In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.
Options
Africa
Marner
Member Posts: 2,977
This is an e-mail my son sent out to the family on his recent return from an African Safari. It's a little long and for those that want to be bothered reading I think you'll find it interesting as it's probably the trip of a lifetime.
Hi Everyone, well this is my first decent opportunity to touch base with all of you since our return. We have been back in Canada since last Saturday but I had to head out again Sunday for a week long course in Toronto. Things are getting back to normal relatively speaking, but we are still coming down from our travelling high.
For those that are interested I'll try to be brief in giving you a summary of our trip. The trip was very much about seeing as much of African nature and culture that we could fit in the 12 or so days we were there. We lost two days of travel there and two days back. While we were there every second or third day we were hopping on another domestic flight to get to our next destination. The first location was the Arathusa Safari lodge situated on a game reserve in the Kruger National Park. The lodge hosts about 20 guests at a time. Each couple or family have private thatch huts. The lodge itself was built on a pond which attracted herds of impala, zebra, giraffe, wildebeast and elephant. Our pond had it's own resident crocodile, hippo and a variety of ducks, eagles, exotic birds and massive catfish you could feed from the dining deck. All of this was before you as you dined or relaxed around the pool. The main event at this lodge were the game drives which you were taken on twice daily; 5:30 am (sharp!) and 5:30 pm to seek out and observe game in their natural environment before day break, during the day and after dusk. They refer to the "Big Five" in Africa as being the 5 most dangerous animals. They are Lion, Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Rhino and Leopard. We saw the Big Five on almost all of our game drives, plus a multitude of other species. Even though this was a game preserve and these animals are protected they are for all intents and purposes, wild. You could compare the reserve to Algonquin Park. The reason you are able to get so close to the animals is because they have become accustomed to seeing the landrover vehicles and they have gradually learned that the vehicles are not a threat. This would be not unlike coming upon a moose in Algonquin, they will gradually wonder away but they are not frightened. While in the vehicles you have strict instructions not to stand or get out of the vehicle at any time unless directed. Standing changes the appearance of the vehicle which does not promote the conditioning that the conservationists who operate these safaries are trying to accomplish. Getting out of the vehicle in the presence of the more dangerous species would be like committing suicide. Plus once you put foot to ground you are fair game for predators and no doubt the Safari company would suffer if they started losing tourists. When you were permitted to get out for a drink or go to the washroom, it was in wide open areas and wondering off by yourself was not allowed. The girls had had to get used to peeing behind shrubs 20 yards from the group and with their men standing gaurd.
The next stop was at Rocktail Lodge on the Indian Ocean. This was a very exclusive, quiet, nature lover's retreat built in thick jungle next to the ocean. The accomodations were private A-frame huts built high in the trees. In the mornings the jungle was so loud with monkeys, birds and insects you couldn't sleep past 5am. I've never imagined an unspoiled beach of this magnitude. Miles of white sand, crashing surf, crabs and jelly fish. The ocean rip was so strong swimming was dangerous and Tim got stung by a Blue-bottle jelly fish so we stayed out of the ocean for the most part. Except for the odd fisherman or one of the other 20 or so guests at the resort, you could walk for miles without seeing a single soul. It was breath taking. This part of the coast is famous for the endangered Loggerhead turtle ( I think I previously referred to them as Leather-backs but that was another specie common in the area) which lay their eggs in the beach sand. Drives are conducted on moonlit nights to attempt to find hatchlings coming out of their holes to make the dash to the ocean. We had a perfectly clear, full moon night and were driven 25 kilometers on this beach and eventually came upon exactly this. It was surreal. On day two of Rocktail we went snorkeling. The inflatable boat ride to get over the surf was exciting as 8 of us clung to the ropes while the dive master navigated the waves. As this is a marine preserve it was rich with fish, turtle, dolphin, and a variety of corel etc. I would have to say the most amazing thing I have ever seen in my life were the Spinner dolphins, that would swim along side the boat and leap 10-15 feet out of the ocean while spinning like a top. You would think they were trained at a circus which would be amazing enough, except that this is in the wild and this is something they just do because they can. I wish we had had more than 2 days at Rocktail but there was much more on our itinerary.
