) to our lovely home in VT.
What a special few weeks this has been. I am so profoundly grateful to all our traveling companions who made this trip with us. The trip was perfect in every way. Goodbye Africa for now. We'll be back.
Tuesday, 30 July 2013
White Water Rafting on the Zambezi River
Today is our big white water rafting trip down the Zambezi River. The ages for this were 15 and up, but we let Alex go since he really wanted to try it and we knew they wouldn't require evidence of his age. Hannah stayed behind as she wasn't interested and there were 8 of us total from the group who went on this adventure.
The trip was fantastic. We had plenty of guides to keep us safe (kayakers in front and behind) and it was astonishing to watch the amount of effort the local people had to go through to get us on the water. Our rafts were CARRIED by men, some in bare feet, who walked down a steep canyon trail that was tough for us to do without having to carry things down. Others carried the pumps, the backboards for any injuries, the kayaks, medical kits...truly amazing.
We all had wet suits on as the air was cold and the water was chilly as well. They had told us the rapids were all Class 3-5 which is why most of the group decided against going on this trip (they got a float down the Zambezi instead).
The Zambezi River meandered through this lovely gorge so when you weren't crouching in your boat and paddling hard in the big rapids, you could just look out and see the beautiful scenery. On one side of the gorge was Zimbabwe and on the other was Zambia.
There were also a few times that our guide said we could jump out of the boats and run the rapids with our body. The current was quite strong so you just flew along. This was really a blast and gave you quite a feel for just how much water was flowing around you. Thankfully, in these areas we didn't see the small crocodiles along the shores that we had seen from the boat! Apparently, hippos, elephants, and crocodiles sometimes go over the falls and are found dead in a few of the coves in the river. The local people make quick use of cutting the meat and eating it and carcasses don't last more than a few hours. The little baby crocs can sometimes survive which is why you only see the little crocs in this area.
After successfully navigating the rapids (and none of us falling out of the boat) we pulled up to a lovely white beach. We got out of our wet suits and took a cable car up the steep gorge where lunch was waiting for us. We certainly felt like we had earned this lunch!
Back at the hotel, we met the other crew who was getting ready for the float down the Zambezi. Hannah and Owen went on this while Charles, Alex, and I went to the pool and relaxed a bit.
Then we all hit dinner at the hotel and packed for our trip home the next day.
This has truly been the trip of a lifetime. The friends that we knew previously, the new friends that we made, and the memories that we all now share will not be forgotten.
A favorite saying from one of our South Africa guides was Hakuna Matata...meaning no worries or no problem in Swahili (we all know it here from the Lion King movie). He used it all the time and I think I'll adopt it as my mantra. Hakuna Matata: life is good and everything is just fine!!!
Victoria Falls Day 2
Today we had some free time in the morning which felt good after an itinerary packed with activities.
Many of our group decided to visit the Marimba market which is a market about 2 km outside of Livingstone where all the locals shop (similar to the Tuesday Market in Mexico). Meat, veggies, fish, herbs, spices and many items I couldn't identify were for sale. We were the only non-Zambian folks there and it was interesting to see where they shopped. There was also clothes, shoes, fabrics, and assorted items for living. The market was filled with flies though so we spent some time there and then took another taxi into town to the crafts market. This market was right in downtown Livingstone.
The people at these stalls work you over very hard pushing you to come talk with them and look at their items. We bought quite a few things here and, after a while, I think I got used to bargaining hard for what we wanted. Kids even had some sodas out of the old glass coke bottles (we had to drink them there and return the bottles). I even managed to trade my plastic water bottle (that we got for free during our safari trip) for some of the crafts.
After this successful market morning, we visited Victoria Falls again and this time took a trail called the Boiling Pot. All the water from the falls empty at this point and the sheer volume of water is astounding. On our way to the trail, we met a family of zebra right on our path. They were obviously accustomed to humans and it was really neat to see these creatures so close.
The Boiling Pot trail goes straight down and then you get into a rainforest-like climate with a beautiful stream and trees overhead. There were so many baboons on the paths. We watched them for a while and finally got up the courage to pass them by since they weren't moving. Again, it was so amazing to see them up close grooming each other, playing with their babies, and eating the fruit and nuts from the trees.
At 3:30 our group met to drive to the African Queen for a sunset cruise down the Zambezi. These boats were quite upscale with beautiful wood fixtures and all the drinks and snacks included. We had a lovely cruise and saw more hippos and crocs and birds. We all decided that this had been such a great trip that we should all travel again together in a few years from now. After a few drinks, we all thought that Thailand and Vietnam should be our next destination!
On the way home, we stopped at a local Indian restaurant and had fabulous food. Great curries served in lovely copper pots with several fires burning on the outside deck to keep us warm. What a different restaurant from the night before!
The temperature here in Zambia is quite warm during the day (around 80) but then falls to the low 50's at night. The kids did swim in the pool a few times although it was quite cold.
Botswana to Zambia
We left Chobe River Lodge around 9 am and rather quickly (for 25 people) made our way through Botswana immigration and then Zambian immigration. Once we crossed the Zambezi river into Zambia we were again surrounded by people peddling their wooden crafts and bowls. We all bought a few things and when I was getting on the bus, a man asked if I would trade my water bottle for something at his stand. Since we have an abundance of water bottles, Charles gave him our blue Wharton water bottle and we got to choose out a nice, small wooden bowl. Hannah was also asked if she would trade her headband (she wasn't interested) and others who had any American swag items also made some trades. Had we known this ahead of time I would have brought more American-labeled items!
We arrived just about an hour after the Zambia border at our hotel called the Zambezi Sun Hotel. The Hotel is located walking distance from Victoria Falls so we can come and go with our hotel passes as many times as want.
Victoria Falls is a World Heritage Site and are the 2nd tallest Falls in the world (behind Angel Falls). There are numerous trails to take and today we took the photographic trails (a short trail) and then the Knife Bridge trail which takes you right along the rim of the falls. Along the rim, you get quite wet as the mist from the falls is everywhere. At one point, you cross this metal bridge and when you turn around there is a double rainbow formed from the mist and the sun. Beautiful.
