My husband and I returned from this tour about a week and a half ago. It was wonderful. We had a great group of 17 and an outstanding, veteran tour director. Previous tours we have taken include South Africa Elegant Adventure and Kenya and Tanzania. This tour was very active, varied and exhilarating.
Getting there: We flew United from Chicago to Newark to Johannesburg, where we spent the night at the Intercontinental Hotel. It was our understanding that we were supposed to claim our luggage in Joburg and recheck it the next day. After waiting for it to appear, we asked the United people, who told us the bags would be kept at the airport overnight. We were slightly nervous about that, but had been careful to refrain from packing anything enticing in the checked Tauck duffels. The Intercontinental is directly across from the terminal and worked out very well. The next morning we ate a very good breakfast at the hotel and went across to the teminal. Even though we had our boarding passes, we decided to go to the SA Airlink check-in counter to inquire about the checked bags. We were told that they were in the airport, but they needed to know the weight of each bag. We gave them that information, went through security and had a very smooth 11:00 a.m. flight on SA Airlink to Livingstone, where we arrived around
1:00 p.m. Upon arrival, we learned that 6 of our Tauck group had missed the flight because of a short connection time on British Airways. They did not arrive in Livingstone until the following day.
Weather was beautiful and the two of us had the boat ride to the Royal Livingstone dock. Lots of fun - hippos, crocodiles and a nice view of the spray from the falls. This was our gift of time night. We enjoyed walking the grounds, seeing the resident wildlife, and having a sundowner at the cocktail area on the river and then dinner at Kabu, the restaurant on the river. Beautiful hotel, lovely room and good food.
The next day (first day of tour), we walked to the falls and spent some time on a couple of trails that I assumed (correctly) we would not be taking with the group. The falls were flowing very strongly, although water levels are not high this year. We took the Photographic Hike, which skirts the gorge and goes almost to the bridge. Then we took the difficult Boiling Pot Hike down to the gorge. It was very rocky and wet in places and I don't recommend this hike for everyone. The views of the bridge and the so-called boiling pot, however, were fantastic. On our Elegant Adventure tour, we had taken a helicopter ride over the falls, so we did not need to repeat that experience. We had a light lunch at the hotel and then a much needed nap. That night, the group met for a cocktail reception next to the river, and a very good dinner on the lawn.
Day 2: Morning safari ride and then walk to see the mother and daughter Rhinos. Very nice cruise with lunch on the Zambezi River. Then, lots of fun with the group at Victoria Falls. We walked to the top of the trail where the water was flowing over the falls and then along the Knife Edge Bridge. We were given rain ponchos, which almost everyone wore, because there was a lot of spray. Still excellent views of the falls and some rainbows. We wore quick dry shorts that day and chose to walk back to the hotel rather than ride, as it helped dry us off. Hair dryers helped to dry our shoes. Included dinner at any one of the three hotel restaurants.
Day 3: Bus ride to Botswana border, easy entry. Then we had a boat safari and lunch on the Chobe River. One highlight was a group of elephants crossing the river directly in front of our boat. We then drove to the Kasane Airport and flew to Eagle Island Lodge. Great views of the Delta. We were picked up in safari vehicles and driven a short distance to a tree, where a female leopard was surveying her territory, and watched her for quite awhile. We later had a sundowner at the bar down by the water - beautiful. Lovely, spacious room and an excellent camp.
Day 4: Early morning game drive. Highlight was a pride of 9 lions. After and before lunch (depending on when scheduled), three at a time, we took a 30 minute helicopter rides over the Delta. It was wonderful. Later, the group was split into two. Half went on a walking safari. The other half went on mokoro rides. We had the later ride, which coincided with sunset and a herd of elephants that came down to the water for their evening refreshments. Then a sundowner and dinner. Great day.
Day 5: Morning excursion to local village, where we were shown around and had an opportunity to buy crafts. On the way back to the camp, we stopped to observe the female adult leopard, first on a branch, and then on the ground with her female cub. Around Noon, the group flew to Sanctuary Chief's Camp. This is truly a 5 star property. (Because of the closure of the second Belmond camp used by Tauck, this year the groups are staying at a handful of different camps). After lunch, we had an evening game drive. The highlight for me was wild dogs, and a sundowner. That night, lions could be heard roaring in the camp. I, of course, slept through it.
Day 6: Mornng game drive. Many animals - reminded me of the Serengeti, as we went to an area with a lot of water. Male lion, giraffes, large herds of elephants, buffalo, zebra, hippos many different types of antelopes, birds, etc. Great afternoon game drive - our guide was excited that we saw a Wild African Cat. Nice sundowner.
To be continued
