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South Africa May 2023South Africa May 2023
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I will be traveling to South Africa with five other intrepid ladies, and then to Zimbabwe with three of the ladies. We will be experiencing African culture and food, seeing the incredible beauty of the continent and enjoying wonderful company! Read more
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  • TravelerSouth Africa May 2023
    Day 23

    May 28 - Heading Home

    May 28, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    And so the adventure has come to a close. Sandy and I flew to Johannesburg and we are currently hunkered down in the lounge where we are putting in about 7 hours until our overnight flight to Amsterdam. There is lots of food and drink and good WIFI, so we're faring very well. From Amsterdam, we will fly to Toronto, arriving early Monday afternoon.

    I hope that you have enjoyed following along. It's been three weeks filled with unique experiences, good food, fine wines, hundreds of laughs, and wonderful travelling company. A special shout out goes to Colette Trabucco - travel agent extraordinaire - who ensured that everything ran smoothly and that all details were addressed. We enjoyed learning about all that Africa has to offer - each area was rich in culture, food choices, history, geography and sights and sounds. The people of Africa were wonderful - so helpful and kind and appreciative that we had come to explore their countries. We were blessed with great guides, experienced game trackers, great weather (mostly) and some strokes of pure luck. And to think that we managed to see the Big Five! Incredible! It is a trip that none of us will every forget.

    It's time to go home and plan the next adventure.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth Africa May 2023
    Day 22

    May 27 - Chobe River Cruise

    May 27, 2023 in Botswana ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    We had lunch in a floating restaurant – fresh barbeque for the main course and lots of delicious custard for dessert. They love custard in Africa!

    Then we boarded a little boat, not as classy as the one from yesterday, but quite serviceable. For the next two hours, we cruised the Chobe River which separates Botswana from Namibia. A large island is in the middle of the river – it is full of soft, green grass, a delicacy for buffalo and elephants.

    We saw several crocodiles lying in the sun with their mouths open – that’s how they cool themselves. If the occasional wayward bug flies in, then that’s a bonus for Mr. Croc.

    Then we saw elephants swimming across the river to the island for a feast of fresh grass. The elephants use their trunks like snorkels so they can submerge themselves and cut down on the water resistance.

    We saw a rhino with a bird hitchhiking a ride on its back. We saw baboons playing by the river’s edge and looking for little ants and bugs in the wet sand. Then we saw giraffes drinking from the river – that’s a long way down for a giraffe to reach.

    We saw lots of bird life – the Chobe River would be a haven for any serious bird watcher.

    Lastly, we saw buffalo up on the island. Lions can’t swim, so the island is a safe place for the buffalo.

    We had a lovely couple of hours enjoying the sights and sounds of the Chobe River.

    I passed back over the border from Botswana into Zimbabwe, paying another $75 US. Johannes drove me back to the hotel, where I was in time to join the other ladies for a barbeque dinner being held out on the back lawn. Featured on the menu was crocodile meat. It’s very tender and delicious. We toasted to a very successful trip and Sandy and I wished Sue and Deb safe travels as they go to Kenya for a few days while Sandy and I head home.

    The ladies had some excitement while I was gone. A family of elephants sauntered across the back lawn of the hotel, seemingly oblivious to the many pairs of surprised eyes fixed on them.

    Sandy discovered that our British Airways flight from Johannesburg to London had been cancelled. With Colette’s assistance, we got rebooked on KLM to Amsterdam and then on to Toronto.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth Africa May 2023
    Day 22

    May 27 - Chobe Game Drive

    May 27, 2023 in Zimbabwe ⋅ 🌬 22 °C

    Today’s destination was Chobe National Park in Botswana. We had a 7:30 a.m. departure. Sandy and I were the first people in the breakfast room.

    Our driver arrived, and very fortuitously, mentioned to us that, since we would be leaving Zimbabwe for Botswana, and coming back into Zimbabwe, that we would need another entry visa, meaning that we would each have to pony up another $75 US. I was the only one with enough cash left, so the other three opted to stay back while I ventured out on my own. I must say, I was taking a leap of faith in doing so!

    The drive to the border took about an hour. The border crossing was a sad Pepto-Bismal pink building bordered with rusty abandoned vehicles, with a tangle of mini-vans dropping off tourists and safari vehicles picking up tourists and the occasional semi-truck trying to get through the maze. No lane markings, nobody controlling traffic flow. Just chaos. Oh yes, and wart hogs wandering around.

    I rendezvoused with the driver/tracker for the day, Tiki. Five other people loaded into the safari vehicle, and we set off to enter Botswana. We had to get out and dip our shoes in disinfectant (vehicles had to drive through a puddle of disinfectant),

    We got through exiting Zimbabwe, and got our passports stamped to enter Botswana. Off to Chobe National Park – about a 20-minute drive. Chobe is Botswana’s first national park and its most biologically diverse park.