At the end of the trail you can see a steel bridge that connects Zambia to Zimbabwe. From this bridge people were bungee jumping which is quite a sight to see. We heard that a few weeks ago a woman almost died bungee jumping off this bridge since her rope broke and she crashed into the water below. She ended up breaking tons of bones but luckily made it out alive. No one on our trip decided to risk it and try this especially after hearing this story!
For dinner, we all met at a restaurant on the premises and had, by everyone's agreement, the worst service in Africa. We ordered pizzas and after a while the waiter came back and said they were short on pizza. We asked how many they had and he said, "Well, we have no pizzas." It is quite funny writing about it later. So, we re-ordered and then a while later the waiter came back and said they only had 1 burger left. Ha! We all placed all final meal orders and eventually they brought our salads but didn't give us any utensils. When we asked for some none appeared. We kept asking. Finally, we got some little by little...perhaps they were washing them? This place was trying hard to be a good restaurant but were missing quite a few of the basics! We decided that the next night we would not return to this place!
Monday, 22 July 2013
Trip to Namibian Village
Today was another beautiful, warm day. We decided to sleep in today as we were all a bit tired. After breakfast, our group met to go on a tour of a village in the country of Namibia. We boarded a boat from our lodge and then spent quite a bit of time in immigration. I think we hit the record books by getting our passports stamped 4 times in 4 hours! We had to go to the Botswana immigration office to leave the country, the Namibia one to enter and then do it all in reverse!
I loved a sign that I saw at the Namibia immigration office. The gist of it was that if no one was in the office to help you, please don't go knocking on our doors as we will help you eventually. Please wait. That is so Africa. No rush for anything, one immigration officer to help everyone, and no sense of immediacy.
After taking the boat to Namibia and walking a short walk to a small immigration office, we continued our trek to the village which was about a 15 minute walk. This village had about 500 people living in it. Many of its inhabitants worked a the lodge located a little bit away or at the school or a little bit away in a larger village.
All the houses were thatched roof with a combination of mud and dung to comprise the walls. They were very simple: a bed with just a layer of straw, a cooking pot of two, and a few utensils. All married couples huts were distinguished by a thatched fence around their house; singe people just had a hut. The chiefs house was close to where we entered and the animals were kept in a pen made with wood branches near the center of the village.
Where we entered the village there was a Balbao Tree that was 3000 years old!
Many of the older children were at school, but the younger children all came out and wave and came to say hello. Our guide gave them all candy and they wandered around with us as we looked around the village.
At the end, several women were selling their crafts (woven baskets and wood carvings) so many of us purchased some items to take home. We heard that one of the women had walked 10K to show us here items so we are all glad that we bought a few things.
We then came home for a late lunch and then boarded the safari jeeps for our last game drive. We saw lots of hippos with one male hippo being particularly vocal from the water. He even opened his mouth and showed up his many sharp teeth. We know now where the term a thunder of hippos (also know as a pod) since their voices sound like thunder when they talk!
We also saw a journey of about 15 giraffes going to the water. I love to watch them drink while their legs are splayed out wide in order for them to reach the water with their long necks. Of course, we also saw lots of elephants, a fish eagle eating a fish he had just caught, starlings, storks, guinea fowl, mongoose, baboons, impala, and a gorgeous sunset. A lovely last drive!
Our guides and the staff we have met in both South Africa and here in Botswana have had the most interesting names: Obedience, Goodness, Lucky, Honest, and a few others. They have other names in their native language but these are the names listed on their name tags and that they use with us. It is quite funny.
We check out tomorrow and head to our last destination which is Victoria Falls on the Zambia side. On to another adventure!
Chobe National Park: Boat Ride
It is hard to put into words how spectacular today has been. We took a morning gaming drive through Chobe National Park and saw elephants, hippos, a leopard, giraffe, baboons, and lots of birds. It is amazing to be on the water as all the wildlife migrate to it at some point during the day to drink. Chobe National Park has no fences so animals are free to wander in and out of the park. Our guide was wonderful and we were happy to learn that he an go home at the end of the day and be with his family. At the other 2 lodges the guides work for 6 weeks with 2 weeks off or 3 weeks with 1 week off. All of our guides had families so being away
We also walked to town to see some of the local scene. Most of the shops were closed as it was Sunday but we met a few vendors as well as hit the grocery store for some water. The local currency is the Pula and right now it is about 8 Pula to 1 dollar.
The afternoon we all boarded a boat that took us by river to the Chobe National Park; morning game drive by jeep and the afternoon by boat. We had the entire boat to just our party of 25 people. This boat drive was the most amazing experience I have had in Africa. The elephants that come to water and the islands are amazing...whole families congregate and swim from the land out to this island. It is quite funny to see the their trunks in the air just like a snorkel. At one point, the mother elephant in charge led the family across and the were all holding all with their trunks and their tails almost single file.
The abundance of wildlife on the shores of the river was amazing. Birds of all kinds, crocodiles sunning themselves on the banks of the river, giraffe on the shores, tons of families of hippos sunning themselves on the shores and then hunkering down on the shores with the mud, baboon families, antelopes, waterbuck, cape buffulo,....INCREDIBLE. A wildlife extravaganza. With our boat we could pull right next to all the creatures and with the sun gliistening on the water it was truly magical.
We watched one last elephant family crossing and turned to see the sun setting over the horizon. The beauty in this landscape takes your breath away. Nature living in harmony is an amazing thing to see. Chobe National Park has no fences so the wildlife roam free. It is certainly a special place to visit.
Our boat had a top deck for viewing in the sun and a lower deck with seats and shade. Of course, there was a full bar so kids and adults were happy with cold beverages during the ride too.
We all decided this was the highlight of the trip and I know I will remember the beauty of the this day for many years to come.
Botswana is wonderful and the Chobe River Lodge is spectacular. The monkeys and warthogs roam free all over the property, the food at the buffet is abundant and delicious, and the outdoor areas allow for spectacular views of the river,
Ah...a great day!
