Africa Safaris have been on my bucket list forever and I was so excited when we finally made it.
We booked our trip through RHINO AFRICA tours. Our agents were very helpful. We were able to customize our trip to the length we wanted, and were able to include the places we wanted to see. We planned to do two parks to get a feel of different safaris.
Our first destination was Botswana. To get there, we took South African Airlines to Johannesburg and took a connection to Livingston in Zambia. We had not taken any visas before starting the trip, we were able to get visas-on-arrival both Botswana and Zambia when we got to immigration in Zambia. From there, we had took a short car ride followed by a boat crossing on the Zambezi river to get to Botswana.
Botswana has unspoiled, magnificent nature and wildlife. It has serene and truly pampering lodges.
River Lodge: This is an all-inclusive lodge, which has great food, an extremely good selection of wines, and hospitality that was heartwarming. The rooms were spacious, Wi-Fi connection was good, and the staff was friendly — guilty of truly pampering us.
Safari in Chobe National Park Botswana:
Chobe National Park is a wildlife paradise: with terrain that ranged from bush to grasslands to river banks we encountered a large variety of birds and animals, and the whole park feels like true wilderness. Chobe’s big game include Zebra, Impala, Kudu, Giraffe, Baboon, Warthogs, Lions and Hyenas. Famed for its massive elephant population, Chobe also has big herds of Buffalos and incredible birdlife.
River Safari on Chobe River, we saw herds of Elephants and Cape Buffalos. Buffalos and Hippopotamus are very aggressive animals; they are territorial and do not like people coming close to them – be warned!
On our second day, we went to an afternoon safari. It was a hot day, and we were standing in the shade where we could see the Chobe River to watch elephants coming by. I watched one elephant came up very close to my side, and suddenly there were around 25 elephants standing near our vehicle. The first elephant was so close that I could see in his eyes; the experience was thrilling as well as chilling at the same time!
The baby elephants were so cute, and we saw so many walking in between their mothers’ legs.
We also spotted many giraffes; they are the most beautiful and naïve-looking creatures.
On our next Safari, we saw a Pride feeding on a dead elephant. In the pride, we could see three male lions, three or four lioness, and a few cubs.
Our next destination: Zimbabwe
We stayed at Elephant Camp, which had tented rooms filled with luxurious furniture and beautiful décor. Each room had a private pool and outdoor showers looking over the national park. The property has three levels, with outdoor decks, overlooking the beautiful forest. Elephant camp is an all-inclusive resort, offering great outdoor seating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The staff was very warm and friendly, and laundry was included in our stay. We could see the stunning sunrise every morning from our bed.
Through Wild Horizon (an outdoor activity organizer), we partook in a few additional activities. While there were many options, we did four great activities: feeding elephants, a canopy tour over the falls, meeting local villagers, and a tour of Victoria Falls.
Drinks and snacks arranged by the lodge at Batoka Gorge in a very private setting was to die for. The views and the setting was amazing.
Victoria Falls: This is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. It is famous for the largest waterfall in the world. Victoria Falls is situation on the Zambezi River, which is the fourth largest river of Africa. The fall is shared by two countries: Zambia and Zimbabwe. The waterfall spans the entire breadth of the Zambezi River, and at one of its wildest points, more than 5,500 feet wide, with a drop of almost 355 feet. It is twice the size of Niagara Falls in USA and Canada.
On average, the fall runs at a rate of 33,000 cubic feet per second. As you can imagine, the water makes a big roar and a veil of mist, which locals named Maso-O-Tunya (the smoke that thunders). There is incredibly lush vegetation growing along the Zambezi Rain forest due to the spray from of falls. The dominate species are acacia, ebony, fig, teak, and Mopane. While walking through the Rain forest, we stopped at 15 viewpoints to see the stunning views of fall.
Elephant Camp was my personal favorite.
Lion Sand Game Reserve: This is located adjacent to the Kruger National Park, which is the first and largest National park in South Africa. Here, the “Big Five*” (lion, leopard, rhinoceros, cape buffalo, and elephant) roam the park. In addition, there are cape wild dogs, African bush elephant, hyenas, and numerous birds, reptiles and plants. It is famous for its record number of leopard sightings.
*Big Five is a term coined by big-game hunters and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot.
River Lodge offers excellent five star amenity, with sophisticated interiors, best-in-class service and a unique experience. The lodge experience is beyond five star, and we felt welcomed and special. They placed great attention to every detail of our stay to make it comfortable and memorable. The staff was incredibly warm, and the food was the highlight of our stay with a diverse menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Not to mention, the wines and cocktails were the best here.
