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South Africa an Elegant Adventure Review

JohnS

Preface
Our November 2021 Tauck South Africa an Elegant Adventure got off to a rocky start. We were scheduled to fly from Seattle to Cape town and arrive a day prior to the start of the tour. About 3 hours into our flight from Seattle to Amsterdam the Captain announced that we would be making an emergency landing in Detroit to fix a water pressure issue. After 3 hours in Detroit we were back toward Amsterdam. We landed in Amsterdam 2 hours past when our connecting flight to Cape Town departed. Overnight in Amsterdam provided by Delta/KLM. Next morning off to Cape Town. The problem…no direct flights to Cape Town so off to Johannesburg. The problem…no connecting flights to Cape Town until the following day. Overnight in Johannesburg. The next day early morning flight to Cape Town. Landed in Cape Town and was greeted by our driver. We were given the option to go directly to the hotel or join the tour directly which was on the second day. We chose to join the tour and have the driver take our luggage to the hotel. Now to the review.
Cape Town
We joined the group (11 people total) at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens toward the end of the guided tour and just in time for lunch at Mayo Restaurant. After lunch it was off to Table Mountain. The weather cooperated and we were glad to be able to get up to Table Mountain.

Later that evening it was a wine paring dinner at Constantia Wineland which we enjoyed and are glad we didn’t miss.

Next day it was a tour around Cape Point. Aside from seeing numerous wildlife I think the highlight of this tour was seeing the Penguins at Boulder Beach near Simon’s Town. This is where the Netflix show “Penguin Town” was filmed.

This evening was dinner on our own however the tour director arranged to have the welcome dinner provided for us at the hotel. The Cape Grace hotel was an excellent property.

Next day off to catch our flights to Kruger National Park and the Safari’s.

To be continued…

Comments

JohnS

Kruger National Park
After Landing at Skukuza airport we were transported to Lion Sands Game Reserve. The rooms at this property were very nice and the food was excellent. The highlight of this stay were the game drives and seeing the wildlife. The days here were very long…up at 5 AM dinner over at 9 to 9:30 PM. Since a picture is worth a thousand words (At least that is what they say) here are a few pictures from the game drives.

These guys were quite interested in getting into our room.

A monkey grooming ritual outside our room

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlI3PRbxJG4

Day 3 in Kruger we were transported to Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge. This was another excellent property with very good food. Again the highlights here were the game drives. More game drive pictures.

Although both lodges were excellent I felt the Lion Sands was better than Sabi Sabi as I felt it had more of a Safari feel to it.

Next it was off to Johannesburg

To be continued…

JohnS

Johannesburg
We were transported to Skukuza airport for our flight to Johannesburg. Upon arrival in Johannesburg we were transported to the Fairlawns Botique Hotel. My only complaint on this trip is about this property. The hotel itself is very nice. It is located in a suburban area of Johannesburg. Dinner the first night was provide by Tauck in the hotel. The food was good however the service was appalling at best. Service was extremely slow and wait staff were few and far between. We had wine and bottled water that were placed on a serving table. I had to get up several times to refill our water and wine. Everyone in the group had the same opinion about the service.

The next night it was dinner on our own. This is not a problem for us as we like to sample different restaurants when we travel. The problem here is that there is nothing within walking distance of the hotel. We asked at the front desk how could we get to some restaurants and the clerk told us our best bet is Uber. This conflicted with the information given to us that a shuttle would be available. We ended up eating cheese and crackers in our dark and dingy hotel room as I refused to go back to the hotel restaurant. We weren’t very hungry anyway.

The highlight of our Johannesburg was our tour to the Hector Pieterson Memorial in Soweto and Constitutional Court. We were given a talk by the sister of Hector Pierterson, Antoinette Sithole who is still around and was involved it the apartheid movement.

Next day off to Zimbabwe.
To be continued…

JohnS

Zimbabwe
We were transported to the airport for our flight to Victoria Falls. We were then transported to the Victoria Falls Hotel an old elegant hotel that is quite nice.
The next day we had a tour of Victoria Falls after our Covid tests required for entry back to South Africa and the US. The falls were not quite as high as some times, but they were spectacular none the less.