Chobe National Park, Botswana
It is hard to put into words how spectacular today has been. We took a morning gaming drive through Chobe National Park and saw elephants, hippos, a leopard, giraffe, baboons, and lots of birds. It is amazing to be on the water as all the wildlife migrate to it at some point during the day to drink. Chobe National Park has no fences so animals are free to wander in and out of the park. Our guide was wonderful and we were happy to learn that he an go home at the end of the day and be with his family. At the other 2 lodges the guides work for 6 weeks with 2 weeks off or 3 weeks with 1 week off. All of our guides had families so being away from home for so long is heart wrenching.
We also walked from our lodge to town to see some of the local scene. Most of the shops were closed as it was Sunday but we met a few vendors as well as hit the grocery store for some water. The local currency is the Pula and right now it is about 8 Pula to 1 dollar.
The afternoon we all boarded a boat that took us by river to the Chobe National Park; morning game drive by jeep and the afternoon by boat. We had the entire boat to just our party of 25 people. This boat drive was the most amazing experience I have had in Africa. The elephants that come to water and the islands are amazing...whole families congregate and swim from the land out to this island. It is quite funny to see the their trunks in the air just like a snorkel. At one point, the mother elephant in charge led the family across and the were all holding all with their trunks and their tails almost single file. Our guide says that Chobe has 60,000 elephants so you are assured of seeing lots of them during your trip.
The abundance of wildlife on the shores of the river was amazing. Birds of all kinds, crocodiles sunning themselves on the banks of the river, giraffe on the shores, tons of families of hippos sunning themselves and then hunkering down on the shores in the mud, baboon families, antelopes, waterbuck, cape buffulo,....INCREDIBLE. A wildlife extravaganza of a magnitude that I have never witnessed before. With our boat we could pull right next to all the creatures and with the sun glistening on the water it was truly magical.
We watched one last elephant family crossing and turned to see the sun setting over the horizon. The beauty in this landscape takes your breath away. Nature living in harmony is an amazing thing to see. Chobe National Park is certainly a special place to visit.
Our boat had a top deck for viewing in the sun and a lower deck with seats and shade. Of course, there was a full bar so kids and adults were happy with cold beverages during the ride too.
We all decided this was the highlight of the trip and I know I will remember the beauty of this day for many years to come.
Botswana is wonderful and the Chobe River Lodge is spectacular. The monkeys and warthogs roam free all over the property, the food at the buffet is abundant and delicious, and the outdoor areas allow for spectacular views of the river,
Ah...a great day!
Travel Day to Botswana
Today it was up at 4:30 am to check out, grab our to-go breakfast packs, and get on the jeeps that would take us out of the park to the bus. This was perhaps the coldest I have ever been here in Africa as the open air jeep ride in the dark was bitter cold. We got to the gate to find our bus not there. After many phone calls, we learned the bus had broken down. We were trying to get to the airport for our flights so after a flurry of people trying to help, the lodge provided 2 vans and drivers to speed us to the airport. I never looked at how fast we were driving but the 3.5 hour bus trip only took us 2.5 hours!
Our flight was from Johannesburg to Livingstone, Zambia. Zambia charges $80/adult for a visa and this line to pay rivaled all the lines I have seen at JFK! We were met by our driver who then drove us about an hour to the Botswana border. The border between the 2 countries is the Zambezi river. We came to the border and there were hundreds of trucks lined up to take a ferry across. Our driver said that some trucks wait 3 weeks...yes, you read that right, to get across now that one of the larger ferries had broken down. It is truly a 5 minute ride across the channel but each truck has to be loaded on to the ferry one at a time. While we waited for our passports to be stamped, lots of vendors came up to us to see crafts (mostly wooden animals). South Africa seems quite gentrified and this experience traveling to Botswana makes you really feel like you were in the heart of Africa.
Our bags got loaded onto a small boat and then we all got on for our short crossing. On the other side in Botswana another driver was there to greet us. We loaded everything into that bus and drove about 2 minutes to the immigration office in Botswana where we all had to get out again and have our passports stamped. We all then had to step into some kind of disinfectant for our shoes but we couldn't figure out what they were trying to prevent!
Then back on the bus to finally make it to our lodge here in Chobe. Our Chobe River Lodge is so beautiful. We are right on the bank of the Chobe River and you look across the water over to Namibia. There are 4 countries that meet here (Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana). The baboons and monkeys all scamper in the trees, the warthogs are all around, and the birds grace the branches of the trees. Our meals are all outdoors under a huge thatched roof lodge overlooking the water. It is wonderful to have this water experience which is so very different than our first 2 lodges.
We were all tired from this full day of travel so after a huge buffet dinner (great food again) we all went to bed to get a bit of sleep before our 5:30 am wake up call for our next safari drive in the morning!
Our flight was from Johannesburg to Livingstone, Zambia. Zambia charges $80/adult for a visa and this line to pay rivaled all the lines I have seen at JFK! We were met by our driver who then drove us about an hour to the Botswana border. The border between the 2 countries is the Zambezi river. We came to the border and there were hundreds of trucks lined up to take a ferry across. Our driver said that some trucks wait 3 weeks...yes, you read that right, to get across now that one of the larger ferries had broken down. It is truly a 5 minute ride across the channel but each truck has to be loaded on to the ferry one at a time. While we waited for our passports to be stamped, lots of vendors came up to us to see crafts (mostly wooden animals). South Africa seems quite gentrified and this experience traveling to Botswana makes you really feel like you were in the heart of Africa.
Our bags got loaded onto a small boat and then we all got on for our short crossing. On the other side in Botswana another driver was there to greet us. We loaded everything into that bus and drove about 2 minutes to the immigration office in Botswana where we all had to get out again and have our passports stamped. We all then had to step into some kind of disinfectant for our shoes but we couldn't figure out what they were trying to prevent!
Then back on the bus to finally make it to our lodge here in Chobe. Our Chobe River Lodge is so beautiful. We are right on the bank of the Chobe River and you look across the water over to Namibia. There are 4 countries that meet here (Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana). The baboons and monkeys all scamper in the trees, the warthogs are all around, and the birds grace the branches of the trees. Our meals are all outdoors under a huge thatched roof lodge overlooking the water. It is wonderful to have this water experience which is so very different than our first 2 lodges.