Our next stop was at a place called Hilltop quite a distance inland in the Drakensburg moutains. Here we met up with family of one of the couples we went with. We saw quite a bit of game in these mountains as well. The scenery was spectacular. The brother of one of the guys we went with was a professional hunter and later worked as a conservation officer investigating poaching. Through his connections we got access to a hunting reserve and did a day of bowhunting. He loaned us his bow, arranged for us to do some target practice and guided us to a blind and watering hole where we expected to have impala, wildebeast or waterbuck come in. Unfortunately no big game came in. Tim did get a shot off at a Guinea Hen but missed. This was a little anti-climactic but it was fun all the same and gave us some exposure of bow hunting in Africa. Had we taken an animal we would have paid the lodge for the kill, butchered it on site and taken some meat to barbecue that night. As it turned out, since we weren't successful, the lodge gave us some impala from their freezer and we cooked it on a charcoal fire back at camp that night.
The next day we drove our rental car to Shakaland; a recreation of a traditional Zulu village. Although this was a "made-for-tourist" type of cultural exposure, it was really well done and interesting. Of course I got chosen out of the crowd to participate in the zulu dance. It's good for a laugh if you ever get a chance to see the video. Our accomodations here were like huge beehives made from sticks and thatch. Sounds rustic but it was very luxurious.
After Shakaland we flew to Livingston where we took in Victoria Falls, and stayed at Tongabeezie lodge in thick jungle on the Zambeezie river. As if we hadn't been spoiled enough to this point, Tongabeezie took the cake. Each couple had a private valet who looked after everything for you. Our accomodations consisted of open air suites built within the jungled hillside to create privacy along with the feeling of being outside. The bed nets and thatch roof were all that seperated you from the jungle. Monkeys, birds, frogs, lizards, huge spiders and insects galore were always within arms reach. I reacted quite severely to the mosquito bites. This was a high risk malaria zone hence the importance of taking our antimalaria drug daily for the previous two weeks. One night of the two nights we spent at Tongbeezie our suite was built literally on the river edge amongst the flooded trees. At 4 am we were wakened by the trombone-like sound of hippos in the immediate area. But when it's pitch black you can't see them. All of these places ran on generators so once it was lights-out, there was no light other than moonlight. Lisa and I fished the river, she caught a tiger fish that got away. I suppose there is little doubt now that she is a better fisher than I. Victoria Falls was also breath taking. Since there aren't the same safety standards there, the on-foot tour of the falls takes you dangerously close to drop off points and across a rickety old steel bridge over the gorge that made your heart thump and adrenaline spike. I was amazed but relieved when it was over.
Well that gives you a few of the highlights. Sorry if I was a little long winded but as you can imagine I could go on and on. We were fortunate to have had a travel agent and a former resident of S.A. in our travel party. Planning something like this cold wouldn't have given the same results I don't think. I literally knew nothing about the trip until moments before we left for the airport. Tim and Joanne (our neighbours who traveled with us (she is the travel agent)) came over to our place before we were about to leave with a bottle of champagne and some clues wrapped up as birthday gifts. Little did I know Lisa had been putting money away since I had taken her to Costa Rica two years ago and she and Joanne had been planning this trip for the last 9 months.
I'm not sure what I will do with all the photos and video footage yet. We haven't shared our footage amongst the group yet. The other two couples had much better photography equipment than us so I am anxious to get their pics and videos. Once I have something relatively inclusive assembled I'll get copies out to everyone.
Bye for now.
Hi Everyone, well this is my first decent opportunity to touch base with all of you since our return. We have been back in Canada since last Saturday but I had to head out again Sunday for a week long course in Toronto. Things are getting back to normal relatively speaking, but we are still coming down from our travelling high.