After Victoria Falls it was off to Elephant Camp where we had lunch and got up close and personal with the Elephants.

A warthog family near the entrance to Victoria Falls I thought was interesting.

Back to Hotel for the farewell dinner and next day home. Although a long 36 hour journey, we had no missed connections going home.

Any questions we will be happy to answer them.

kfnknfzk

JohnS,

Thank you for sharing your experience. The photos are amazing. I thought I could reach right through my screen and touch the wildlife. May I ask what you used to take the photos?

JohnS

kfnknfzk Thanks for your comment. Most of the photos were taken with a Nikon D500 with a Tamron 16-300 Zoom lens. Some of the photos were taken with a iPhone 12 Pro Max phone. I have a bunch of video also taken with the iPhone which I hope to compile and edit into a video review. This might take a while as I lack video editing skills and will need to get my son to help with that. I hope to post a link when this is done.

kfnknfzk

JohnS,

Thank you. You are a very accomplished photographer! I look forward to your video review.

British

John. We stayed in a different hotel In Johannesburg, it was in the middle of an upscale shopping center.
I assume that as SA has such a high rate of Covid, that just like here, staffing is an issue. Couldn’t you eat in the hotel? What did other people do? After about three days on a tour, we get overwhelmed by all the food, even though we love food. We sometimes skip on our own dinners for a light snack or for extra time to site see. We also often eat at the hotel instead of out at a restaurant for convenience.
It’s funny how we all like different things. The Victoria Falls hotel, some people on our did not like it and complained. For is it was such an examples of the colonial period down to the afternoon tea on the veranda. I thinkTauck have changed it to a different hotel next year.

JohnS

British. Yes we could have eaten in the hotel. That day we had a Tauck provided lunch which was at a Tapas style restaurant and an abundance of food was provided. It also ended about 2 or 2:30 PM so we weren't very hungry.

I am looking at the 2022 itinerary and it appears they are not using the Fairlawns Boutique Hotel but now using a hotel called 54 on Bath. I am wondering if other people complained about the Fairlawns and Tauck chose to change hotels in Johannesburg.

Both my wife and I liked the Victoria Falls Hotel and hope they do not change that.

This was our 6th Tauck trip and we have enough under our belt to know about the food. Sometimes toward the end of the trips eating actually becomes a painful experience.

maximgr

54 on Bath is the hotel they used prior to switching to Fairlawns recently. I wonder if they are truly switching back or have simply not updated the website for 2022 yet.

SueMS

We finally got our South African painting back from the framers (on the right in this photo).

British

Tinga Tinga style, we found similar art in Zanzibar. Fun!

JulieHen

Thank you for all the photos and info. John, do you think it’s safe to just travel with an iPhone 13 pro max?

JohnS

JulieHen
7:49AM
John, do you think it’s safe to just travel with an iPhone 13 pro max?

Julie

You will get good photos with an iPhone 13 pro max. My wife used an iPhone 12 pro max during this trip and got some very good photos. Most of my photos were with a SLR with a 16-300 zoom which I believe is the best for photographing wildlife.

I also used an iPhone 12 pro max for some supplemental photos and videos. I also used some external lens attachments and also used a film rig with the iPhone. You might want to look at some of those as they will add a good deal of versatility to your iPhone photography.

I explained some of my setup in a discussion a few months back which you can access here.

If you have any other questions, I would be happy to answer them.

SueMS

Julie, as John mentioned, I used my iPhone 12 Pro Max for all my photos.
Here is a sampling of them.

gladysorlando984

Great pictures

mil

Hello everyone... so my trip is only 2 days away...
and after a mayor/minor hiccup by Borrow Lenses , I finally got a lens today!

Hold your breath....

Initially, I had rented a Nikon 80-400mm to be deliver Friday the2nd.- well, on thursday at 6;30 pm I get an email saying there was a small delay due to the prior rental coming back from renter UPS late. So, my would be deliver on Sat.- the only problem, it was going to my work. So,I call Borrow Lenses ( I'm a client since 2010) and after massive Drama and some cursing ... I demmanded a lens deliver Sat. to my house before noon...

