Our small tour began as we stepped on a disinfecting mat before entering the farm building with the guide.  She introduced us to the world of the ostrich – the feathers, eggs and breeding information.  Sadly no eggs were hatching this day so we left to walk the grounds, again stepping on a disinfecting mat to ensure we didn’t bring anything onto the farm to infect the animails.   If you knew nothing of the ostrich like me, well, after this you knew almost everything (until the next tourist site overwrote the info in your head).  The birds are oddly interesting – they can run up to 43 mph, live up to 40 years and don’t hide their heads in the sand when hiding.   It was fascinating to watch them move and interact with each other.

While the female lays the eggs, it is the male ostrich that sat on them this day and watched them (good shared responsibilities for the parents).  As it had rained, the grounds were muddy and still wet so the ostrich riding/racing was canceled. Visitors are encouraged to hop on an ostrich and have races against each other.  The birds don’t seem that strong to hold an adult, yet they do – I would think it’s fun for children to do. Even if the weather were good, I was too heavy to ride an ostrich (there is a weight limit of 75 kilo – all those cookies I eat!) but even if I could ride one, I would have declined as I was having issues with this whole concept – I think because the birds seemed so fragile unlike riding an elephant, horse or camel.

After the breeding area, we settled into a nice pace of discovering all the different types of ostrich from around the world (plus an Emu) who live at the farm for the “show and tell”.  They were kinda cute in a balding fuzzy way – their craned necks went up and down as the body moved along with them – they seem so oddly disconnected in a weirdly graceful way.

We had a bit of fun standing on an ostrich egg (quite large and sturdy holding up to 120 kilo) for the required photo opportunity before retiring to the dining room for lunch.

Before we arrived, we were told that lunch was included in our visit, did we want to order Ostrich?  Wait, what?  I’m going to visit the farm and eat the fresh killed animals?  No thank you, I couldn’t do that – a restaurant far away from the animals is fine in my hypocritical world but there was too much guilt in person so I chose a toasted ham/cheese sandwich. Could you just have visited the fuzzy cuties above and then sit down to feast on them?  I couldn’t.  The rest of the room, however, was enjoying their ostrich meal.  After lunch, we wandered to the store to check it out – there were feather boas, purses/bags and many other ostrich products in a rainbow of color options, all quite expensive.  We would take only our photo memories with us from our visit.

The Ostrich farm was an interesting stop along the Garden Route as it gave me a glimpse into a different type of farming so important to this town in South Africa.  I didn’t buy the diamonds (in this case the Ostrich feather boa and handbag) on the tour stop but learned something new and that’s always priceless.  And seriously, how cute are those ostrich?

I love hotels and hate hotels at the same time.  When planning a trip as a solo traveler, there is no one to split the cost of the lodging so I need to be pretty particular when spending cash on lodging.  This is why I love my Starwood AMEX card as I can rack up points from daily spend and then use the points to offset hotel costs.  I’ve stayed in some amazing Starwood properties on points – looking out at the canal in Venice,  a corner suite in Istanbul, club level at the Westin Capetown and of course, Park Lane London, to name a few for under $150 + points per night.  Many of these properties easily go for $300-$400 a night (out of my budget range generally) so I’m more than happy with the various redemption options offered in the program.

There are many travelers that love the plane (first class/business class) experience, others who are foodies but I am a (boutique and luxury) hotel girl who loves a bit of pampering  such as room service, an onsite spa and a fantastic concierge team (this is my vacation right?). When I travel, there are many times when my hotel room is a haven so I need for it to make me happy if I am going to spend a lot of time there.  There are other hotels when I know I only need to sleep that I don’t mind missing all of the frills. So it definitely is a fine line to pick the right place for my stay – many questions to answer before I go.

