Best Of
Re: On the road again. Final Update 8/25/2024
Great trip report. Your pictures are amazing.
Re: Clothing for Victoria Falls
I am literally and physically here now in Livingstone. It is August and it is the dry season and very hot. The falls are not intense this time of year and a poncho or waterproof shoes are hardly necessary. No one had them on. I wore a t-shirt and sturdy tennis shoes.
Re: Tour Director Tipping
It’s extremely difficult to cash a check from another country and can cost you about $30 to do it. Even more if it is not in the same currency as the country you have to cash it in. Believe me, I know.
British
Re: Clothing for Victoria Falls
When we went in 2019 there was a local vendor at the Falls who provided ponchos and footware. He had many bins filled with different size Crocs (enough to outfit two or three groups) . We left our touring shoes and socks in cubbies there. Tauck paid the rental fee.
If you are thinking of taking photos, make sure your camera is waterproof or you have a waterproof pouch for your iPhone!!! I used a GoPro, but the spray was so strong that day, droplets of water quickly clouded the lens!!!
Our TD, Eric, and local guide.
"Excuse me, ma'am, can I stand on your head to warm my tummy and watch for nasty predators? Fleece lined ponchos were needed on this cold morning.
AlanS
Re: On the road again. Final Update 8/25/2024
A few more pics.
In addition to the Pipe Springs Mormon site we also stopped at an interesting private little museum. The owner of the Anasazi Museum gave us a detailed rundown of the many interesting and unique Southwest Native American items he had collected over his lifetime.
Of note, during this stop- no cloning and no mirrors were used, but we crossed paths with another identical Tauck motor coach from a different tour.
What I didn't know at the time, so missed an opportunity to photograph both together, was that our driver was the daughter of the driver of the other Tauck bus!
The Pipe Springs National Monument Mormon "ranch" was staged with furniture and items from the period (mid-late 1800's). It was also the site of the first telegraph in that region.
Lunch stop:
There was no hint or warning other than signs that we were approaching the Grand Canyon until we actually saw it. You don't get a true sense of its size from most of the overlooks either.
I got one photo when we stopped but It was basically impossible to take photos from horseback (muleback) during our Rim Trail ride. You were not permitted to carry any bags during the ride.
Our flightseeing from Kanab to Boulder City was awesome but, believe it or not, all too brief. At times, it was impossible to see the Colorado River unless you were flying right over it.
The South Rim Park area was visible off in the distance- it had a lot more buildings and I'm sure people than the North Rim!!!
All too soon we arrived over Lake Mead and Hoover Dam where our pilot made two circles overhead so we could take photos. The water level was still down, but not nearly as much as I've seen in other photos.
AlanS
Re: Any alternatives to the Komodo Dragon day?
Komodo dragons tomorrow. Here’s the view from our room on Flores Island.
Re: Turkey Land Tour recommendation
Tauck cancelled my land tour to Turkey about a month before it was scheduled to start in 2016. I kept hoping that they would reinstate the land tour, but they haven't. I almost booked the A&K tour, but then saw the one offered by Smithsonian Journeys, and will be taking it this fall. I preferred their itinerary (with the Cappadocia extension) to A&K's. It does involve a lot of driving, but I like to see the countryside. I learned that Smithsonian contracts with Odysseys Unlimited to do the actual touring. Odysseys does a lot of college alumni trips. I'll see how it goes!
MCD
Re: Turkey Land Tour recommendation
We've done 10 Tauck tours. Only once did someone request to sit up front at all times because of "headaches". No one accommodated that person. We don't care too much about food details on the trips because we can always find our own food experiences. What gives us a great deal of confidence about Tauck is their agility on the ground and extensive network of operations. One time we got to the Postojna caves in Slovenia, about to start our private tour, when a United Nations bus of officials pulled up next to us. We got to go in first! (The Odysseys Unlimited group had to wait.) Also think about this: All the Tauckers who got safely out of Israel in October.
You need quite a network for that.
Wan