Just Returned from Zambia, Botswana and South Africa
The trip was fantastic as are most Tauck trips. Our first game sightings were at the Royal Livingstone with giraffes, zebras, baboons and impalas just outside your porch. You can walk to the falls from the resort. One couple got transportation to the Zimbabwe side and said the water was more plentiful there. The falls are low now as they are normally this time of year. Dress at the resort was very casual. We came in early and had lunch at the Elephant Café. We highly recommend it as it gives you an up close experience with the elephants and you’ll have the best meal of your trip here. Transportation between camps on the Cessna Caravans was flawless, normally 50 minutes for each trip. Each camp will do your laundry so pack accordingly. You drop it off the first evening and you’ll have it back by dinner the following evening. There was no concern about plastic bags in Botswana. Our weather was fantastic everywhere including Cape Town. Temperatures were between 52º and 92º in Botswana and 45º to 80º in Cape Town. Two men wore shorts the entire time although others were bundled up on the early morning game drives so gloves, scarves and hats may be needed. Blankets were provided each morning. You will want a bandana or some sort of head wrap for the ATV ride as it gets quite dusty on the trail. The One and Only Resort was fabulous. Although an upscale property, dress was casual. No sport coats required. Have a great time. Pula!
Comments
Do you mean you had no concerns about plastic bags? Because they are banned, so it’s risky taking them.
Essentially the ban means:
No plastic bags packed in both your hand luggage and checked-in luggage,
No duty free bags to be brought on your arrival
All kinds of plastic bags, basically!!
It is possible, your luggage may be searched on arrival and any kind of single use shopping bag or Ziploc bags will be taken away, so as advised, it is best not to travel with any plastic bags at all.
The above is from a major African safari company.
On our recent K and T tour, Tauck gave very specific warnings about taking plastic bags. We’ve been to Botswana twice. We don’t take a risk for something as easy to do as this.
I am currently on this fabulous trip. We also went big the Elephant Cafe yesterday. The above description from “Viper” is accurate. Our official welcome dinner starts tonight. We arrived two days early. Mosquitos have a love affair with me, and I am doing my best with insect repellent.
Are they holding the welcome dinner on the train any more?
Alan - we were there in June. Very nice sunset welcome cocktail reception overlooking the River and dinner on the lawn at the Royal Livingstone.
Viper: Were you on the fourteen passenger Caravans (the East Africa configuration) or did you have a more reasonable seating arrangement? I believe entrance and egress from the fourteen passenger configuration is a problem.
We ate on the train during our visit, and the service was so slow we all left before the desert course and walked back to the hotel. That may be whey the dinner is now at the hotel.
Dinner and cocktails tonight was watching a spectacular sunset alongside the Zambezi River. It was perfect and the service was not slow at all. It was timed perfectly. I did excuse myself early from dinner since I wasn’t in the dessert frame of mind tonight. If I were to have dessert every single night, I would have to purchase new clothes in the next size up.
Our jeeps seated 8 but since we traveled with only 18 of us and there were at least three jeeps in each camp, we could spread out a bit and were very comfortable.
Sorry. If you were responding to my question Viper, it was about the Cessna Caravans, not the jeeps.
The train was neat- started in downtown Livingstone at the Train Museum, traveled to and stopped almost in the middle of the Zambezi River bridge where we could get out, walk around, view the falls, and also take a brief tour of the steam engine (and blow the steam whistle). Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres were served enroute. Dinner was served when the train was on the bridge or on the way back to town (?). The food was Ok, but the white linen tablecloth and period woodwork, upholstery, lamps, etc. in the dining car and Pullmans, made for the most memorable Tauck welcome dinner we have experienced (unless you prefer a piper and Robert Burns' Address to a Haggis on E,S,W
) According to Google, it appears the train still runs dinner excursions but not every day. And it is a bit expensive.
I agree that the train was a unique experience, but twe were only a small part of the entire clientele at dinner. It was really slow, and we had an early wake up, so the TD suggested that we retire and all agreed that was a good idea.
Sorry Sealord, yes they are still using the Caravans. It is a tight squeeze to get seated.
So it looks as if Tauck have taken another good thing off a tour!
Viper- appreciate the info, as we are looking into this adventure. do you have any animal photos to share ? Anyone have any preferred flights into Livingstone ( from Atlanta ) ? Would late June be a good time for this trip ?
