African Dream Trip

I recently returned from a fabulous trip to Africa.  I flew from JFK through Johannesburg then on to Victoria Falls.  This is a great central location to see a lot of different locations in this area.  We used a ground transfer to take us over to Kasane in Botswana.  There is a short stop to do the border crossing and get another stamp in our passports and then on to the Chobe Safari Lodge.  This is a lovely lodge located on the banks of the Chobe River and a short drive from the Chobe National Park.  You can do river safaris here that are quite unusual and you see lots of wildlife coming down for a drink.  A sunset cruise is a real treat. You get Happy Hour and some of the most spectacular sunsets in the world. The hotel serves a nice buffet dinner each evening including some local meat choices such as impala and wart hog.  Early morning game drives are done each morning and a stop for a coffee break mid morning before returning to the lodge for a full breakfast.

Sunset on the Chobe River

Sunset on the Chobe River

After our stay in Chobe, we were flown by private plane to the Okavango Delta to a luxury tented camp called Pom Pom.  This is surely a different variety of camping I have been used to.  Imagine a ceiling fan, king bed with a down duvet, in suite separate bathroom, sitting room and outdoor shower- now this is Glamping (glamorous camping)!

Pom Pom is an all inclusive camp featuring two game drives per day either on land or on the water.  They offer walking safaris when it is safe to do so, as well.  We sat comfortably in our makoro (dugout canoe) while our local poller skillfully navigated through the reeds and pointed out all the water creatures and flora.

The game drives here turned out to have the best game viewing on our trip.  The guides were great and able to spot animals and track them to allow us the best viewing opportunities.

Our hosts Baloo and Tessa, were very gracious and sat with us each night to hear all our tales of the days events.  They also gave me a behind the scenes tour of their operation.  Wow, it’s a wonder what it takes to run an operation in the middle of the Okovango Delta with no power and miles from the nearest market.  You have to be pretty creative to be able to fix any issue and make use of every scrap.  They do an amazing job!

One of two lions we found

One of two lions we found

Flying to and from the airstrip was a challenge as you can always see remnants of the local wildlife that like to wander on to the field.  A vehicle has to be sent ahead of each flight to ensure the runway is cleared before a flight arrives.  Flying over the Delta is another game drive in itself.  The scenery is breathtaking, too.

Upon arrival at Kasane airport, still in Botswana, we were whisked away to our next destination, Victoria Falls, the adrenalin capital of Africa.  Again we crossed the border and took care of the legal formalities before arriving at our next luxury lodge, Victoria Falls Safari Lodge.  This is located right next the Lodge of the same name but is the upgraded Club Level with all the amenities of a luxury hotel.  At 1 pm every day they also do a Vulture Feeding and those ugly birds seem to know how to tell time.  The sky was abuzz with hundreds of them waiting for their lunch.

Sunset cruise on the Zambezi River

Sunset cruise on the Zambezi River

Here you can do all the fun activities they have to offer over and on the Zambezi River.  We chose the helicopter tour over the falls, the sunset river cruise, the cable car to tour of the bridge and the zip line across the gorge.  We also opted to tour the Victoria Fall Park on our own as it was my third trip there.  Pictures cannot do this “Wonder of the World” justice!

After leaving Victoria Falls we rented a car and headed on a very good road to Hwange National Park where we stayed two nights at the Ivory Lodge.  There used to be over 60 camps and lodges and now are only five lodges in this National Park due to a poor economy and government challenges over the past decade.  Since 2009 the country has turned a corner and tourism is booming again.  This was very evident in Victoria Falls and now this area is becoming recognized as a revitalized tourist destination.  It is the largest National Park in Zimbabwe and they boast the same wildlife as the other big parks in Southern Africa.  With three new lodges scheduled to open this year, it will become more popular very quickly.  We had an opportunity to inspect one lodge that should be open soon.  It amazes me how much can get done in a day.  They are labor rich there so everything is done manually for the most part.  Their biggest challenge is wildlife and getting supplies from South Africa.  Things are moving along very nicely though, when the elephants do not like your platforms and knock them down.

Zipline adventure across the gorge

Zipline adventure across the gorge

Our lodge overlooking a waterhole, had a hide or hut located about 100 feet away from the water supply.  You could walk down to the hut without disturbing the animals and view them very close up.  We could almost reach out and touch the elephants visiting the water hole.

We finally dropped off our car and started our long trek home. Victoria Falls to Johannesburg to New York and onward to San Diego.  Not for the faint at heart but well worth it!!!

Tracy Anderson, CTC
Carefree Vacations Encinitas Branch Manager

Call me to plan your dream Africa trip! Direct 760.479.4324 Main line 760.479.0022

or email tanderson@carefreevacations.com

or come in and talk to me or our other Africa specialists 1084 N El Camino Real, Suite C  Encinitas, CA 92024

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One Response to “African Dream Trip”

  1. martha gearing says:

    Tracy..what a fabulous trip..thanks for sharing

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