We were all tired from this full day of travel so after a huge buffet dinner (great food again) we all went to bed to get a bit of sleep before our 5:30 am wake up call for our next safari drive in the morning!
Friday, 19 July 2013
Last Day at Entabeni
Today is our last day at Wildside Camp. Half of us missed the morning safari drive to sleep in a bit since we have to be up really early tomorrow in order to leave by 5:30 am to catch our flight from Johannesburg to Zambia.
Thursday, 18 July 2013
Entabeni Day 2
6:00 am wake-up so that we can leave by 6:30 pm. No hot water bottles for the game drive but we still had blankets thank goodness since it was very cold again. The land here is very open so it is easier to see the animals. The first thing we saw was a pride of lions that had just killed a Wildabeast. The female lions do the hunting but the male gets to eat first (hmmm....). The females often go off for days at a time and leave the male lion so I guess all is fair! We were pretty close and watched the lion just tear into the flesh. At one point, the lion got the intestines and was eating it like spaghetti. I guess the intestines and organs provide a lot of energy so the male lion gets to eat these.
We then came upon a male white rhino who was marking his territory and wandering around. He was so easy to see since he was in the grasslands. At one point we could almost reach out and touch him which was a bit close for comfort. The rhinos cover their body in mud as that is essentially their sunscreen. Poachers are still a problem in S. Africa since their horns are coveted so the guides would not even tell us how many rhinos were on this preserve. The poaches cut off the horns and leave the rhinos to die which is quite sad.
We also some some birds, huge herds of wildabeast, impala, and giraffes.
We came back to a nice big breakfast and then much of the group went out for paintball. The kids needed an activity so they could run since we spend so much of our time sitting on safari drives...not complaining at all but you still need to move those legs sometimes! Everyone who went had a great time and the few who stayed behind enjoyed some peace and quiet. I took some time to run a bit around the camp and do a few exercises under the eyes of the staff who think I'm crazy. No one just exercises for the sake of it.
For the afternoon game drive, we arranged with the range to do a walking bush tour for the adults (their rule is you must be 16). The kids plus Hannah and Maggie (who is 19) rode with all the children in the jeep and we adults divided into 2 groups. Each group had a ranger with a big rifle up front. The safety lecture for the walking bush tour put fear in all of us (our ranger had to shoot a woman one time so she would stop running and the elephant who stop charging her). Our group dutifully followed all the rules which included walking single files, being quiet and keeping up! No stragglers on this walk! This was most interesting as we got to learn about the trees and smaller insects. He dug up an ant lion for us to see which was quiet interesting. We also witnessed a baboon fight on a the mountain that was incredible. The sounds of all these baboons running around and making their calls was even louder than Alex and Owen at their highest decibel (ha). We could see them jumping from tree to tree, running around. Our guide thought one had some good food and he wasn't sharing with the others. We have realized the animal species are not so different than ours!
We also caught a few bush pigs who look similar to our own domesticated pigs although a bit bigger and also quite fierce. Our ranger showed us lots of tracks and much of the time was spent examining the poop from the various animals. It is amazing what you can learn from the scat of animals. You can see what they have eaten, where they have walked, and how healthy they are. We also found hyena pee on the bush which is hard to miss by the strong scent. If it touches your clothes you won't get the smell out for about 30 days. Yuck! It was wonderful to get out and walk and see the landscape in a very different way.
We then had a delicious meal of beef, lamb, potatoes, rice, mixed vegetables, cinnamon bread and a chocolate brownie for dessert paired with some delicious South African chardonnay. Then it was back to our tents for the night.
We then came upon a male white rhino who was marking his territory and wandering around. He was so easy to see since he was in the grasslands. At one point we could almost reach out and touch him which was a bit close for comfort. The rhinos cover their body in mud as that is essentially their sunscreen. Poachers are still a problem in S. Africa since their horns are coveted so the guides would not even tell us how many rhinos were on this preserve. The poaches cut off the horns and leave the rhinos to die which is quite sad.
We also some some birds, huge herds of wildabeast, impala, and giraffes.
We came back to a nice big breakfast and then much of the group went out for paintball. The kids needed an activity so they could run since we spend so much of our time sitting on safari drives...not complaining at all but you still need to move those legs sometimes! Everyone who went had a great time and the few who stayed behind enjoyed some peace and quiet. I took some time to run a bit around the camp and do a few exercises under the eyes of the staff who think I'm crazy. No one just exercises for the sake of it.
For the afternoon game drive, we arranged with the range to do a walking bush tour for the adults (their rule is you must be 16). The kids plus Hannah and Maggie (who is 19) rode with all the children in the jeep and we adults divided into 2 groups. Each group had a ranger with a big rifle up front. The safety lecture for the walking bush tour put fear in all of us (our ranger had to shoot a woman one time so she would stop running and the elephant who stop charging her). Our group dutifully followed all the rules which included walking single files, being quiet and keeping up! No stragglers on this walk! This was most interesting as we got to learn about the trees and smaller insects. He dug up an ant lion for us to see which was quiet interesting. We also witnessed a baboon fight on a the mountain that was incredible. The sounds of all these baboons running around and making their calls was even louder than Alex and Owen at their highest decibel (ha). We could see them jumping from tree to tree, running around. Our guide thought one had some good food and he wasn't sharing with the others. We have realized the animal species are not so different than ours!
We also caught a few bush pigs who look similar to our own domesticated pigs although a bit bigger and also quite fierce. Our ranger showed us lots of tracks and much of the time was spent examining the poop from the various animals. It is amazing what you can learn from the scat of animals. You can see what they have eaten, where they have walked, and how healthy they are. We also found hyena pee on the bush which is hard to miss by the strong scent. If it touches your clothes you won't get the smell out for about 30 days. Yuck! It was wonderful to get out and walk and see the landscape in a very different way.
We then had a delicious meal of beef, lamb, potatoes, rice, mixed vegetables, cinnamon bread and a chocolate brownie for dessert paired with some delicious South African chardonnay. Then it was back to our tents for the night.