Hold your breath....
I got a lens-free shipping and 30% disct. final cost by 10:57 am. ME HAPPY!!

Hold your breath...
I got a Tamron 150-600mm G2 ... quality of the image is AMAZING! and I will keep it even @ 4.44lb. weight
here is the beast!

So, next move..... AMAZON!!!!!!!!!!!! uncle Bezos to the rescue

Back Brace by Sparthos - Immediate Relief from Back Pain, Herniated Disc, Sciatica, Scoliosis and more! - Breathable Mesh Design with Lumbar Pad- Adjustable Support Straps- Lower Back Belt-.

P.S : girl has to do, what she's determined to do....
ow, going to get my mani/pedi done.

AlanS.. cannot wait for your coment, Yes! I'm crazy.

JohnS

Mil - My recommendation would be to take a monopod to help hold this thing up. (or maybe hire a couple of Sherpas to do it )

Smiling Sam

Mil - I agree with JohnS. You might be the first photographer that has a lens that is 1/2 as tall as they are.

You're going have to have your own safari vehicle just to fit your lens into it.

mil

It's huuuuuuge... I know and I was thinking on returning it, but when I saw the quality of the images.. I got sold out.
It those fit in my carry on and also in my hand bag, so I should be okay!

AlanS

My recommendation is to get your very own porter to carry that beast!! I know someone who is available on short notice (he might need to get permission from his wife first.)

Actually, JohnS has an excellent suggestion. You just need a collapsible pole (monopod), possibly, one with a swivel head and standard 1/4-20 threaded tripod fitting on top. It looks like they sent you the Arca-Swiss type quick-release tripod interface which has two places to attach the pole- pick the one that balances the whole assembly the best.

I know you are very comfortable with your camera because you take great photos, but I would review that lenses 3 stabilization modes so you know when and how to use each one. Also, since you are probably already packed, spend the remainder of today and all of tomorrow practicing and getting used to hefting and handling that monster. See how motion affects photos of distant subjects.

Oh, I hope you got Borrow Lenses' insurance- that beauty runs around $1200 at B&H.

Have a great trip!!

British

Wow, can’t wait to see your photos

mil

AlanS, cathyandsteve hi!
the image stabilization is amazing, it's one of the most impressive features mentioned in the reviews by many wildlife photographers... and it also has the Arca-Swiss type quick-release , so that's good and even at 4.4lb it's considered light weight.... maybe for a giant

Cathy my camera body it's a Nikon D5600

AlanS do you know the wife of the recommended deadhead? I could talk to Delta to get him a charter plane ....
The Monopod it's a great idea for a photographic type of safari, but since we are going to be on the move.. it is better just hand handle and just used a ricebag as support on the Jeep.
Yes, I do rent with the insurance included- just for peace of mind. I will practice this weekend, flying out Monday. No, I have not done the final packing! I will have to redo everything again for the 7th time... I'm going to take a bunch of stuff out and do like everyone does.. repeat outfits.
I still refuse to do laundry.
Thanks everyone, have a great weekend.

mil

British, Hello dear.
Yes, I cannot wait to be in action.. I just hope they come out as good as I picture them to be. -
I will send you some ASAP.
Have a great weekend.

mil

Thank you Cathy, I'm sure it will be all I dream of, to start it is Africa... and only those of us, that have been there know how magical it is.. so that's great , but I also think you make of your experience what you want it to be and being positive,humble and open minded is the key.
I also got great info. and inspiration of all you guys, so this trip it's a winner!
Yes, 2 years waiting to go back .. is too long, but I will enjoy it even more and with LadyBombay who is also going, it's going to be lots of fun..
I just did my check in- now I'm making sure all my documentation is ready!
I'll report as I can.
Go Siame!

Smiling Sam

Mil - The good thing about your new camera lens is that you'll still be able to take pictures of your house when you're in South Africa.

Have a good trip.