We did five safaris in two and a half days – in the morning and late afternoon, which is when the game is active and playful. Our time spent at Lion Sand Game reserve was awesome, unforgettable, and a truly unique experience.
On to our next destination to Cape Town
We flew to Cape Town from a small beautiful airport in Kruger National Park called Skukuza aerodrome.
Cape Town is port city of South Africa. Coming out of the Cape Town airport, the first thing I noticed was a big slum area that goes on for few miles. As we made our way more into the city, it was crazy to see the drastic contrast. Soon, we were surrounded by amazing geography.
The Uber dropped us off at Taj Hotel downtown. The Taj Hotel is one of the most iconic inner city hotels. It has lots of tourist attractions, withing walking distance.
We met our local guide Ryan Strauss. His Email address is Ryanstrauss10@Gmail.com, and his phone number is 27 82318 8888. I highly recommend him if you’re looking for a great tour of Cape Town and surrounding areas like the Cape of Good Hope and Stellenbosch.
We went on a walking tour of historic district downtown and then to V & A waterfront. This place was tourist friendly with lots of boutiques, restaurants, shopping malls, museums and hangout places.
Table Mountain National Park: This park has the status of being one of the Modern Seven Wonders of the World. It is a flat top, Sandstone Mountain at 3,500 feet above sea level, overlooking the city of Cape Town. It attracts a significant amount of tourists. Cable car tickets are available online, if you want to avoid long queues. Hiking is also very popular among tourists and locals. This was my favorite place in Cape Town.
The cable car offers spectacular views; the flora and fauna in this national park is endemic.
Kirstenbosh Botanical Garden: Situated on the eastern slopes of the Table Mountain, The Kirstenbosh Botanical Gardens is a collection of unique plants from different parts of the world. It is supposed to be one of the seven most magnificent gardens in the world, and I couldn’t agree more – the beauty was breathtaking. The gardens are very serene and tranquil.
Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point: Cape of Good Hope and Cape point are 2.3 km apart. It is the southern tip of the peninsula. You can see the wild beauty of this viewpoint with panoramic views, albeit there is unpredictable weather and very strong winds. I suggest hiking up to the lighthouse for an even more spectacular view of this beautiful and dramatic landscape. It is a moderately strenuous hike, but an enjoyable one. Here you can find both old and new lighthouses. Cape Point nature reserve is part of the Table Mountain National Park. On our way back to Cape Town, we stopped for lunch at Harbour House restaurant, popular with locals, known for its seafood and beautiful view of Kalk Bay. Food was amazing. Then, we stopped for dessert at a local eat dessert spot, called Olympia Bakery – desserts were scrumptious!
Boulders Beach Penguin Colony: This is a popular tourist stop near Simon’s town because of a colony of African Penguins, which settled here in 1982. Boulder beach is part of Table Mountain National Park.
Foxy Beach at Boulders has a population of roughly 3,000 African penguins. On the way to the beach, you can see penguins’ nesting areas. Summer is the best time to see most penguins.
For dinner, we recommend Pigalle restaurant, a local favorite in Cape Town. Well known for a stylish evening setting, a menu comprising of dishes with Portuguese flair, live jazz and salsa music, this restaurant was a great experience!
Stellenbosch: Vineyards and the mountainous nature reserves of Jonkershoek and Simonsberg surround this picturesque university town of South Africa. Cape Dutch Architecture gives a sense of South Africa’s Dutch Colonial history, and so do the village’s museums and period houses and gardens.
The Town’s Oak shaded streets are lined with cafes, art galleries, boutiques and restaurants.
Fat Butcher Steak is one of the finest restaurant in Stellenbosch. Their steaks were the best, even their shrimp and chicken dishes were amazing, and there was a good collection of wines. The service matched the food; the experience was phenomenal and made you want to return.
Franschhoek: Franschhoek is a wine growing valley close to Stellenbosch. The vineyards on the mountain slopes of Franschhoek reminded us of NAPA valley. The wines were as fabulous as the views. We did 3 winery tours in this area and each one was world class.
In the future, I would like to visit Bwindi national Park in Uganda, famous for its Gorillas, Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to see annual migration, and Masai Mara National Reserve and Amboseli National Reserve in Kenya.
My Pics from African Safari:
Awesome blog!