In June I think there is less chance for you to be able to experience the sleeping in the Kalahari because of maybe still having surface water there. It’s one of our favorite Tauck experiences.
Regarding the plastic bag ban: Yes, it it is a rule for Botswana not to bring one-time use plastic bags in your duffle or carry-on. I’m currently on this tour while posting and our tour director stated earlier that he uses zip lock bags for his belongings! This is certainly conflicting information.
This is nearly identical to what we flew to B,SA,Z several years ago, except we needed feeder flights from our local airport to ATL.
Delta non-stop ATL to JNB. Dep ATL 9:30 pm on an A350-900; arrives JNB 7:00 pm local (we spent the night at the airport Intercontinental- nice hotel just outside terminal- 2 min. walk) then late the next morning departed JNB on Airlink (a regional carrier but same Delta PNR) at 11:00 am, flew non-stop and arrived LVI at 12:45 pm. Return departs CPT at 9:30 pm, flies direct CPT to ATL, again on an A350-900 and arrives ATL at 7:35 am.
Pretty simple and direct, avoids layovers, plane changes, etc. at Heathrow, Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfort and other euro airports. Overnight rest in JNB was our first ever overnight layover- but was most welcome and won't be our last. We were rested and ready to start pre-tour activities as soon as we arrived in Livingstone, which we did with afternoon microlight flights over the falls and river.
We went 25 May - 5 June and the Makgadikgadi Pan was dry and fine for sleeping.
I'm currently packing for this trip! I'm very excited and feel quite prepared after scouring so many forum posts from everyone over the years. Thanks to all of you-- and to you for your recent post, Viper. I've got the Elephant Cafe, a microlight flight, and a spa service booked for the beginning, and a photography tour plus plans for the Kirstenbosch Gardens in Cape Town at the end.
I'm hoping the guides are patient with us on the ATVs since I've never driven one before, but rode with my husband on one after the Mexican attendant gave about 15 seconds of instructions on how to operate the darn thing. (I'm thinking MIL didn't have the best experience with that, but hoping hers was atypical.)
OK, time for me to get off the computer and back to packing!!
When we took the ATV ride, I decided to ride with my husband so he wouldn’t be worrying about me if I went on my own. Several people do that and I found it fun that way.
@British I would take that approach for sure, but DH is staying behind this time because the timing just didn't work out.
How did you book your reservation for the Elephant Cafe? I tried but was told you need 3 people to book
Don’t worry if you can’t do the cafe, you will see hundreds of elephants and on every AFRICA tour I’ve been on they get very close like on our most recent tour
AlanS - thx for flight ideas. those work well, as we start at TYS (Knoxville) to ATL. Great photos by British ! thx to all.
You are welcome. We started at RDU.
Additional notes- If anyone plans to take the microlight flight over the falls, the cost for the photos was extra. I don't remember how much, but it was worth it to us. It was fantastic and much better than a helo flight IMHO!!! We took the long version- it flies up river for about 15 additional minutes. Still photos were taken with a wing-mounted GoPro set to take an exposure every few seconds. To make sure you get a photo of yourself waving, you must look and wave at the camera and hold that pose for 5- 10 seconds.
The pilot will position the plane and let you know when are the best times. You are not allowed to take anything of your own on the flight- no lose clothing like a scarf, bags, cameras, etc.- they don't want anything to come lose that could damage the propellor. They give you an SD card or thumb drive at the end. Have a great trip
I just checked my photos when we were with the Meerkats and sleeping out on the Pan in 2016
I can see when we were on the ATV’s which must have been in the evening just before sunset and I’m just wearing a long sleeved T shirt. The night before in the tent, it was very hot, The date says September 24th. I think we had more normal weather then.
No one slept outside on the Pans last night. It was much too windy. I thought our glamping tent would blow away! We did see the Meercats in the late afternoon.
I’m interested in going on Safari. I suffer severely from mosquitoes. Unfortunately they love me and the after affects can last for weeks-months. Should I just forget about Safaris?
No, but use all precautions. Spray your clothing with Premethrin, cover up with long sleeves and pants. Use Deet in exposed areas of your body and take Malaria meds.
Mosquitoes love me too, but in five trips to Africa I have never had a problem. Follow British’s instructions. She knows her stuff.