Incredible Southern Africa adventure............!
Vanore Voaklander
Fort Saskatchewan, AB Travel Agentยท 3 Years of Experience
A group of 24 of us arrived in Johannesburg, none of us having been there before. Our itinerary consisted of time spent in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Cape Town and Karongwe Game reserve, near Kruger National Park.
Africa had been on all of our bucket lists and we were over joyed to be there. The group quicky got acquainted and we met our Guide - Des, from Ntaba African Safaris - Des would stay with us the entire trip. He kept us organized, proactively managed each step along the way - and provided us with insight, information and anecdotes. South Africa has a complicated history - and Des shared the perspective of someone who lived through incredible social and political change. It was fascinating!
Our first stop was Victoria Falls - and we all fell in love. Our lodging was the beautiful Palm River Lodge - on the bank of the Zambezi River. The grounds were gorgeous as were the various types of wildlife that wandered through during our stay. The rooms were luxurious - the breakfasts divine and the service was impeccable. We enjoyed a dinner cruise on the Zambezi River that provided a 5 star meal and service while seeing the hippos and elephants up close in their habitats. We also hiked to the incredible Victoria Falls, one of the wonders of the world. We stopped at a handicraft market, an amazing restaurant over looking a scenic gorge and best of all - a santuary for orphan elephants where we were able to learn about these amazing creatures and feed them!
We sadly had to leave Victoria Falls to visit the beautiful Mother City of Cape Town - incredibly scenic. Fantastic food, water front, things to do and places to go. We took the cable car up to the top of Table Mountain and we drove down the coast to the actual bottom of the African Continent - the Cape of Good Hope - and we met the penguins that live there.
Our last stop was Beck's Safari Lodge in the Karongwe Game Reserve - from here we had 2 safaris per day - we ate incredible 3 course lunches and had dinner by candle light. We saw the "Big Five" within the first 24 hours and many, many other exotic creatures. Beck's is amazing. The rooms are large and spacious - the lodge is beautiful. The comfort and attention to detail is beyond our expectations. And the spa......!
Our group was very happy. It was a trip of a lifetime - something I don't often say. I would encourage anyone who is thinking about Africa to consider this sort of trip - call me!