On to our final destination – Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. This time of year, the falls is relatively tame, which we initially thought might make it less than fabulous. But not true – apparently, when you come here during maximum waterflow, you can’t actually see the falls as it’s shrouded in the mist created by the incredible volume of water. The falls originates with the Zambezi River (what Andy calls the Mighty Zambezi!) and makes its way south through several countries out to the Indian Ocean. The best viewing is from the Zimbabwe side, so we had quite an interesting journey traveling from Zambia – where we were staying – to Zimbabwe. It was just a few miles, but took about an hour to go through multiple stops and get our paperwork checked out on both sides. Once there, we had a lovely guide named Sam who walked us along a path on the edge of the gorge, where we could view the falls from multiple locations. It’s loud, it’s wet, it’s majestic.
Our hotel was kind of unique, with zebras and giraffes wandering the grounds freely. We got quite close to them a couple of times!
Now heading home and ready to get back to normal life. Africa is a dream.
We left Cape Town and flew to Hoedspruit Airport, the launchpad for Kruger National Park. A short drive later, we were in “the bush” and starting to see animals! First up – my favorite – giraffes, which we spotted from the highway, along with elephants. We got to Simbavati Hilltop Lodge, dropped our stuff in our room, and jumped in a jeep for our first safari. Almost immediately after pulling out of camp, we saw elephants and, not too long after, we saw a lioness which led us to see three lion cubs – they were super cute, tumbling and playing with each other. We viewed them – and their carefully watchful mother – for 15 minutes, at least.
Our first camp was small — just 16 guests. The schedule every day was wake-up call at 5 a.m., coffee in the main lodge at 5:15, and in the jeep by 5:30. That drive lasted for 3 hours, then back to the lodge for a huge breakfast, then free time – most people napped – until 1 p.m. lunch, then pool time until around 3:00, quick change, tea (small snacks and beverages, like the classic British tea), then back on the jeep at 4:00 for our evening safari. Back at the lodge around 7, then a huge dinner.
The bush plane between camps was interesting – a 9-seater that transports people around Kruger National Park. When we were picked up on a lonely airstrip with absolutely no buildings, there were already two people in our plane. We flew 15 minutes, landed and picked up two more people, then flew less than 5 minutes to our stop. We’re pretty sure our pilots were younger than our kids – maybe mid-20s at the most. But they did a great job getting us safely to our second camp.
Both of our camps were beautiful with top-notch service. The people go out of their way to make sure you have an amazing trip – both on the game drives, where they would track footprints and go cross country so we could see an elusive animal, and at the lodge, where your every wish was met.
One interesting fact we learned is there are three groups of animals to “find.” The one everyone knows is “The Big Five,” which consists of majestic creatures like lions, elephants, rhinos, Cape buffalos, and leopards. These animals were specifically chosen for this group because of their reputation as challenging targets for hunters. Additionally, there is a category known as “The Small Five,” consisting of tortoises, birds, mammals, and insects. Lastly, there is “The Ugly Five,” which is comprised of the warthog, hyena, vulture, Maribou stork, and wildebeest. We saw all of the Big Five, all but one of the Ugly Five (didn’t see the stork), and a few of the Small Five. We also saw hippos, crocodiles, lots of Kudu and eland and other antelope-type animals, giraffes, zebra, ostrich, and more. We even saw a cheetah as we were leaving the last camp for the airport – a very rare sighting! Each of these animals has unique characteristics that make them noteworthy in their own right. It was truly a remarkable experience to witness the diversity and beauty of these magnificent creatures during our journey.
After an extremely maddening travel experience to get to Africa (just typing that made my BP spike!), we finally made it to Cape Town and proceeded to truly enjoy our trip. Our first stop was Franschhoek, a small winery town that reminded us A LOT of Napa. Cute little town that we really didn’t get to enjoy cause it was 11:30 p.m when we arrived. We checked into the stunning Leeu House Estates (garden pic below) and went straight to bed.
Day 2 dawned with a pickup from a lovely man named Ian, who was to be our guide for the next two days. Just a word here about Ian – he turned around the bad experience we’d had getting to the country and made our first two days a fantastic experience. He was knowledgeable, funny, patient, kind, and proud of his country – a winning combination. Our first day was a wine tour, and we enjoyed the wines, food, and views at two wineries in the Stellenbosch area. It was a beautiful day, and we loved every minute of it. Ian dropped us at our Cape Town hotel and we wandered to a local restaurant he recommended for game meat – and then didn’t eat any!
Day 3 was all about Cape Town – Table Mountain, Signal Hill, a beautiful row of really old houses that signify the tribal culture that is still a part of Cape Town, down to the Cape of Good Hope, and then to Boulders Beach to see the penguins. After a late lunch, Ian dropped us back at the hotel, and we once again wandered around for dinner.
Cape Town is a beautiful city and not what you expect when you think of Africa. It’s lush and green, with manicured common areas and an abundance of trees. And it’s surrounded by mountains, which we did not expect (our assumption being that Africa is flat.
The Biker's Wife 