Just returned from the tour June 25th!
We just returned last Tuesday, June 25th, from this tour, so here are a few observations & suggestions. Keep in mind that we toured in June during their winter season.
If you love animals, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, friendly people, and being well taken care of, you need to sign up for this tour NOW! It's amazing, a trip of a lifetime. My wife and I enjoyed Tauck's Tanzania tour in 2007 so much, we knew we'd have to go back to Africa. This tour far exceeded our expectations. Each day was better than the day before.
When you read on the posts that it is cold, trust the post. It is very cold in the evenings and for the early morning game drives. On our tour, I would guess upper 30s to low 40s F. The game drive vehicles were stocked with fleece lined ponchos, and sometimes had hand warmers, but you do need to dress in layers for changing conditions throughout the day. I dressed in layers and took a fleece hoodie, and it worked out well. It gets warm later in the day, as well. We had nice weather for our tour and hope everyone else does as well.
You absolutely, positively must provide proof of a Yellow Fever shot (or doctor's waiver) when leaving South Africa for Zambia. They do check them and you can't leave the country if you don't have it.
Internet - Wireless internet access was fine in Cape Town and Livingstone. Slightly slower but functional in Khwai. No electricity/internt at Camp Kalahari.
Adapters - We took South Africa adapter plugs (3 oversized prongs, not usually a part of kits for Europe and other parts of the world) which I found to be very inexpensive on Amazon.com. In fact, I found a double adapter (single plug which accommodates 2 input plugs) for about $6. The South Africa adapters worked in all 3 countries and all 4 sites. We also took along a universal plug but never had to use it. Also, the last site, Camp Kalahari, does not have electricity, but the central charging station met everyone's needs, and it was perfectly safe to leave electronics charging there.
Packing - We, and our fellow travelers we talked to, all overpacked. Remember that this is essentially a safari. A couple of business casual outfits will be just fine (nice slacks and a couple of tops for women - according to my wife - and a pair or two of slacks and 2 knit shirts for men). The welcome dinner and a couple of nights' meals in restaurants were the only times nicer clothing was required. Certainly not dressy for the farewell dinner - just safari clothes. We took bathing suits and shorts which never left the luggage.
Cameras - Don't even think about buying a new camera just before leaving for this tour. It's a photographer's dream, so you don't want to be trying to figure out your camera's settings and miss a great shot. Also, take along adequate batteries and charger. My wife took over 3 hours of video. I took 3300 pictures and don't regret a single one!
Dust wasn't the issue we had anticipated. It got a little dusty on the ATVs, but that meant we were following too closely. The real dust factor was simply walking to/from our tent at Camp Kalahari. Our shoes and pants cuffs got really dusty, but that's about it. We didn't have to deal with windy conditions that others have mentioned.
Duffels - The duffels Tauck provides are very adequate for the clothing needed for the 6 days. And reuniting with our luggage at Maun was no big deal. We moved one of our duffel's contents in to our luggage and checked the second duffel (We gave away the other to a baggage handler at the airport.).
Laundry is included in the price at Khwai and Camp Kalahari. We had ours done at Khwai and they did a really nice job. Left in the room before 9:00 am and back in the evening.
Surprise event - This was mentioned in another post. It really doesn't require any certain level of physical fitness, but it does require a sense of adventure. We recommend it highly...an amazing experience!
Have we sold you yet? This tour was so much more than we expected, and we can't say enough good things about it. (And no, we don't work for Tauck! haha)
If you love animals, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, friendly people, and being well taken care of, you need to sign up for this tour NOW! It's amazing, a trip of a lifetime. My wife and I enjoyed Tauck's Tanzania tour in 2007 so much, we knew we'd have to go back to Africa. This tour far exceeded our expectations. Each day was better than the day before.
When you read on the posts that it is cold, trust the post. It is very cold in the evenings and for the early morning game drives. On our tour, I would guess upper 30s to low 40s F. The game drive vehicles were stocked with fleece lined ponchos, and sometimes had hand warmers, but you do need to dress in layers for changing conditions throughout the day. I dressed in layers and took a fleece hoodie, and it worked out well. It gets warm later in the day, as well. We had nice weather for our tour and hope everyone else does as well.
You absolutely, positively must provide proof of a Yellow Fever shot (or doctor's waiver) when leaving South Africa for Zambia. They do check them and you can't leave the country if you don't have it.
Internet - Wireless internet access was fine in Cape Town and Livingstone. Slightly slower but functional in Khwai. No electricity/internt at Camp Kalahari.
Adapters - We took South Africa adapter plugs (3 oversized prongs, not usually a part of kits for Europe and other parts of the world) which I found to be very inexpensive on Amazon.com. In fact, I found a double adapter (single plug which accommodates 2 input plugs) for about $6. The South Africa adapters worked in all 3 countries and all 4 sites. We also took along a universal plug but never had to use it. Also, the last site, Camp Kalahari, does not have electricity, but the central charging station met everyone's needs, and it was perfectly safe to leave electronics charging there.
Packing - We, and our fellow travelers we talked to, all overpacked. Remember that this is essentially a safari. A couple of business casual outfits will be just fine (nice slacks and a couple of tops for women - according to my wife - and a pair or two of slacks and 2 knit shirts for men). The welcome dinner and a couple of nights' meals in restaurants were the only times nicer clothing was required. Certainly not dressy for the farewell dinner - just safari clothes. We took bathing suits and shorts which never left the luggage.
Cameras - Don't even think about buying a new camera just before leaving for this tour. It's a photographer's dream, so you don't want to be trying to figure out your camera's settings and miss a great shot. Also, take along adequate batteries and charger. My wife took over 3 hours of video. I took 3300 pictures and don't regret a single one!
Dust wasn't the issue we had anticipated. It got a little dusty on the ATVs, but that meant we were following too closely. The real dust factor was simply walking to/from our tent at Camp Kalahari. Our shoes and pants cuffs got really dusty, but that's about it. We didn't have to deal with windy conditions that others have mentioned.
Duffels - The duffels Tauck provides are very adequate for the clothing needed for the 6 days. And reuniting with our luggage at Maun was no big deal. We moved one of our duffel's contents in to our luggage and checked the second duffel (We gave away the other to a baggage handler at the airport.).
Laundry is included in the price at Khwai and Camp Kalahari. We had ours done at Khwai and they did a really nice job. Left in the room before 9:00 am and back in the evening.
Surprise event - This was mentioned in another post. It really doesn't require any certain level of physical fitness, but it does require a sense of adventure. We recommend it highly...an amazing experience!
Have we sold you yet? This tour was so much more than we expected, and we can't say enough good things about it. (And no, we don't work for Tauck! haha)
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Comments
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Glad you had a great time.
Best,
Emily