Entabeni Safari Camp, South Africa
We had a quick morning game drive from Simbavati which was a great last chance to see the wildlife around Kruger. This place has been fantastic and we were all a bit sad to say goodbye although we were excited for our next adventure. This place has truly been a 5 star experience!
We boarded our tour bus to journey to our next place which is southwest of where we were and about 3.5 hours north of Johannesburg. All the kids hang out and play in the back of the bus so the days spent traveling are quite easy. It took us about 6 hours to get to Wildside Camp in Entebeni Nature Preserve.
This place is far more rustic than the last but has a charm of its own. The camp has about 20 safari tents that have ensuite bathrooms. Everything is again open to the wildlife so during dinner last night we looked up to see giraffe by some our tents. There are huge mountain cliffs in the background which is a beautiful backdrop to the camp. The kids all complained a bit about the more rustic accommodations since they got spoiled from our last place! Each tent is not heated but you still get electric blankets which are needed on these cold mornings.
Our dinner was served in big cast iron pots and consisted of delicious lamb, chicken, rice, noodles, cabbage, vegetables and rolls. The meat here is especially good since it is raised right around here...grassfed, organic meat is all you get here! We all sit in a covered dining area and there was a big roaring fire as well. Dinner is served right after the afternoon game drive at 7 pm so by about 8:30 pm everyone was walked back to their tents. You can't leave your tent after the ranger walks you to it, so we have a little quiet time at night here before bed.
Charles, Hannah, and Owen are in one tent (2 double beds) and Alex and I are in another (2 twin beds). At night the wind was blowing and it was a bit eerie to be in a tent with the wildlife right outside. We tucked in and huddled a little closer than normal!
We boarded our tour bus to journey to our next place which is southwest of where we were and about 3.5 hours north of Johannesburg. All the kids hang out and play in the back of the bus so the days spent traveling are quite easy. It took us about 6 hours to get to Wildside Camp in Entebeni Nature Preserve.
This place is far more rustic than the last but has a charm of its own. The camp has about 20 safari tents that have ensuite bathrooms. Everything is again open to the wildlife so during dinner last night we looked up to see giraffe by some our tents. There are huge mountain cliffs in the background which is a beautiful backdrop to the camp. The kids all complained a bit about the more rustic accommodations since they got spoiled from our last place! Each tent is not heated but you still get electric blankets which are needed on these cold mornings.
Our dinner was served in big cast iron pots and consisted of delicious lamb, chicken, rice, noodles, cabbage, vegetables and rolls. The meat here is especially good since it is raised right around here...grassfed, organic meat is all you get here! We all sit in a covered dining area and there was a big roaring fire as well. Dinner is served right after the afternoon game drive at 7 pm so by about 8:30 pm everyone was walked back to their tents. You can't leave your tent after the ranger walks you to it, so we have a little quiet time at night here before bed.
Charles, Hannah, and Owen are in one tent (2 double beds) and Alex and I are in another (2 twin beds). At night the wind was blowing and it was a bit eerie to be in a tent with the wildlife right outside. We tucked in and huddled a little closer than normal!
Tuesday, 16 July 2013
Day 3 Simbavati
This is our last full day here at Simbavati River Lodge. Tomorrow we go for a shortened morning game drive and then drive to Entabeni for our next safari experience.
When we started this morning, we caught the most glorious sunrise which we tried to capture on our camera. Our game drive this morning mostly consisted of tracking a leopard. He was a young one (20 months old) and was circling a herd of impala. Our vehicle literally drove next to him while his was circling the herd. Leopards sense with their tails so the guides know when his tail is curled up that he/she is sensing what is around. This leopard did not seem too hungry and, at one point, sat down and cleaned and groomed himself. Leopards are very teritorrial so our guide knew that this leopard had a mother and sister in this area as well. Leopards are incredibly beautiful with their huge spots, strong bodies, and big paws. When they hunt they track and circle their prey for a while and then need to sit and rest before they make their final attack. We decided to move on before he attacked, but we later learned that he didn't get the herd of impala that he was tracking.We then came upon a dam filled with hippos and a large family of baboons playing on the side of the dam. This watering area also had a huge amount of birds. Our guides let us get out of the vehicle to get a better view. We could also see the catfish jumping out the water.
On this drive we also saw herds of impala and kudu (quite common), warthogs, an older elephant on her own, and a male giraffe. The male giraffe is a solitary creature and you can tell it is male by the 2 bigger horns on the top of its head.
Then it was time to stop for our coffee/tea/chocolate and biscuit stop that we do every morning prior to coming back.
For the evening game drive, we learned about a few of the local trees and more about the birds too. We stopped at one point for a "sun downer" which are drinks out in the bush. We switched guides for this ride and this new guide was very good at describing about the many trees, bush, roots, and birds that we came upon. We saw quite a few giraffe on this drive, a rhino, more impala, and then had a wonderful lesson on the constellations as the stars came out.
From this part of the world, you can see the Southern Cross and when you take the 2 stars at the end of the cross and run them diagnol to the ground that is due South. We were wondering how you knew the direction here since you can't see the North Star in these skies! We also saw scorpio which truly does look exactly like a scorpion as well as Venus. Venus is always the first thing to appear right now in the skies after the moon and is quite bright.
For dinner on this last night, we all sat around the boma (which I learned now means a barbecue but it was long ago an acronym for the British Office Managerial Association...or something along those lines!). When South Africa was under British rule they used to hold council meetings around the fire and barbecue so the boma was born. The fire is gotten quite hot, the embers spread out, and then our chicken and sausage were cooked. Delicious!
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| Sunset in the bush |
I haven't talked about the mosquitos or insects as there really haven't been any to speak of. We never needed to put on bug repellent and the rooms had this air freshener that sprayed the room every few minutes (it was something natural so you never even smelled it). We joked that we were all getting spoiled by this first lodge since we know that the others won't be quite this nice!
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| Elephant and her baby |
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| Leopard tracking the impala herd |
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| Leopard taking a break |
Monday, 15 July 2013
Day 2 at Simbavati River Lodge
5:30 am wake up call today again but it is a little bit warmer (probably in the low 40's). We gather our hot water bottles and blankets and head to the jeep
Much of this morning was spent tracking rhinos. Our guides would jump out to the jeep and track to see if we could find them.