MikeHenderson

Mil, you sound like you're pretty experienced with digital cameras, but I'll mention the camera I use, and why I chose it.

All cameras are tradeoffs and we choose a camera that best meets our needs for the images we want to produce. I mostly put my pictures on the Internet so extremely high resolution is not important to me - I mostly reduce the size of the images I take. My requirements in a camera are that it be small and lightweight, while having a good reach and reasonable resolution.

The imager size generally is related to noise in low light conditions. For equal resolution, a larger imager will have larger pixels, which allow more photons of light to strike the pixel during the time the shutter is open, leading to less noise in the image.

For daytime light conditions, almost any imager will produce a low noise image, however.

Smaller imagers generally lead to a smaller camera body, but the big advantage is in the lenses. You have an APS-C camera which means the lens factor is 1.5. So a 400mm lens on your camera will give you the same image magnification as a 600mm lens on a 35mm full frame camera.

I've tried a number of cameras, including a Nikon APS-C camera, but finally settled on a 4/3rds camera, specifically the Olympus OM-D E-M1, Mark III. The lens factor of a 4/3rds camera is 2, so a 400mm lens on a 4/3rds camera will give you the same image magnification as an 800mm lens on a full frame camera. The normal resolution of the Olympus is 20MP, but it has a digital zoom function which will double the image magnification but, through some internal image processing, retains 20MP resolution. This does degrade the image a bit, but with a normal daylight image I can't really see the degradation.

I use an Olympus 12-200mm zoom, which is equivalent to a 24-400mm zoom on a 35mm camera. Then, with the digital teleconverter I can switch it to the equivalent of a 48-800mm zoom lens on a 35mm camera. The image stabilization is good enough that I can shoot at 800mm, handheld. The 12-200mm is not a really fast lens but Olympus offers a 50-200mm f-2.8 lens which is equivalent to a 100-400mm lens on a 35mm camera. You give up some of the close shots, which you can use your iPhone for, and get a faster long zoom.

The camera and lens weighs 2.5 pounds and is about 6.5 inches long with the lens installed. The camera, with the 12-200mm lens, is a bit on the expensive side.

Someone reading this may wonder how smartphones create such good, low noise, images even though the imagers are obviously quite small. They use a technique known as "computational photography". You can think of the smartphone as actually a video camera. To produce a still image, the smartphone takes a number of frames and mathematically combines them. You can think of this as equivalent to taking a longer time image, allowing more photons of light to strike each pixel. They do a lot more than that when processing the image and produce images with very good contrast and bright colors. It's pretty impressive. The place where smartphones fail is in telephoto images - they're just not very sharp or detailed. Apple is working to improve the telephoto images, specifically with a periscope lens. This lens doesn't stick out the back of the camera but uses a mirror behind the lens to reflect the light "sideways", thereby increasing the light path. Zoom lens elements are used in the "sideways" light path. May be available in the iPhone 14 or 15. Already available in a Samsung and a Huawei phone.

I'll add a diagram showing the different sizes of imagers in modern cameras.

mil

_MikeHenderson Hi.
Thanks for the info.- it's always appreciated- that's how we learn..
I would've preferred a smaller lens and of course lighter, but Borrow L. had a problem with my order and at this point I took anything!
I always believe things happen for a reason and for better. So, I'm grateful I have something and finally going on this trip.
But I also bought a back brace ...:) just in case .
I do use my iphone too, mostly for closer shots and as a backup. It's a good convbination
Okay Mike, I'm all set!
Let the adventure begin I'll be in Dubai for 3 days and then... on to Lusaka & finally Livingstone.
Africa, here I come.

Enjoy the rest of Labor Day weekend.

Go Siame.

OurTravels34

Mil, even though I don’t know you, I wish you an absolutely splendid time. Looking forward to hearing your commentary. Here’s to wanderlust.

mil

Thank you Ourtravels34
Im here in Dubai, got in yesterday 9/6 will be 2 more days and then to Lusaka -Linvingstone Zambia. Everything great , flight Emirates excellent and uneventfull. Today , some sightseeing and shopping .
HAve a great one.

mil

Yes!! I was able to post!