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SEVEN TAUCK TOURS
I will be going on my 8th TAUCK tour in October. 14 day Portugal & Spain.
Have several videos - All on my YouTube channel. Hawaii, Alaska, African safari, Alaska, croatia & Venice, Yellowstone, Yosemite!
https://youtube.com/user/inky2034
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One of my favorites
https://youtu.be/vOoK_SITzpY
My second favorite
https://youtu.be/P-66TuPatWw
JoWeber Hi.
I've seen your videos before you post them.. they are great, always with a smile ! :0
I would like to ask you a question, if I may... I'm going to do the B,Z and Cape tour you did, what lens did you used?
It also looks like water @ the falls was still good, where you on the Zambia side or Zimbabwe?
Did you had a chance to see a lot of elephants @ the Chobe River? do they spend enough time cruising the river?
Did you enjoyed the whale Watching tour ( are the seals while on tour with the whale watching company? , I'm doing it too
Last question did Tauck offer you to choose between seeing the Penguins or the seals?
Please advise.
Thank you.
Mil.
Great videos
I used a 16-300 on a sony body.....was going to rent a big lens but decided not to...the animals are all so close. yes on the chobe elephants everywhere we were on the chobe 2-3 hours non stop animals....I don't understand the questions of penguins or the seals.....where? when do you go?
Hi JoWeber thanks for your reply.- I haven't gone yet, my trip is next Sept. 2022.
The question about the penguins is , if you saw them with Tauck or did you visit them . I was told Tauck would give us the choice of penguins or seals at Cape Town... but,I have booked the whale watching on my post tour day... so, now it will be what ever Tauck selects.
I'm taking with me a 80-400 lens, it's probably too much but I wanted to make sure I get the shots I wants.
Thanks again, Happy 4th,
There will be times u can use the 400 power. I just bought a brand new camera!
400 distance . Yes, I’m taking the 80-400mm it’s a great med. lens , heavy but sharp images .thanks
Mil, the choice- seals or penguins, must be new or a substitute if the weather is bad and seas rough. We followed the Day 11 itinerary exactly as published on the website, there were no choices:
"Seal Island eco-tour & the Cape of Good Hope.
This morning, arrive at Cape Point Nature Reserve – home to antelope, zebra, ostrich, baboons, and breathtaking seascapes; later, a funicular will carry you up to the Old Lighthouse that watches over the ironically-named Cape of Good Hope – the Portuguese explorer who first navigated these treacherous waters where two oceans converge originally named it "the Cape of Storms," a warning validated by the many shipwrecks strewn along its coast. Following lunch overlooking False Bay, set sail for an eco-tour to Seal Island, a rock off the coast that is home to thousands of fur seals and other diverse wildlife including great white sharks that may visit adjacent waters throughout the year. Join us this evening for a farewell reception followed by dinner in the hotel's signature restaurant."
We were there in early June (their winter). We rode a bus along the west coast of Cape Peninsula, stopped for a few photo ops including at the Cape of Good Hope, itself, then drove through the nearby Cape Point Nature Reserve but hardly saw any animals- at least none up close. It was not much of a "reserve". A little further on is the old Cape Point lighthouse. We rode a short funicular then climbed stairs to the lighthouse which is not open to tourists. We ate lunch at a restaurant adjacent to the bus park. After lunch the bus proceeded up the east side of the Peninsula to Simon Town where we boarded a very small fishing / diving w/sharks cage / tour boat. It was a bit rough and there was some rain and spray, so some of us, who didn't get the few seats inside the open-backed cabin, got a little wet.
Note: you can see all of this on Google Maps.
Seal Island is about 10 mi. N.E. from Simon Town, out in False Bay and it took about 45 min. or so to get there. The island is a small, low, flat, treeless, rocky outcropping covered and surrounded by bazillion seals, sea birds, and a few penguins. It was a bit rough so the boat had to go slow and couldn't get too close, but the seals churned up the water and came very close to the boat. The motion of the boat and speed of the seals made it hard to get good photos, especially of seals in the water. Supposedly there is a beach or other place on shore not far from Simon Town where there are Penguins, but we didn't have the opportunity to go there.
The view looking westward from the lighthouse at Diaz Beach and the Cape of Good Hope
Look closely and you will see a penguin in the center of the photo.
As I mentioned previously- you'll get your best view of penguins at the aquarium!
Hey AlanS
, I can always count on you .. my friend. First let me tell you I fully enjoyed the pictures and love the last one, the Penguin. 
and that will complete my Cape Town experience...
Hi
I'll go to the aquarium too, just in case...
So, comparing my day 11th and beside the Blah Blah Blah...it is actually the same.
So, I will book Boulder beach and the Penguins with the same people that are taking me to the whale watching.
That's why I love traveling on my own.. I can book and see things on my own pace and interest.
Thanks again for the info. Hope you're doing well.... I've been super busy at work and getting home late... I'm at 54 days today, still too long.
Take care.
Just think of all the rest you will get on tour!
NOT!!
Yes, Alan is correct. On our tour, it was too rough to do the boat ride, so they took us to the penguins instead. That was the second time off us and we were happy to go again, we’ve seen seal islands before off the Skeleton coast in Namibia and seals on every continent we have been to, you soon learn how smelly it is. Yes, penguins on a gorgeous sandy beach with big rocky outcrops in Simon’s Town is lovely.
Just think of all the rest you will get on tour!
:D:DNOT!!.., you are right AlanS no, rest for this one.. I do that at home. The world is too precious and has to many beautiful things to see,I'll sleep in the plane. 
) 
British, I'll cross my fingers.. if at the end I don't see the Penguins, I will have to go back to Cape or even better plan my adventure to Antarctica.
mil - They have Penguins in the Galapagos as well. Getting to the viewing area in the Galapagos is much easier and cheaper than getting to the viewing area in Antarctica.
They have penguins in New Zealand too
I just booked a stop at the Bettys Bay to see them.. on my way back from Whale Watching at Hermanus.
One of the many “South Africa, An Elegant Adventure” highlights for me was fun Boulder Beach. I would gladly return there if Tauck deems the water too rough for a seal watching party.
PS. Sorry you have to stand on your head to view my pics
Your pictures are wonderful!
Yes, you are correct, it’s beautiful there
When I took the South Africa and Elegant Adventure tour there was no choice of seals or penguins, we visited the penguins.
LB your pictures are lovely....
gladysorlando984 HI.
That's what drives me nuts about the itinerary... a lot of blah blah blah, but nothing specific.- I know it has to do with the weather but still annoying.
mil - I totally agree.
Yes, I’ve taken both tours, the Elegant is just penguins. Mil, I recommend both tours anyway and then you get to see even more of CapeTown which you will love. Plus the Cape Grace hotel there is wonderful.
British, I could not agree more.