I recognize that the hotel is key to many successful trips and because of this, for me, the hotel choice can be fraught with potential disappointment.  When I find a hotel I like, I tend to be loyal which sometimes is just my fear of having a bad experience elsewhere when I know the comfort of my favorite hotel.  While I know that there are many other lodging options that I’ve not tried such as hostels (damn scary movie) and backpacking (with size 11 shoes, backup snacks and contact lenses, I’d barely have room left in a backpack).  I am awe of those who successfully do this though), couch surfing and AirBnb (from my experience there are gems, duds and ones that send you to the E.R.) for now I stay close to the hotel model.  My solo travels have been centered around some pretty nice hotel experiences in the past few years due to loyalty points.  However, I have also had some incredible experiences at hotels that offer no points – they earned my loyalty with their service levels.

So a bit of context before we go back to the hotel safari tent and hotel planning…

Over the years, I have mixed chain hotels, local hotels, charming inns on my travels in order to make my budget go further.  On planning my safari, my whole “luxury hotel girl” was tested when the travel agent sent the “draft” 27 day safari itinerary.   She suggested my first stay in the Okavango Delta, Botswana would be in a safari tent for two nights – my first camping experience. I went back and forth with the travel agent that I didn’t think I could do it – stay in camp for two nights in a safari tent and using a bucket shower (I know I said that but it really was an issue for me when planning – fear of the unknown – it’s only two nights for goodness sake!) and wasn’t sure my first camping experience should be in Botswana.  Obviously, I didn’t think there would be a hotel in the middle of the Okavango Delta, however, I also hadn’t realized what I see in magazines was way out of my price range so I needed to rethink the experience and what I was going to do – how to get out of my comfort zone – way out (for me at least).

But let’s not get too excited that I would be down in the mud and really roughing it because as I learned on safari – a safari tent isn’t always quite a tent as we know it (a bit of a hotel safari).  But I’m jumping ahead….there’s a lot to sort out before you go on safari, after locking down the itinerary – travel medicine shots, the duffel bag, how to pack for safari, etc.  before leaving for almost a month and going to Africa on safari…

Are you a city girl too?  Is the thought of a bucket shower a bit too much for you?  What is your ideal safari tent situation?  If you’ve been on safari in Africa, do share your favorite safari camps to help others plan their trips.

Safari by Mokoro Boat

As it was September, I had left the singing cicadas back home and expected some sort of noise on the water but it was quiet – so, so quiet with a nice breeze.

I could hear the water as we glided though.  Being on the water has always brought a sense of calm to me – a great way to clear my mind and try to process all of the newness of the experience.  As we were navigating through the tall grasses (or reeds? I haven’t a clue as to the correct terminology), one disadvantage to being alone in the boat is that I was having to push some of the grasses aside or risk getting whacked in the face with them.  Usually the first person in the boat has the task to move them so I needed to multitask as I had my camera ready for photos and also wanted to just visually explore the surroundings and process it all. So risking damage to all the good that Pilates has done for me and my posture, I took a rounded back position with my arms in a triangle/praying stance with my camera sticking out so that I could move the grass with my arms, avoid getting hit in the face and take photos at the same time.

I saw a moving tree which turned out to be a giraffe in the distance.  Using my new camera with lens, I was able to snap this:

Walking Safari in Botswana – Okavango Delta

Once we landed the boat in the muddy shore, we started the walking safari in the Moremi Game Reserve of the Okavango Delta.  Each group landed at different parts of the island and I wouldn’t see anyone until later.  For the next two to three hours, my guide would show me how to track the animals through their poop, footprints and sadly their kills.  He was unarmed and we were walking in the dry, open landscape.  Again, it could be anywhere in the world, but it was Botswana.

We first came upon the Impala, which remind me of deer and just like deer, they are everywhere.  The Impala travel in groups – there is one male that fights the other males to lead the female group (now, while a harem sound great in theory, in practice not so easy).  The males stay in their own group until a power struggle occurs or nature requires a replacement to lead the girls.

The impala are across the field when we see them.  The baboons just run from the tree on our left and don’t even notice us walking, nor does the warthog.  Everyone just goes about their business as if they don’t see us.  It’s weird because I think I’m supposed to be a bit scared or frightened but I am not, its all very safe in my opinion or at least feels that way.  My guide explains how he grew up in the village and has been tracking his whole life – he has worked for the camp for over nine years – he has never left the village –

We walk some more and my guide explains different trees, flowers and lots of poop.  Thankfully we don’t smell the poop which means there aren’t any animals in the nearby area.  After our walk, we head back to the mokoro to make our way back to camp.

