Too tired to post much tonight & it will take me a while to sort out my photos, but the safari was unbelievable. The lodge was beautiful, we stayed in thatched roof chalets, the beds were white & luxurious, the food was amazing (so so sad to return to ship food …), we saw all of the “big 5” – leopards, rhinos, elephants, lions, buffalo – minus only the leopard which we stalked on many occasions (following tracks in the dirt) to no avail. We saw lion cubs – literally -- less than 6 feet away. We saw giraffes and zebras and antelope and hippos and monkeys and baboons and owls and turtles and mongooses (mongeese?).
Each day started with a wake-up call at 5 am. Coffee at 5:30. Morning game drive at 6:00. The game drive was in a completely open four wheel drive vehicle led by our ranger (Simeon) and our tracker (Elliot). There were 8 of us in our jeep. The reserve has dirt roads but we also did a lot of off-road tracking, through the grass & trees and rocks. Very bumpy. My knees are all banged up from bouncing around & crashing them into the seat in front of me! The top of my knees are also sunburnt. The jeeps were amazing and we would climb high on rocks or crash through the thicket. We’d stop in a beautiful place for a coffee picnic around 8:30 and then return to the lodge for a beautiful breakfast around 9:30. We had the rest of the morning free although we took some fieldtrips (one to the township where most of the lodge’s staff live and a second to see rock art on cave walls). Lunch was at one and also amazingly delicious. Free until 4 when folks would nap a little after the early morning awakening, or I mostly sat on the porch of our chalet & read. Tea & biscuits at 4:00, which included the most amazing ice tea & ice coffee I’ve ever had. Another game drive from 4:30-7:30 during which we stopped for drinks in another gorgeous location to watch the sun set. Back to the lodge for yet another elaborate meal and then crashed to await the next 5 am wake-up call.
It was lovely & luxurious & my trip leadership experience went pretty well (and came with a hefty safari discount). Many of us didn’t want to come back to the ship! Mostly, now I just wanted to let you all know that I didn’t get eaten by a lion … here are a few quick photos, more later …
