South Africa 2017 - Final Thoughts

[Cousin Orville]

Day 6 Knysna



We woke up to a beautiful day at the Conrad. I woke up early, and walked the grounds. That’s the Indian Ocean in the distance.

This morning we headed out on a cruise around the lagoon. Sadly, earlier this summer Kynsna was devastated by a fire. The area is known as the Garden Route of South Africa, and on prior ABD’s the morning activity included a hike on one of the hills. The area where the hike took place was completely burned. To replace that we took a cruise around the lagoon. We also had a good amount of time to shop in the area where we boarded the cruise.

This is the area where we were supposed to hike.

And you can see where the fire stopped here.

This is the end of the lagoon where it meets the Indian Ocean. No boats are allowed to travel between the lagoon and the ocean due to the dangerous waves.

After the cruise we headed back briefly to the hotel. Incidentally, the Conrad has a nice shop where I picked up a few cool gifts. That’s where I found the bracelet pictured earlier. We met back after an hour or two to head to the Knysna Elephant Park. The area around Knysna used to have many elephants. Now most (or all) of them are within the Park.

We took jeeps out into the park where we passed zebras and elephants and came to an area where we could feed the elephants. We were up on a raised platform for safety, but it was cool because we were eye to eye with the elephants. Our guide at the park gave us an overview and went over how to feed them. It was a wonderful experience. Really a highlight of the trip.

We were all given lots of fruit to feed them and opportunities to take pictures. Gorgeous animals. A bit slimy and snotty, but it was a fun experience. No worries, lots of soap, water, and hand sanitizers to get cleaned up with after.

On the way back to the main building we passed a family of zebras. You can tell by Mama’s belly that she’s pregnant again.

We had dinner at the Elephant Park. It was good. Nothing too exciting, but there was a good variety of food. Here’s one of the local beers they offered.

And home sweet home we went. Despite not being able to hike due to the fires, it was still a great day. And the Elephant park was absolutely amazing. Tomorrow we head up north to the game reserves.

 

[calypso726]

Oh my! The views and the pics are welcome wonderful! Thank you for sharing! Loving your TR!!!

 

[CaliKris]

Beautiful photos of the Indian Ocean! And you got to feed the elephants? Way cool! I am fascinated by those gentle giants!

 

[sayhello]

Feeding the elephants looks *so* cool! So sad about the fire. But glad you got an alternative activity.

Sayhello

 

[met19]

amazing photos as usual

 

[Cousin Orville]

Oh my! The views and the pics are welcome wonderful! Thank you for sharing! Loving your TR!!!

Thank you! Just doing my best to talk you into SA!

Beautiful photos of the Indian Ocean! And you got to feed the elephants? Way cool! I am fascinated by those gentle giants!

They are amazing, and this was a very safe way to be right up close with them. The caretakers were also so informative about the elephants.

Feeding the elephants looks *so* cool! So sad about the fire. But glad you got an alternative activity.

Sayhello

Yes, quite sad. Hopefully one day they'll be able to hike the area again.

amazing photos as usual

Thanks!

 

[Cousin Orville]

Day 7 Kapama



Today was the big day we flew up to Kapama game reserve! There’s no denying this is what draws everyone to Africa, and we were all very eagerly anticipating it. However, I can’t stress enough how important I think it is to see Cape Town, Stellenbosch, and Knysna. They are an important part of gaining a full experience of what South Africa is. The people, their history, and the geography have to be seen and experienced to be appreciated. Otherwise, Africa becomes a somewhat one dimensional country if all one sees are the Big 5 on game drives. Nevertheless, after spending 6+ days around the Cape Town and Knysna area, this ABD is about to build to a crescendo.



Despite how excited we all were to go to Kapama, I don’t think anyone was fully prepared for what they were about to see - what they were about to experience. I would imagine anyone who has gone to Africa can testify that it is magical. It is a transformative experience to see these African creatures in their natural habitats interacting with one another and with their environment. You get an amazing appreciation of the biodiversity of the region and the incredible wonder of the smallest to the largest creatures on this great planet earth. Talk about stretching way beyond my comfort zone - simply incredible.