Final Thoughts – First Day Walking Safari

We all had a good first day on our walking safari, I didn’t see any big 5 today (others had) – we would compare notes and photos once back at camp to watch the sun set.  It sets pretty quickly but the colors are stunning.  One of my struggles on the trip will be when to savor the experience with camera down vs. capture the moment for memory. I quickly took this and then with my glass of wine, sat still with the group to admire the sunset and breathe in Botswana.

Landing in Maun, Botswana, the airport was awash in small bush planes and one building for passengers to transit.  You exit the plane and walk to the terminal -something that became commonplace in Africa -walking to/from your plane  which I liked.  I had been traveling for four days to get here and had one more flight to go – the small bush flight into Oddballs Camp.  There would be five of us on the plane – a British couple living in the US, a Canadian couple and me. We chatted during our wait for the flight and I was lucky that they were all so nice especially as we would be together the next couple of days. We met the pilot and he stuffed the duffels in the storage area and we kept our backpacks on our laps.  He eyed us up & down (no time to lie about your weight or suck your stomach in) to figure out how to load us properly and then thankfully using yoga moves we all contorted this way and that way and fit into our seats, buckled up and prepared for the flight.  I had gone from a flat bed business class seat with amenities, to a coach seat with a meal to this seat with a seatbelt as the only amenity.  Up until this point, I could have been anywhere in the world -everything seemed familiar -airports, hotels, planes, etc. – not until I got on the small plane did it hit me – I’m going on safari!!!!

Flying to Oddballs Safari Camp

The flight was about 30 minutes and we all had our faces pressed to the windows looking down  – it was the end of winter, the rains hadn’t yet come for spring so the animals had few water sources.  All around us was dusty brown landscapes -you could almost feel how dry it was just looking at it so seeing some water made me feel for the search that the animals do each day and how they are in danger just wanting a drink of water.    I was tapped on the shoulder and told to look over there – I did as told since the noise doesn’t give you a chance to chat or hear anything.  From the plane, I saw a group of elephants walking together – OMG!  It hit me that I was in Botswana going to experience something amazing – I was not fast enough to get my camera together to snap the photo of the elephants but I would have many more opportunities to see elephants. When you travel solo, it is moments like this, feelings that are hard to properly explain when you first experience something, that make me sad others are not with me to share the experience.

We started our descent which always makes me in awe of pilots – I see nothing, nothing, nothing and all of a sudden, there is a small strip of sand/field that becomes our landing strip.  Welcome to Oddballs’ Camp in the Moremi Game Reserve!  My travel agent insisted that I stay here for a real, unique safari experience. This was a bit pricey to add – despite the look of the tent, it was expensive and required the separate flights in/out which add cost but to experience the Moremi Game Reserve in the Okavango Delta you need to fly in/out and spend a bit of money to do so.  Luckily since I was able to save money using points elsewhere on the trip, this became a reality for me to add to my adventures. We were greeted by many staff and three guides – each couple would have their own guide and mokoro boat – as I was on my own, I was assigned my own guide and mokoro boat.

Arrival at Oddballs Camp in the Okavango Delta of Botswana

Our bags were taken to our tents, we were shown to the bar/common area to meet with the camp manager for introductions and to learn how the camp operated around our safari schedules.  We were instructed on the camp and rules (i.e. – free to roam in the day but must be taken to/from tent/common area at night escorted, solar camp so electronics can be charged with the manager in the morning if needed) and then given time to unpack, come back for lunch and then we would go out on our afternoon trek.

My Safari Tent and En-Suite at Oddballs’ Camp

I was taken to my tent, the tent I worried about for months having never camped before (I’m a hotel girl and lack of turn down service or room service constitutes “roughing it”) – my tent was elevated with four stairs and attached to the outside en-suite (haha) bathroom.

While the photos on the website show the bucket shower, I was happy to learn it was a bit more fancy as the bucket gets filled, hoisted and tied to the pole which then directs the water to the attached showerhead.  The décor reminded me of Gillian’s Island in a way but no coconut radios or hammocks.