We then saw some giraffe munching on leaves and we all joked about their long lashes as they just look so ladylike.
We also saw 2 male warthogs who were off on their own and then a little down the road we saw the female with the baby warthogs. Apparently, the males go off during the day to forage and the females stay with the babies. At night, they all come together and go to their den which is in old termite mounds. The babies first, then the Mom, and the Dad protects them by being last. They were funny digging for roots and digging for termites.
We also tracked 2 male lions who were brothers. They called out a few times as usually there are 4 brothers and the guide said they call out to find their family. We also always see kudu, antelopes, and huge termite mounds.
The mist this morning was beautiful over the hills. With all the mist, the huge spider webs glittered in the morning sun. Of course, the air is filled with birds and their songs as well. We have seen horn bills, gineau fowl, magpies, eagles, vultures, and many more.
From the river lodge, we can watch the warthogs, birds, baboons (who will come into your tents if you don't lock your door), hippos, an old momma elephant, and sometimes crocodiles and jackals. It is all so very exciting.
At 11 am this morning, I ran an exercise class for all the ladies. We have realized that 6 hours of sitting in safari jeeps and 3 delicious meals a day makes the pounds pack on quite nicely! We did a lot of functional exercises since we are a bit limited but it was enough to get the blood pounding.
In the early afternoon, many of us take a snooze, read, do Emails, or watch the animals that come to the lodge. It is very relaxing. Lunch is every day at 2:30.
Back into the jeeps at 3:30 for our evening drive. During this drive, we tracked the huge cape buffalos. There is a herd of 400-500 and we tracked them all the way to their watering hole. The sun was setting and we first saw the dust rise as all those buffalos were moving towards the water. Then you cupped your hands to your ears and you could hear the pounding of the hooves and their grunts coming. The anticipation was incredible. Then they started coming and coming and coming. They were so close to us. They are huge with their big horns and enormous bodies. The cape buffalo are some of the most dangerous animals since they can charge with little warning. However, the guides knew they would leave us alone as they were just seeking out the water. This was one of the most incredible sights as they just kept coming. There was one lone hippo in the water who moved a bit away as even he knew he was no match for this many buffalo. The only other cape buffalo we had seen before this was the half-eaten carcass that the lions were enjoying on the first day here. We stayed and watch this amazing spectacle for the remainder of this lovely evening. We did get to see a white faced owl on our road home who was sitting high in a tree.
Dinner was another delicious affair: Venison Pie (made with the local game kudu), chicken curry, rice, sweet potato and ginger soup, salad, carrots and zucchini and vanilla ice cream with a chocolate sauce for dessert. We have realized that Owen needs to get to bed earlier than dinner since he doesn't nap during the day. We are able to save lunch food or order him some other food for dinner so that he can be in bed around 7:45 pm when the rest of us have dinner. This works out well since Owen is refreshed and ready to go at 5:30 am for the rest of the day. Hannah and Alex have realized the benefits of napping and try to nap daily to make up for the lack of sleep at night. It is amazing how quickly your body adapts to the early rising/less sleep at night and a quick nap during the day. Another glorious day here at Simbavati.
Much of this morning was spent tracking rhinos. Our guides would jump out to the jeep and track to see if we could find them.
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| White Rhino |
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| Rhino sizes us up |
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| Lovely giraffe |
We also saw 2 male warthogs who were off on their own and then a little down the road we saw the female with the baby warthogs. Apparently, the males go off during the day to forage and the females stay with the babies. At night, they all come together and go to their den which is in old termite mounds. The babies first, then the Mom, and the Dad protects them by being last. They were funny digging for roots and digging for termites.
We also tracked 2 male lions who were brothers. They called out a few times as usually there are 4 brothers and the guide said they call out to find their family. We also always see kudu, antelopes, and huge termite mounds.
The mist this morning was beautiful over the hills. With all the mist, the huge spider webs glittered in the morning sun. Of course, the air is filled with birds and their songs as well. We have seen horn bills, gineau fowl, magpies, eagles, vultures, and many more.
From the river lodge, we can watch the warthogs, birds, baboons (who will come into your tents if you don't lock your door), hippos, an old momma elephant, and sometimes crocodiles and jackals. It is all so very exciting.
At 11 am this morning, I ran an exercise class for all the ladies. We have realized that 6 hours of sitting in safari jeeps and 3 delicious meals a day makes the pounds pack on quite nicely! We did a lot of functional exercises since we are a bit limited but it was enough to get the blood pounding.
In the early afternoon, many of us take a snooze, read, do Emails, or watch the animals that come to the lodge. It is very relaxing. Lunch is every day at 2:30.
Back into the jeeps at 3:30 for our evening drive. During this drive, we tracked the huge cape buffalos. There is a herd of 400-500 and we tracked them all the way to their watering hole. The sun was setting and we first saw the dust rise as all those buffalos were moving towards the water. Then you cupped your hands to your ears and you could hear the pounding of the hooves and their grunts coming. The anticipation was incredible. Then they started coming and coming and coming. They were so close to us. They are huge with their big horns and enormous bodies. The cape buffalo are some of the most dangerous animals since they can charge with little warning. However, the guides knew they would leave us alone as they were just seeking out the water. This was one of the most incredible sights as they just kept coming. There was one lone hippo in the water who moved a bit away as even he knew he was no match for this many buffalo. The only other cape buffalo we had seen before this was the half-eaten carcass that the lions were enjoying on the first day here. We stayed and watch this amazing spectacle for the remainder of this lovely evening. We did get to see a white faced owl on our road home who was sitting high in a tree.
Dinner was another delicious affair: Venison Pie (made with the local game kudu), chicken curry, rice, sweet potato and ginger soup, salad, carrots and zucchini and vanilla ice cream with a chocolate sauce for dessert. We have realized that Owen needs to get to bed earlier than dinner since he doesn't nap during the day. We are able to save lunch food or order him some other food for dinner so that he can be in bed around 7:45 pm when the rest of us have dinner. This works out well since Owen is refreshed and ready to go at 5:30 am for the rest of the day. Hannah and Alex have realized the benefits of napping and try to nap daily to make up for the lack of sleep at night. It is amazing how quickly your body adapts to the early rising/less sleep at night and a quick nap during the day. Another glorious day here at Simbavati.