    We set off in search of four of Africa’s Big Five – this park does not have rhinos. My fellow searchers had not yet been on a game drive, so they were eager to see anything of interest.

    The park has millions of impalas. They have distinctive markings on their behinds that look like the McDonald’s Arches, so we quickly became adept at identifying them.

    Then we saw kudu, the largest of the antelope family, with the distinctive white stripes on their bodies.

    Then we saw giraffes. They move from tree to tree eating the foliage. The trees secrete a tannin that makes the leaves bitter to discourage the giraffes from feeding any more, so they move on to the next tree. A tree will become palatable again in a few weeks.

    Then we saw a herd of elephants drinking at the river while a pair of young impala did some play fighting – good practice for when they will have to defend their young when they are older.

    Next, we spied hippos up on their legs. They spend a lot of time in the water to protect their skin against the sun, so this was a good sighting.

    Then we saw buffalo, so we were two out of five on the Big Five. And then, we spied a pride of lions sunning themselves in the shade of far-off trees. All of a sudden, the lions got up and went on the move. The alpha male lion followed behind. Something was up.

    We stopped for our morning water break, and as we finished, Tiki got word that the lions had killed one of the buffalo. We hopped back in the vehicle, and Tiki sped over the rough roads as we hung on. He had to go off the beaten road which Tiki said he was not supposed to do, but this was a very special reason to bend the rules. About 125 meters off the road, there was the entire pride (someone had counted 17 lions) gnawing on the carcass of a buffalo. What an incredible sight!

    We saw elephants - the baby elephant was delightful to watch.

    So, a count of three of of five, and a lion kill. Pretty amazing for a morning game drive. We were incredibly lucky because our river cruise was supposed to have been in the morning and our game drive in the afternoon. We would never have seen the lion kill if the original schedule had held up.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth Africa May 2023
    Day 21

    May 26 - Sunset Boat Cruise

    May 26, 2023 in Zimbabwe ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    At 4:00 p.m., we climbed on a boat reminiscent of the African Queen in the movie with Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. The boat was named Ra Ikane, after one of the guides who first led David Livingstone to the Victoria Falls. There were just seven other people on the boat. We were served drinks and snacks as we lounged amide the period decor as we gently cruised the Zambezi River. We could see the mist from Victoria Falls off in the distance. We made a new friend, Anouk, who is a travel agent based in Johannesburg. She is evaluating properties in the area.

    Along the river, we saw two pods of hippos, a very well-hidden crocodile, and then another crocodile with the distinctive ridges on its back swimming along the shoreline. We saw lots of birds too.

    The boat stopped so that we could enjoy the beauty of the sunset. What glorious shades of orange and red as the bright sun dropped beneath the horizon!

    We had planned to return to the Three Monkeys tonight for dinner, but with the lovely munchies that we had on the boat, none of us was hungry enough for a real restaurant. We opted to eat at the outside bar area on this clear, warm, beautiful night and just have a drink and light foods. Anouk joined us and kept us entertained.

    We have a full day tomorrow - the last day of activities for Sandy and myself.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth Africa May 2023
    1111
    Day 21

    May 26 - Victoria Falls

    May 26, 2023 in Zimbabwe ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    After a nice breakfast inside since it was a bit cool to sit outdoors, we were picked up once again by Big Boy. After picking up some people at two other locations, Big Boy took us to Victoria Falls.

    Victoria Falls ("Thundering Smoke" or "Boiling Water") is a waterfall on the Zambezi River in southern Africa, which provides habitat for several unique species of plants and animals. It is located on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Zambezi River is the 4-th longest river in Africa, after the Nile, the Congo and the Niger Rivers.

    Archeological sites and oral history describe a long record of African knowledge of the site. Though known to some European geographers before the 19th century, Scottish missionary David Livingstone identified the falls in 1855, providing the English colonial name of Victoria Falls after Queen Victoria. It is a very important tourism site for both Zambia and Zimbabwe and is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

    While it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, the Victoria Falls is classified the largest, based on its combined width of 1,708 metres (5,604 ft) and height of 108 metres (354 ft), resulting in the world's largest sheet of falling water. The Victoria Falls are roughly twice the height of Niagara Falls and well over twice its width.

    After giving us a short history of the falls, Big Boy led us through the surrounding rainforest to the main viewing vantage points. Words and photos are both inadequate for capturing the magnificence of Victoria Falls. The roar of the falls, the rising mist, the occasion rain shower, the sheer power of the water – we all just drank in the sight.