The tent was a standard tent but without the sleeping bags – each tent had two beds with a storage flap next to the beds where I kept my flashlight and bottle of water.

So now all sorted in my tent and ready to go – let’s go on safari!

Going on an African Safari has always been on my list but I dismissed it forever thinking I couldn’t go alone, I didn’t have the money, the time, you name it, I talked myself out of it and put in the “when I hit the lottery bucket”.  Well, since I believe the universe does have a hand in many things (good and bad), I read about the safari feature at the New York Times Travel Show with vendors from Africa on site as well as panels and seminars.  One in particular “How to plan your safari” seemed perfect for me – perfect enough to book the Amtrak and a hotel for the overnight in the city. Safari planning here I come!

Safari Planning – Research at The NY Times Travel Show

I arrived at the travel show and went to the “planning your safari” seminar which was packed with others like me, without a clue where to start and eager to go.  I chatted with a few private guides who provided resources and their opinions on what was best.  (what a great job – going on safari as a private guide from the U.S., um, anyone want to hire me to travel with them?)  Ok, fine, my skills are a bit limited to best chocolates, desserts and wine but you need to start somewhere right?

Anyway, the panel consisted of travel operators from Africa  as well as a guide from Kenya.  The seminar alone was worth the travel costs from Philly – much better than any guidebook could do in the planning stage – they helped me question where do I want to go?  when do I want to go? and what do I want to see?  After taking lots and lots of questions, they invited you to visit their booth for more one on one discussions and to meet their team.

Having dozens of tour operators who focus specially on Africa and a few from Africa direct was the best research I could do.  I met with a few who organize tours and said “you can join the tour” which was not what I wanted.  Another said no problem, we can organize for you but as a solo you need to pay single supplements if that’s ok – again no. An operator said all inclusive but I wanted to use my miles for business class not coach flights – sorry, we don’t do that.  I started feeling like Goldilocks looking for the “just right” travel planner.

Safari Planning – Choosing the Travel Agent

I found the perfect tour company – Rhino Africa and the planner, Nikki.  I described that I would be solo (no problem), using my frequent flier miles/points for air/hotel (no problem) and would be booking late (three months out due to work) – again no problem.  Nikki and a few colleagues journeyed to the show from Capetown with the owner, David, who was on the safari panel.  Each client booking is unique as you work together via email to craft the perfect trip itinerary.  The company does due diligence on the properties so they have first hand knowledge what the client would experience which is the minimum everyone should require.  How many travel agents have I met over the years that are happy to help me but have never left the US, let alone experienced firsthand the destination I was interested in.    Nikki gave me some information, said to check out their website and facebook when I compare other vendors and let her know if any questions. No pressure and I appreciated that.  I went home with piles of brochures from the Africa specialists with more questions than I started with and no ticket -so that would be step one.

Safari Planning – Finding the Africa Award Ticket

Once home, I queried the points community for their opinions of flights to South Africa.  Lots of great suggestions to consider and provide alternatives as the award ticket in business class was going to be a challenge.  I wanted to go in September which was the end of the winter season and on the cusp of spring so it would not be green but provide a higher chance of animals sightings and the bugs would not be too bad (my colleague spent her honeymoon during a wet, lots of bugs along with a perfect storm for the one day termite mating ritual which when she explained to me – I was super freaked out and made sure to avoid the bugs – September seemed perfect).

I started looking at the top choice – a direct flight from the U.S. (JFK or D.C.) to Johannesburg (JNB) on South African Airways (SAA) in J (business class) – each city has one flight a day..  I wasn’t able to find anything six months out which is normal since most people book a year out when the windows open.  No luck.  I then looked at other cities, thinking maybe I could find something that way.  I plugged in Boston, Chicago, Orlando, Atlanta and finally Seattle (I have family there and thought maybe a visit first) to JNB.  Seattle was the winner as it showed a connecting flight in Washington, DC. on SAA -the flight that I wanted. I don’t know why it didn’t show when I looked but there it was.