For those that are interested I'll try to be brief in giving you a summary of our trip. The trip was very much about seeing as much of African nature and culture that we could fit in the 12 or so days we were there. We lost two days of travel there and two days back. While we were there every second or third day we were hopping on another domestic flight to get to our next destination. The first location was the Arathusa Safari lodge situated on a game reserve in the Kruger National Park. The lodge hosts about 20 guests at a time. Each couple or family have private thatch huts. The lodge itself was built on a pond which attracted herds of impala, zebra, giraffe, wildebeast and elephant. Our pond had it's own resident crocodile, hippo and a variety of ducks, eagles, exotic birds and massive catfish you could feed from the dining deck. All of this was before you as you dined or relaxed around the pool. The main event at this lodge were the game drives which you were taken on twice daily; 5:30 am (sharp!) and 5:30 pm to seek out and observe game in their natural environment before day break, during the day and after dusk. They refer to the "Big Five" in Africa as being the 5 most dangerous animals. They are Lion, Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Rhino and Leopard. We saw the Big Five on almost all of our game drives, plus a multitude of other species. Even though this was a game preserve and these animals are protected they are for all intents and purposes, wild. You could compare the reserve to Algonquin Park. The reason you are able to get so close to the animals is because they have become accustomed to seeing the landrover vehicles and they have gradually learned that the vehicles are not a threat. This would be not unlike coming upon a moose in Algonquin, they will gradually wonder away but they are not frightened. While in the vehicles you have strict instructions not to stand or get out of the vehicle at any time unless directed. Standing changes the appearance of the vehicle which does not promote the conditioning that the conservationists who operate these safaries are trying to accomplish. Getting out of the vehicle in the presence of the more dangerous species would be like committing suicide. Plus once you put foot to ground you are fair game for predators and no doubt the Safari company would suffer if they started losing tourists. When you were permitted to get out for a drink or go to the washroom, it was in wide open areas and wondering off by yourself was not allowed. The girls had had to get used to peeing behind shrubs 20 yards from the group and with their men standing gaurd.
The next stop was at Rocktail Lodge on the Indian Ocean. This was a very exclusive, quiet, nature lover's retreat built in thick jungle next to the ocean. The accomodations were private A-frame huts built high in the trees. In the mornings the jungle was so loud with monkeys, birds and insects you couldn't sleep past 5am. I've never imagined an unspoiled beach of this magnitude. Miles of white sand, crashing surf, crabs and jelly fish. The ocean rip was so strong swimming was dangerous and Tim got stung by a Blue-bottle jelly fish so we stayed out of the ocean for the most part. Except for the odd fisherman or one of the other 20 or so guests at the resort, you could walk for miles without seeing a single soul. It was breath taking. This part of the coast is famous for the endangered Loggerhead turtle ( I think I previously referred to them as Leather-backs but that was another specie common in the area) which lay their eggs in the beach sand. Drives are conducted on moonlit nights to attempt to find hatchlings coming out of their holes to make the dash to the ocean. We had a perfectly clear, full moon night and were driven 25 kilometers on this beach and eventually came upon exactly this. It was surreal. On day two of Rocktail we went snorkeling. The inflatable boat ride to get over the surf was exciting as 8 of us clung to the ropes while the dive master navigated the waves. As this is a marine preserve it was rich with fish, turtle, dolphin, and a variety of corel etc. I would have to say the most amazing thing I have ever seen in my life were the Spinner dolphins, that would swim along side the boat and leap 10-15 feet out of the ocean while spinning like a top. You would think they were trained at a circus which would be amazing enough, except that this is in the wild and this is something they just do because they can. I wish we had had more than 2 days at Rocktail but there was much more on our itinerary.