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| Fish Eagle |
Sunday, 14 July 2013
Simbavati River Lodge in South Africa
Simbavati River Lodge, Bordering Kruger National Park
37 degrees in the morning, 75 in the afternoon
Our first real day of safari! This has been such an exciting day. After a 10 hour drive yesterday from Johannesburg in a big tour bus, all 12 adults and 13 kids arrived for dinner at 7:30 pm. The tour bus couldn't drive all the way to the reserve so we switched from the tour bus to smaller jeeps for the last 30 minutes of the trip. Even on our big bus we saw a zebra crossing the road and several giraffes which got everyone excited.
As we pulled up to the lodge, the staff was waiting with hot towels...did that feel great after such a long day! We then got our safety lecture: After dark you cannot walk back to your tent/hut alone as you must always have a guide escort you. The animals all wander around freely and last night a lovely elephant was at the gate to greet us. In the safari vehicle, you can never stand up as the animals know the jeep as a unit but, if you stand up, the animals might think you are prey and attack. That certainly got the kids attention!
After we got settled in, we sat down to a candlelight dinner with a big bonfire. It was delightfully cool but not too cold. There are 4 other guests at the lodge in addition to us...2 from Sweden and 2 from Australia. Our dinner's menu was posted at the bar and included a homemade soup, garlic rolls, mixed salad, yogurt paprika chicken, beef sirloin roast in gravy, roasted potatoes, honeyed carrots, and lemon tart with cream for dessert. Amazing! Truly, the food here is wonderful and after a week of cooking for ourselves, it is delightful to be served. The adults all enjoyed some good South African wine from the bar too since we were ready for some drinks after the long ride here.
Dinner is served around 7:45 pm so when we finished around 9:00 we decided to get some sleep before our 5:30 am wake up call. We have a family chalet here which consists of 2 bedrooms and a bathroom that is just as big. We all have twin beds which are extremely comfortable and even come with electric blankets. The shower is a dual head rain shower with wonderful, on-demand hot water. It is very luxurious and we are not wanting for anything. Each chalet also has a private viewing deck too which is lovely.
We all crashed and at 5:30 am the guides knock on your day for your morning wake-up call. By 6 am you are dressed on at the main lodge drinking coffee, tea, or hot chocolate and getting a biscuit (more like a short bread cookie). By 6:30 we were loaded in our Land Rover Jeeps and heading off. It was COLD. We were all dressed in layers with hats and mittens. As we boarded the jeeps, we were given hot water bottles and blankets...needed in in the open air vehicles when the temps in the morning are in the upper 30's.
We then set off and watched the sunrise over the beautiful savannah bushveld. The first animals we came upon were 2 spotted hyenas. We then heard through the radio that some wild dogs were in the area which is a rarity. The driver raced to see if we could catch them. Literally, we were holding on for dear life as we were flying through the savannah. Alex, Owen, and Charles had the rear rumble set while Hannah and I were the next, and another family up closer to the front. It was better than any amusement park ride and I don't think I've seen Alex with a bigger smile on his face. We missed the dogs but the adventure was the chase for this one.
We then saw a big herd of elephants and turned off the road into the bush. There was a family with one young male about 4 years old who was really causing the other elephants to be disturbed. He would come up to them and whack them with his trunk. Then he would turn on us, fling his trunk, and make loud trumpet noises. Our guide said that was normal for a young male, but it certainly scared us. Owen, who isn't afraid of anything, wanted to move away from the outside of the jeep and be in the middle so you know it must be a bit scary. We continued to follow this herd which was a bit crazy since the vehicle just turns off the road and runs over everything. When I looked back, the trees and bush we ran over just popped right back up...thankfully since it was a bit disturbing to just run over the scraggly bushes and trees! It was simply amazing to see these huge creatures so close. Their poop is as big as you would think it would be as well and you know the elephants are close when you see these huge poop droppings and the tree bark eaten and frankly destroyed.
Next, we saw several huge vultures high in the trees which meant there must have been a kill somewhere close. We then came upon a pride of 8 lions who were munching on a cape water buffalo that they had killed last night. We were only a few feet away and watched the lions eat the meat and then lie down so full that they couldn't lie on their stomachs. Again, Owen asked if we could leave as it was a bit scary to be so intimate with this family of lions. For me, I felt adrenaline rushed, scared, and awestruck all at the same time. We stayed with the lions for quite awhile and will go back late this afternoon as, once the lions have had their fill, it will be time for the hyenas to lick the bones. Ah, the web of life up close!
After another lovely meal for lunch it was back out to the jeeps for the 3:30 game drive. This time since it was so hot it was a very different experience. We first came upon a huge, male rhino. The males are solitary and they cover themselves in mud to keep away the ticks and bugs. He was just enormous. The greatest view of this game drive was a leopard who had just killed a kudu and was tearing the flesh and bones. We were so close...you could see the blood on his face and his steely gaze. The guide talked about how the leopard had killed the kudu at the throat and now was systemically eating the kudu to make it lighter to lift up to a tree. The leopards take they kill up the tree in order the protect its kill. Unfortunately, we couldn't continue to watch this amazing view of life and death as one of the other vehicles had broken down and we had to go fix it before dark. Again, we found ourselves racing through the savannah bush which is such a wild drive! These guides seem to know how to fix everything and the other jeep was fixed and we all arrived back safely to the lodge for dinner. Again, hot towels await you after you get out of your safari vehicles.
The stars....I must talk about them as the skies here are glorious. We joke that we don't know the constellations but the milky way makes a huge swath over the brilliant heavens. The brightness of the stars is hard to describe but with no lights around the heavens are so clear. The other thing we all notice is the smell in the air: clean and fresh. I do understand why people fall in love with Africa,
Dinner was another glorious candle lit dinner with an outdoor small fire. We had beet salad, a lamb stew, hake, green beans, wild race, cabbage and panacotta for dessert. More South African wine and then a long hot shower before hitting the bed at 10:15 pm. Luckily, we had put Owen to bed before dinner with a grilled cheese and grapes as he was ready to crash a bit on the early side!