Safari Planning – Airline Reservations Fun

I immediately called USAir (now AA) reservations  to see if we could find a flight home.  Jim, in Arizona, answered happy to help me on what he called my dream trip.  Well Jim, let’s see about that.Before my internet crazy search, I had called USAir (now AA) to inquire about a flight to JNB on SAA in J and the agent said “What is JNB?” Oh boy, you work for the airline?! I said Johannesburg.  “Where is that”?  I know better, but bit my tongue and said “Johannesburg, South Africa” and she replied “USAir doesn’t fly to Africa!” – At this point, I was calm and said, I know that which is why I gave you the information when we started – SAA is South African Airways (your partner) and they do fly to JNB in J (business class).  She did a cursory – “nope, nothing available”.  I started to have fun with her (yes, I’m mean).  I said to look at partners via Europe which could connect to U.S. home.  I think her head exploded as this would be a long call looking at all the options, so again she did a “nope, nothing available, sorry” which is key for “I’m not looking at all, this is too hard”.  I told her since it didn’t seem she was familiar with this type of booking, I will call back later.  Everyone who has tried to redeem an award ticket has customer service stories to tell – you sometimes wonder how they got the job working for the airline, not knowing the airline codes or partners or routing.  I shouldn’t ding the airlines – the hotel lady didn’t know what or where Istanbul was – but that’s for another trip.

So I explain this to Jim and he said, so sorry, I’m going to get your dream ticket. I said “Jim, you are giving me hope, please don’t squash it and disappoint me”.  I gave him the flight out of D.C. that I found and he confirmed the space (a good sign) and started the booking (my safari planning was just starting).  Coming home was a bit trickier so I said, I am open to come home anyway you can find via Europe, South America, etc. (ok, was hoping to add in another destination to my award ticket).  But Jim and the universe had other plans – specifically a direct flight to JFK.  Fantastic!  Yeah, Jim! You rock! He started laughing – I guess not a lot of people are super excited to find award space or say nice things to him.   So you would leave on September 9th and come home October 2nd?  Yes, that’s all I can find in business class, can I book it?  I would be gone almost a month – can I swing the budget for that?  Will my boss approve it?  What is the penalty to cancel?  All of these were running through my mind – see I wanted to go but now the reality of it sinks in quickly and you don’t get much time to think – this was the award ticket I wanted, it was rare and needed to be done now.  “Ok to book it”, I tell Jim.  He says “let me get the confirmation for you” – since this is a partner award it took some time – about twenty minutes during which time, I get anxious, thinking they won’t confirm it, there is a problem, etc.  Jim comes back on the line and said all good, 110k miles and about $300 in taxes or so – you have a hold for x amount of time, so you need to call back to issue the ticket and if you do that, you are going on your dream vacation.  I was super thankful to him and wished they had direct numbers to contact them to avoid the first lady.

Safari Planning – The Hard Part Begins

So in my mind the universe was super cool to guide me to the NY Travel show, the seminars, the travel agent and to Jim.  I now had the ticket, approved vacation time and had to figure out what to do for 27 days. How do you plan for almost a month away? I was methodical in my research, had to decide if my inner hotel girl could survive a tent in Botswana, a luxury camp in Zimbabwe and how many points to redeem in Capetown at the Westin.  Tough work – luckily I had a fantastic travel agent to guide me and that amazing trip led me to start this blog to help others.

Want to go on Safari?  Let me help you plan your dream trip without the stress. You can have a custom trip, join a group or hire a private guide.  Ultra Luxury or Budget – Africa is wonderful for all price points and creates amazing memories. 