We flew from George to Hoedspruit (pronounced “hoot-spray”) via Johannesburg. It was uneventful. There’s only 2 flights to Hoedspruit and we’re on the 2nd flight… and there’s tight connections. So, while I have no doubt it is nerve-racking for the guides, they never showed it, and for us it was stress-free. This is one of the pleasures of traveling and flying with ABD. As we flew into Hoedspruit, the landscape suddenly looked very “African” - what you have in your mind of an endless savannah. As we landed down the runway, Jennae shouted out “Warthogs on the left!” The airport is incredibly small. Basically a small building that has some bathrooms and a few seats. Once through the airport we immediately board the jeeps. It was about 6 people per jeep plus the ranger who drove the jeep and later the tracker who sits up front and does his magic.

We drove out of the airport, crossed a road and went directly into Kapama. The reserve is immense. After driving a mile or so we came to a fork in the road and the Ranger teased the kids saying he wasn’t sure how to get to the lodge. Which way should they go - left, right or straight? We chose to the right and away we went! From there we drove by red-billed hornbills (Zazu), tons of antelope, kudu, and even happened upon some giraffes. Keep your eyes peeled - on the way down the road one of our fellow guests called out a rhino and we immediately stopped and backed up. Sure enough, beyond the trees we saw Mama and Baby. They came out and walked right around us. By that time another jeep came over to see as well. Gorgeous creatures. Enough talk. Time for pictures.

Our Ranger sharing his knowledge of antelope dung…

and rhino dung…

It actually was fascinating how they could tell the different animal dung apart and even ID’ing it as male vs female. For example, male rhinos will kick their back feet up into in to spread it around as a territorial message to other rhinos. Females don’t.



The lodge itself is beautiful. We headed straight to the dining hall for lunch. It’s where many of the meals were served. The food was quite good. Not life changing, but there was always a great variety. It always changed. And, there was always wine that servers where happy to bring around. I enjoyed it. Forgive me, I’m sometimes not great at food pics, but just to give some basic idea of the set up:

After fully checking into our rooms, and resting for a bit, we gathered back in one of the lounges for our evening drive. The evening drive gave a whole other dimension to the savannah. The sun was getting close to setting gently for the day as we drove off.



We saw a few cool animals as we drove around for maybe 45 minutes and then all 4 jeeps met together for a “sun downer”. Basically, wine out in the Savannah while watching the sun set. There’s really no words that can express the emotion of it all. Simply powerful. When we were in Switzerland and saw the Matterhorn standing out against an adjacent mountain, it was the same feeling of nature at it’s finest and most powerful. It’s almost unbelievable that you’re there experiencing it all. Honestly even without the animals, the natural landscape and the setting of the sun, makes it worth the trip alone. It is magnificent. And the wine didn't hurt.

Once night fell, we continued on our drive this time with the tracker shining a spotlight around rapidly looking for the reflection of eyes in the distance. It almost seems like an impossible task, but he found something. When you go on these game drives, everyone knows about the “Big 5”: Rhinos, Elephants, Lions, Cape Buffalo, and the Leopard. It is very rare to see all 5. In fact, it’s pretty much a given that you won’t see all 5. And you won’t see a leopard - just to set realistic expectations. Except we did. Our tracker, Collen, found the leopard. It was a big deal. Huge. We were first on the scene, but when a leopard is spotted (hehe) the ranger calls out to all the other jeeps and soon enough the rest of our group came as well. It was really an adrenaline rush to see it. She sat there staring back at us. After a few minutes, she got up and walked through the bush and disappeared.

As we headed home excited, we happened upon 2 other rarities. 2 porcupines, apparently even a rarer find than a leopard, and a sleeping giraffe! Giraffe only sleep for 15 min a day, so it too was quite a find.

It was a magnificent day, and it was just the start. When I sit here at home thinking back at past ABD memories there’s a few that if I could snap my fingers and transport immediately back to, I would. Zermatt in Switzerland was one of those very special experiences. Seeing the Hong Kong and Shanghai skylines lit up at night for me would be up there as well. But an evening game drive in Kapama holds the top spot as one of the best ABD experiences ever.

 

[figment52]

WOW!!!

 

[sayhello]

Truly amazing!! Such wonderful photos!

Sayhello

 

[distravel]

Wow! Impressive night photos. May need to add this trip to our ever growing list.