Our next stop was at a place called Hilltop quite a distance inland in the Drakensburg moutains. Here we met up with family of one of the couples we went with. We saw quite a bit of game in these mountains as well. The scenery was spectacular. The brother of one of the guys we went with was a professional hunter and later worked as a conservation officer investigating poaching. Through his connections we got access to a hunting reserve and did a day of bowhunting. He loaned us his bow, arranged for us to do some target practice and guided us to a blind and watering hole where we expected to have impala, wildebeast or waterbuck come in. Unfortunately no big game came in. Tim did get a shot off at a Guinea Hen but missed. This was a little anti-climactic but it was fun all the same and gave us some exposure of bow hunting in Africa. Had we taken an animal we would have paid the lodge for the kill, butchered it on site and taken some meat to barbecue that night. As it turned out, since we weren't successful, the lodge gave us some impala from their freezer and we cooked it on a charcoal fire back at camp that night.
The next day we drove our rental car to Shakaland; a recreation of a traditional Zulu village. Although this was a "made-for-tourist" type of cultural exposure, it was really well done and interesting. Of course I got chosen out of the crowd to participate in the zulu dance. It's good for a laugh if you ever get a chance to see the video. Our accomodations here were like huge beehives made from sticks and thatch. Sounds rustic but it was very luxurious.
After Shakaland we flew to Livingston where we took in Victoria Falls, and stayed at Tongabeezie lodge in thick jungle on the Zambeezie river. As if we hadn't been spoiled enough to this point, Tongabeezie took the cake. Each couple had a private valet who looked after everything for you. Our accomodations consisted of open air suites built within the jungled hillside to create privacy along with the feeling of being outside. The bed nets and thatch roof were all that seperated you from the jungle. Monkeys, birds, frogs, lizards, huge spiders and insects galore were always within arms reach. I reacted quite severely to the mosquito bites. This was a high risk malaria zone hence the importance of taking our antimalaria drug daily for the previous two weeks. One night of the two nights we spent at Tongbeezie our suite was built literally on the river edge amongst the flooded trees. At 4 am we were wakened by the trombone-like sound of hippos in the immediate area. But when it's pitch black you can't see them. All of these places ran on generators so once it was lights-out, there was no light other than moonlight. Lisa and I fished the river, she caught a tiger fish that got away. I suppose there is little doubt now that she is a better fisher than I. Victoria Falls was also breath taking. Since there aren't the same safety standards there, the on-foot tour of the falls takes you dangerously close to drop off points and across a rickety old steel bridge over the gorge that made your heart thump and adrenaline spike. I was amazed but relieved when it was over.
Well that gives you a few of the highlights. Sorry if I was a little long winded but as you can imagine I could go on and on. We were fortunate to have had a travel agent and a former resident of S.A. in our travel party. Planning something like this cold wouldn't have given the same results I don't think. I literally knew nothing about the trip until moments before we left for the airport. Tim and Joanne (our neighbours who traveled with us (she is the travel agent)) came over to our place before we were about to leave with a bottle of champagne and some clues wrapped up as birthday gifts. Little did I know Lisa had been putting money away since I had taken her to Costa Rica two years ago and she and Joanne had been planning this trip for the last 9 months.
I'm not sure what I will do with all the photos and video footage yet. We haven't shared our footage amongst the group yet. The other two couples had much better photography equipment than us so I am anxious to get their pics and videos. Once I have something relatively inclusive assembled I'll get copies out to everyone.
Bye for now.
Comments
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-25-most-miserable-places-in-the-world-192748535.html
THANK YOU, for sharing
i`ll bet they talk about their holiday there for years!
there`s nothing more spooky than being in a vehicle and having a wild bull elephant walk up to within 15 feet of you...all that comes into your mind except for wow! is "this elephany could crush this car like a coke can if it wanted to...and us with it,and there isn`t a thing we could do about it!"
i`d highly reccomend a holiday their to anyone who can afford it.
I hope i'm rich in my next life.... [:(]
Yea..me too [:)]
They tell me they've now started saving for Thailand & Vietnam in 2011.