37 degrees in the morning, 75 in the afternoon
Our first real day of safari! This has been such an exciting day. After a 10 hour drive yesterday from Johannesburg in a big tour bus, all 12 adults and 13 kids arrived for dinner at 7:30 pm. The tour bus couldn't drive all the way to the reserve so we switched from the tour bus to smaller jeeps for the last 30 minutes of the trip. Even on our big bus we saw a zebra crossing the road and several giraffes which got everyone excited.
As we pulled up to the lodge, the staff was waiting with hot towels...did that feel great after such a long day! We then got our safety lecture: After dark you cannot walk back to your tent/hut alone as you must always have a guide escort you. The animals all wander around freely and last night a lovely elephant was at the gate to greet us. In the safari vehicle, you can never stand up as the animals know the jeep as a unit but, if you stand up, the animals might think you are prey and attack. That certainly got the kids attention!
After we got settled in, we sat down to a candlelight dinner with a big bonfire. It was delightfully cool but not too cold. There are 4 other guests at the lodge in addition to us...2 from Sweden and 2 from Australia. Our dinner's menu was posted at the bar and included a homemade soup, garlic rolls, mixed salad, yogurt paprika chicken, beef sirloin roast in gravy, roasted potatoes, honeyed carrots, and lemon tart with cream for dessert. Amazing! Truly, the food here is wonderful and after a week of cooking for ourselves, it is delightful to be served. The adults all enjoyed some good South African wine from the bar too since we were ready for some drinks after the long ride here.
Dinner is served around 7:45 pm so when we finished around 9:00 we decided to get some sleep before our 5:30 am wake up call. We have a family chalet here which consists of 2 bedrooms and a bathroom that is just as big. We all have twin beds which are extremely comfortable and even come with electric blankets. The shower is a dual head rain shower with wonderful, on-demand hot water. It is very luxurious and we are not wanting for anything. Each chalet also has a private viewing deck too which is lovely.
We all crashed and at 5:30 am the guides knock on your day for your morning wake-up call. By 6 am you are dressed on at the main lodge drinking coffee, tea, or hot chocolate and getting a biscuit (more like a short bread cookie). By 6:30 we were loaded in our Land Rover Jeeps and heading off. It was COLD. We were all dressed in layers with hats and mittens. As we boarded the jeeps, we were given hot water bottles and blankets...needed in in the open air vehicles when the temps in the morning are in the upper 30's.
We then set off and watched the sunrise over the beautiful savannah bushveld. The first animals we came upon were 2 spotted hyenas. We then heard through the radio that some wild dogs were in the area which is a rarity. The driver raced to see if we could catch them. Literally, we were holding on for dear life as we were flying through the savannah. Alex, Owen, and Charles had the rear rumble set while Hannah and I were the next, and another family up closer to the front. It was better than any amusement park ride and I don't think I've seen Alex with a bigger smile on his face. We missed the dogs but the adventure was the chase for this one.
We then saw a big herd of elephants and turned off the road into the bush. There was a family with one young male about 4 years old who was really causing the other elephants to be disturbed. He would come up to them and whack them with his trunk. Then he would turn on us, fling his trunk, and make loud trumpet noises. Our guide said that was normal for a young male, but it certainly scared us. Owen, who isn't afraid of anything, wanted to move away from the outside of the jeep and be in the middle so you know it must be a bit scary. We continued to follow this herd which was a bit crazy since the vehicle just turns off the road and runs over everything. When I looked back, the trees and bush we ran over just popped right back up...thankfully since it was a bit disturbing to just run over the scraggly bushes and trees! It was simply amazing to see these huge creatures so close. Their poop is as big as you would think it would be as well and you know the elephants are close when you see these huge poop droppings and the tree bark eaten and frankly destroyed.
Next, we saw several huge vultures high in the trees which meant there must have been a kill somewhere close. We then came upon a pride of 8 lions who were munching on a cape water buffalo that they had killed last night. We were only a few feet away and watched the lions eat the meat and then lie down so full that they couldn't lie on their stomachs. Again, Owen asked if we could leave as it was a bit scary to be so intimate with this family of lions. For me, I felt adrenaline rushed, scared, and awestruck all at the same time. We stayed with the lions for quite awhile and will go back late this afternoon as, once the lions have had their fill, it will be time for the hyenas to lick the bones. Ah, the web of life up close!
After another lovely meal for lunch it was back out to the jeeps for the 3:30 game drive. This time since it was so hot it was a very different experience. We first came upon a huge, male rhino. The males are solitary and they cover themselves in mud to keep away the ticks and bugs. He was just enormous. The greatest view of this game drive was a leopard who had just killed a kudu and was tearing the flesh and bones. We were so close...you could see the blood on his face and his steely gaze. The guide talked about how the leopard had killed the kudu at the throat and now was systemically eating the kudu to make it lighter to lift up to a tree. The leopards take they kill up the tree in order the protect its kill. Unfortunately, we couldn't continue to watch this amazing view of life and death as one of the other vehicles had broken down and we had to go fix it before dark. Again, we found ourselves racing through the savannah bush which is such a wild drive! These guides seem to know how to fix everything and the other jeep was fixed and we all arrived back safely to the lodge for dinner. Again, hot towels await you after you get out of your safari vehicles.
The stars....I must talk about them as the skies here are glorious. We joke that we don't know the constellations but the milky way makes a huge swath over the brilliant heavens. The brightness of the stars is hard to describe but with no lights around the heavens are so clear. The other thing we all notice is the smell in the air: clean and fresh. I do understand why people fall in love with Africa,
Dinner was another glorious candle lit dinner with an outdoor small fire. We had beet salad, a lamb stew, hake, green beans, wild race, cabbage and panacotta for dessert. More South African wine and then a long hot shower before hitting the bed at 10:15 pm. Luckily, we had put Owen to bed before dinner with a grilled cheese and grapes as he was ready to crash a bit on the early side!
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