Spotlight on South Africa and Victoria Falls tour
Hi Everyone!
I first want to thank you for your input whenever I asked questions about traveling to Africa.
I just completed the Spotlight on South Africa and Victoria Falls tour. (Please note, this is the new tour, not the South Africa: An Elegant Adventure tour, that has been offered for years.)
Our tour guide was Mitchel Bloem and he was great! He’s from South Africa and has been with Tauck for a few years. He also leads the Elegant Adventure and a Botswana tour. We were a group of 17 people who all got along very well which made the trip extra special.
Mitchel did a What’s App group text and I liked that at the welcome dinner he took pics of all of us and put it in the chat with our names on the pictures. It made it easier to learn each other’s name and to address someone by name when you wanted to speak to them directly. I thought it was a great idea and obviously he had all of our permission to do this.
I know many people would recommend longer African tours, but I have to say for me, this one suited my needs and wants perfectly. I loved that we got City, Safari, then the Falls. We started in Cape Town, then we went to Kapama River Lodge in Hoedspruit, then on to Zimbabwe. I really loved the itinerary.
We were able to see the Big Five and what surprised me was the Lion was the most difficult to find, where the Leopard we all saw multiple times and the guide thought he would be the most difficult to see. We actually almost ended the tour w/out a Lion viewing, but on our last dinner at Kapama someone heard the Lion and we all jumped into our vehicles to go find him. Our vehicle had just pulled thru the gates of the lodge when our driver put the vehicle in reverse without a word and took off to where the other group had found him. We were all so thrilled and on such a high to end our night finally seeing the Lion. It really was amazing as were our Drivers and Trackers!!!
I would definitely recommend a neck gator. I thought we were getting one on the tour, but someone said Mitch told them there was a manufacturing issue, but I bought one at the store at Kapama so if they do not give them out on your tour, you can still get one. It’s fleece and I figured I could use it in the Winter at home and when I go to Antarctica in January with Tauck. A scarf works, too, but make sure it’s long enough to wrap around your face and neck.
I went in their Winter, so it definitely was chilly in the morning drives and got chilly in the evening drives. I brought a light rain jacket for the falls and wore that under my fleece jacket for the safaris. Gloves definitely were needed!! I wore a hat w/a brim, some wore baseball hats or knit ones. I wore mine at night as it helped with the cold air on my head. I also wore a 2nd pair of pants under my Columbia ones, so I’d recommend a base layer pant and top if you are going in the Winter. I have no idea if you would need it during other seasons.
Out of our 17, one person had a Digital EOS Camera that he used along with his cell phone. Another person had a small point and shoot camera, that she used along with her cell phone. The rest of us just used our phones. I think everyone had Iphones except for me. I used my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and received many compliments on the pictures that I took. I was so happy as I almost bought a new SLR camera before going but really didn’t want to add something else to carry.
The hotels we stayed at were all very nice and the people there super attentive and very helpful and kind. Many had massages at the Kapama resort, I did not, but they all loved them.
At the Falls, 2 people did the Helicopter ride ($210 a person) and the pics they got were amazing. On the ground it was pretty misty, but from the air her pics were so clear and beautiful.
After the Falls we went to the Elephant encounter, and it was so great. To see these huge animals up close and personal was such a highlight of the trip.
The travels days to get to and from South Africa were long, but so worth it. I have a lot of pictures to go through, but here’s just a few.
Comments
So happy you had a great time Kathy! Wonderful photos. The Galaxy phones do take amazing photos.
This is the Africa we know and love through Tauck! Amazing photos, so happy to hear your experience was the best ever!
Kathy - Great pictures. We had Mitchel Bloem as our tour director on the Elegant Adventure tour this past April. He is great.
Relative to the neck gator, I would concur, but in April it was for a different reason than warmth.
Some time on the safari drives just before sunset we would encounter some bugs. It was nice to have the gator to pull up over your nose and mouth. Since mine wasn't for warmth I appreciated it being a lightweight material. It was actually a Survivor TV show buff that we got in 2015 prior to our East Africa safari.
Absolutely excellent review.
Kathy - Great photos and review. Glad you had a great time. I loved the South African an Elegant adventure tour.