    Big Boy delivered us back to the hotel. We’ll be doing a river cruise this afternoon. It’s nice to have a few hours to enjoy some relaxation time.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth Africa May 2023
    Day 20

    May 25 - Zimbabwe

    May 25, 2023 in Zimbabwe ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    Today is a travel day. Our time in South Africa has come to an end. Colette and Sylvia are heading back to Canada today, and Sandy, Deb and Sue and I are heading to Zimbabwe. We said our heartfelt good byes last night to Colette and Sylvia, and thanked Colette profusely for leading this tour.

    It was an early morning wake up call because the international airport is a 2.5-hour drive away and we had an 11:30 a.m. flight. The lodge graciously packed nice breakfast boxes for us which we enjoyed during the bus ride. We watched as the towns through which we passed came to life – little shops were being opened, kids were walking to school (on a busy road with narrow shoulders), and taxis were everywhere delivering people to where they needed to be. Virtually no public transport exists in South Africa so people are reliant on these mini-cab taxis.

    Our flight to Livingstone in Zambia took just over 1.5 hours. The temperature was 31℃ when we arrived. We are very near the Tropic of Capricorn now. We flew into Zambia because this airport is very near the sight that we want to see – Victoria Falls. The only international airport in Zimbabwe is several hours east.

    Then the fun began. We had to queue up for passport control in Zambia. It was a slow process. Fortunately, we could see our contact person, Gift, just beyond the barrier. Eventually, we made our way through, got our luggage, bypassed luggage inspection because we were with a tourism guide, and were handed off to a van driver by the name of Chris. He drove us to the border control point, just a 20-minute drive. We could see the mist from Victoria Falls in the distance. We had to have our passports stamped for going into Zimbabwe. Then we crossed a one-lane bridge and reached a sad government office with peeling paint and grumpy staff. There is a fee for a visa required for entering Zimbabwe. We had been told the fee was $30 US. Turns out it’s $75 US for holders of Canadian passports – Canada obviously has some kind of beef with Zimbabwe. No credit cards (despite the documentation provided by the tour company). Cash only which depleted our US money stashed. One solitary man was writing out the receipts – by hand, in triplicate, using sheets of carbon paper. And he added the cash we handed over into a big wad he kept in his shirt pocket while a bored security guard watched videos on his cell phone. Our passports got a visa put in them by another agent, and then finally we were free. At some point in this gong show, we were handed over to yet another tourist guide with the unique name of Big Boy who was authorized to drive in Zimbabwe. Needless to say, by the time we got to our hotel, we were fried.

    And then another challenge. The room Sandy and I was assigned had just one king bed, while Deb and Sue’s had the two single beds as booked. This is a very new hotel, but there is no elevator, so we had to climb three flights of stairs, and the porter had to hand bomb the luggage. When Reception finally called to say they had a room ready, it was on the first floor. Sue and Deb took that one (Deb is dealing with an injured ankle and soreness in the other ankle), and Sandy and I took their room. The logistics of travel days can be exhausting.

    The place where we are staying, the Palm River Hotel, is situated in a lovely location right on the Zambezi River. It's very new and has huge doors that get pushed back to yield open areas for Reception and the dining area. I took a few pictures the next morning to give you and idea of the place.

    The other girls contacted a friend of Behki’s who came and took their orders for customized Africa shirts showing where they had been. Delivery tomorrow. Great service.

    On Behki’s advice, we took a taxi into town to the Three Monkeys restaurant. The taxi driver was James whom we contracted to come back and get us a couple of hours later. He graciously found an ATM but it was out of service. We figured out later that it was a national holiday. Africa Day is the annual commemoration of the foundation of the Organisation of African Unity on 25 May 1963. After a good feed of pizza (with leftovers for lunch on Friday), we headed home and headed to bed. It had been a long day.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth Africa May 2023
    Day 19

    May 24 - Leopard!

    May 24, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    Went for lunch. Monkeys were jumping on the tables in one of the adjacent rooms. Hippos were on the shore of the pond opposite the dining room. And I saw a buffalo on my way back to my room. Wildlife is everywhere in South Africa.

    We headed back out with Tony and Michael at 3:00 p.m., hoping that the warm, still conditions would nudge some wildlife out of the vegetation. In just a few minutes, a few lucky people got to see a black mamba (giant snake) on the road and then slither up a tree. Some of the ladies had seen a black mamba when we were on the big bus that rescued us when our van broke down.

    Then, in very short order, we saw buffalo, giraffes, green caterpillars, warthogs, more giraffes, zebra, lots of impala, monkeys, and an elephant. We stopped for one last sundowner. The light was fading, and we pretty much gave up hope of seeing a leopard.