 

[CaliKris]

I've been told that going to Africa is a life changing experience. I suppose you have to experience it yourself to truly understand, but your words give me some insight into the kind of powerful, moving place it is. I can't wait to book this trip. Your photos are amazing as always!

How cold was it during the early morning and night game drives? Was the food always served buffet style at Kapama?

 

[Nhebron]

I am enjoying this trip report so much!

 

[calypso726]

Thank you! Just doing my best to talk you into SA!

Wow! Just, wow! The pictures are amazing and I so love how you are describing your experience. Spotting the leopard at night like that had to feel like ... gosh I have no words, but I get what you are trying to say. Those are the types of experiences that I love, moving and transformative. I was torn between ABD and perhaps another tour operator because I was mostly interested in the game drives and of course Victoria Falls. I am reallly glad that you explained not visiting Cape Town would make for an incomplete and one dimensional experience. You've convinced me to stick with ABD when we visit SA, which I'd lean towards anyhow but now I can stop second guessing myself. It will be for 2020 though since we did book Antarctica for my 50th. Awesome, awesome trip report!!!

 

[CaliKris]

It will be for 2020 though since we did book Antarctica for my 50th. Awesome, awesome trip report!!!

@calypso726 going to Antartica will be an amazing experience, for sure! I am curious, which company did you go with?

 

[Cousin Orville]

Thanks everyone!

I've been told that going to Africa is a life changing experience. I suppose you have to experience it yourself to truly understand, but your words give me some insight into the kind of powerful, moving place it is. I can't wait to book this trip. Your photos are amazing as always!

How cold was it during the early morning and night game drives? Was the food always served buffet style at Kapama?

You definitely want to bring a jacket for the morning and evening. It was cool enough, plus there was wind from riding in the jeep. By the afternoon, all jackets were off.

The food was mostly buffet style. I think there was one exception to this for the next night. It was pretty good for a buffet. You could also order most soft drinks and most common south african wines by the glass.

Wow! Just, wow! The pictures are amazing and I so love how you are describing your experience. Spotting the leopard at night like that had to feel like ... gosh I have no words, but I get what you are trying to say. Those are the types of experiences that I love, moving and transformative. I was torn between ABD and perhaps another tour operator because I was mostly interested in the game drives and of course Victoria Falls. I am reallly glad that you explained not visiting Cape Town would make for an incomplete and one dimensional experience. You've convinced me to stick with ABD when we visit SA, which I'd lean towards anyhow but now I can stop second guessing myself. It will be for 2020 though since we did book Antarctica for my 50th. Awesome, awesome trip report!!!

Victoria Falls is pretty much a must do for me. I think ABD should offer a post trip or extend their trip to include Vic Falls. I'll be sure to post those days as well.

Excited about your trip to Antarctica! I really want to do that too. Probably in the next 5-10 yrs once all my kids are old enough.

 

[calypso726]

@calypso726 going to Antartica will be an amazing experience, for sure! I am curious, which company did you go with?

Victoria Falls is pretty much a must do for me. I think ABD should offer a post trip or extend their trip to include Vic Falls. I'll be sure to post those days as well.

Excited about your trip to Antarctica! I really want to do that too. Probably in the next 5-10 yrs once all my kids are old enough.

After reading through Cruise Critic, TripAdvisor etc. I went with Lindblad/NatGeo and chose the sailing on the Orion. There were plenty of options in terms of operators and ships but I chose based on size and type of ship combined with the type of experience I wanted.

I do hope ABD does offer that as a post trip down the line. I am looking forward to the rest of your TR and so glad you will be adding VF too!

 

[CaliKris]

Thanks, @calypso726!! I have heard great things about Lindblad from others who have sailed with them to the Galapagos Islands. We were thinking about them as well for Antarctica, but it probably won't be until 2020 or after. Too many places to see, too little vacation time...sigh.

 

[met19]

OMG. I need to go......oh well. 2019 or 20.....2018 trips already planned....

 

[Chirple]

This trip report served as a reminder for me to tell my husband that South Africa is a must for me. What an incredible experience!

 

[acndis]

Amazing! That leopard photo was unreal. I have heard from so many that this is 'the trip.' Can't wait to hear about Victoria Falls.