    With less than an hour of time left, we set out for one last hunt of the leopard. Tony and Michael were seeing lots of lion and leopard tracks, so they were hopeful. Michael was in constant communication with the drivers of the other vehicles. Then, about 6:45 p.m., a call of a visual sighting of a leopard came through. Michael went off road almost immediately as we responded quickly to his calls for us to get down, get down! We learned later that he location was just 150 meters from where we had stopped for our sundowner.

    And there she was – a magnificent female leopard with steely eyes. She seemed unperturbed by the presence of machines and people. Michael, best driver and tracker ever, managed to position us the closest to the leopard. We all turned to congratulate ourselves on completing our Big Five count as she moved away.

    Then all of a sudden, there was a flash of movement and some commotion. The leopard had taken down an impala. Incredible!! Michael moved the vehicle to within a few metres. The leopard had the impala’s neck in her mouth. She sat there patiently with one paw on the impala’s body, waiting to feel the heartbeat disappear. The impala’s legs flailed once or twice, and then nothing. It was dead.

    The leopard started to gnaw on the impala’s back end where the most tender meat is found. She deserved a treat for such a good kill. And then more excitement – a hyena and two lions started circling. They had smelled the fresh kill and were looking to get at the carcass.

    After surveying the situation (by now 4-5 safari trucks were almost surrounding her), she swiftly grabbed the impala and scrambled straight up an Amarula tree. A leopard can carry twice its weight up a tree. Lions can’t climb, so up a tree is a good spot for fresh prey. She flung the carcass over a branch and panted for breath. Then she began climbing again and positioned the carcass even higher in the branches. The leopard will feed on an impala for 5-7 days. Elapsed time from the initial leap at the impala to carcass in a treetop – about 20 minutes.

    It was the most incredible thing that I have ever seen. We heard one tracker say that witnessing such an event was a one in a million chance. The end of our game drives in South Africa ended on a higher note than we could ever have imagined. We thanked Tony and Michael profusely – their superior tracking skills and their patience gave us the most incredible experience.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth Africa May 2023
    Day 19

    May 24 - Morning Game Drive

    May 24, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    We set out again at 6:00 a.m. with Tony and Michael, determined to revisit the area where we had seen the hyena last night.
    We saw a female and a male lion. We saw impala. We saw rhinos. We saw a blue duiker – the second smallest in the antelope family.

    When we stopped for morning coffee, a solo hippo watched us with his big eyes from the nearby pond. The warm sun burns their skin and makes them susceptible to infections, so they tend to stay almost totally submerged during the day time.

    We saw a wonderful sight of both giraffes and zebras together. They often team up and spend the night in a field, offering mutual protection against predators.

    We stopped by a huge termite hill - these termites aren't the kind that eat wood. They eat fallen leaves and bits of vegetation and create compost that benefits the plants around the hill.

    We didn't see the elusive leopard, so we are going to start our afternoon game drive at 3:00 p.m. rather than 4:00 p.m. in hopes of a sighting.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth Africa May 2023
    Day 18

    May 23 - Evening Game Drive - Lions!

    May 23, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    At 4:00 p.m., we headed out for another evening game drive, this time with Michael as our driver and tracker. Harry is fighting a bad case of tonsilitis.

    A mischievous monkey was our first sighting. Then we saw impala. We saw fresh rhino poop, but Michael said that the rhinos were probably in the bush because of the breezy conditions. Rhinos have poor eyesight, so they have to depend on their hearing and their sense of smell. They retreat to the bush when the wind causes confusing sounds and smells.

    And then, to our delight, we saw lions! Our count went up to four out of five on the Big Five sighting chart! We saw a couple of females, and then we saw a teenager lion lying on the ground with a very distended belly (he had just finished eating a kill), and then we saw a huge male. What a glorious sight! He nonchalantly sauntered down the road, and finally went off into the undergrowth.

    Then we saw a hyena and a black backed fox. Hyena like to track and stalk leopards, so seeing them was a good sign that there might be leopards in the area. We vowed to look again tomorrow.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth Africa May 2023
    Day 18

    May 23 - Kapama River Lodge

    May 23, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Kapama River Lodge is one of several lodges on Kapama Private Game Reserve, encompassing some 15,000 hectares immediately west of Kruger National Park.

    The buildings are fabulous with their extensive use of natural materials. The staff are warm and attentive. The food is excellent, and to our delight, the drinks are included. Chris, our assigned waiter, has come to know each person's preferences.

    Sylvia and Colette had a wonderful day at the spa. They raved about the quality of the treatments, the genteel service and the pretty surroundings.

    Enjoy the pictures!    Read more

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