]]> https://dev.philatravelgirl.com/2016/12/01/safari-planning-africa-saa-award-ticket/feed/ 2 https://dev.philatravelgirl.com/2016/05/18/national-geographic-photo-seminar/ https://dev.philatravelgirl.com/2016/05/18/national-geographic-photo-seminar/#comments Wed, 18 May 2016 15:45:34 +0000 http://dev.philatravelgirl.com/2016/05/18/national-geographic-photo-seminar/ Easy Safari Photo Tips – The Art of Nature in Africa Read More »

My earliest memories of my first camera used flash cubes and 110 film cartridges.  I then graduated to the Polaroid One Step camera which with a few waves in the air (like you just don’t care) the image magically appeared.  For a grade schooler in the 1970’s, this was so cool.  When I was in high school, I got a film camera and took darkroom classes to develop the black and white film.  I was hooked on photography and back then you shot photos of your friends, family and special events.  I was reminded of how powerful photography can be as it records our time and experience in the world when my film club screened a new documentary release, Finding Vivian Maier, about a Chicago street photographer. I would then attend a National Geographic Traveler Photography Seminar for Safari Photo Tips and other Nature Photography tips. Each event energized me with the possibilities of the medium. I learned so many safari photo tips and general nature photo tips that I get to play with now.

I enrolled in a 1/2 day National Geographic Traveler Photography Seminar which was held in Philadelphia at a cost of $90.  My session was entitled “The Art of Nature Photography” presented by Eddie Soloway.  It was lecture of photo tips, examples and definitely not hands on given that there were over 200 attendees.  The four hour seminar was broken into different sessions with a handout of highlights and references.  Nature photography with the varying light, textures, depths, colors, etc. can be a lifetime of challenge and discovery and I was hoping for a bit of new insight.

While everyone needs to discover their own view, what made me smile was the session “How Come Mine Don’t Look Like That?” as I recalled the presentation at TBEX last year by Trey Radcliffe of Stuck in Customs.  Trey’s HDR photography is one continual OMG! WOW!  Both Trey and Eddie run photo workshops during the year for more hands on work, I’d love to be a student in those classes.  Eddie  shared his photo tips while showing examples of his work to demonstrate the point.  His work also gets a WOW! His photos really gave me hope that all the crazy things I do and see has some value. I learned a few new ideas and it was encouraging to know that I was already doing a few of his suggestions already as I continue to experiment.  My interpretations of a few of his photo tips using some of my favorite photos from my African safaris are above and below.

My Photo History

When I started to travel, I carried both color and black/white film in speeds such as 100 and 400 and with a maximum of 36 photos per roll.  I had to be a bit deliberate with what I was taking a photo of since I was limited and hoped that it was good when I got home and waited a few days for the photos to be developed.  I wanted it to be perfect.  Not to sound THAT old, but I continue to be astounded by how much photography has changed with the digital camera and smartphone.

Everyone can be a photographer and share their slice of life around the world instantly on social media. My 11 year old niece proudly exclaims she has more Instagram follows than her Aunt Sue (if you’d like to help me beat her numbers, follow me on Instagram – shameful I know).  Her feed allows me to see all the cool new clothes she likes, her pet cats and a bit too much One Direction.  At her age, I was playing outside, ignorant to the world around me, now she takes photos of everything but I wonder if she stops to appreciate and experience it.  I now take photos of everything as well, documenting my life and the world around me. With the hope of elevating my photography skills, I am always cognizant that I need to put the camera(s) down to use all of my senses to capture the experience for just me.

Digital has certainly changed how I travel and shoot photos – whereas I was limited to the ten canisters of film I traveled with (360 pictures), I now take thousands of photos on a longer trip, hoping to find a few gems. Gone is the worry of running out of film but also gone is the deliberate photo. I’ve had leeway to experiment along the way and am always seeking to learn more.

Safari Photo Tip #1 – Reveal part of your subject

The paw of the leopard laying on the ground seemingly docile.  If I were to pull back this photo you would first see the beautiful leopard and to pull back further she is laying in front of a tree.  Even further, you would see that she is guarding the impala that she killed and hung in her tree above her head. The paw doesn’t show this but seeing the dead animal above doesn’t quite make a nice photo either. Just an example of revealing a part of the photo as well as all of the other photos this could be.

Safari Photo Tip #2 – Photograph Outside of your Genre

I rarely take photos of people but there are exception as I continue to change my perspective and try to layer the photos that I set up, trying to tell a story about a moment in time.  The background is Table Mountain and there was a bit too much of blue sky so I moved the camera to find my shot which included the couple. 

Safari Photo Tip #3 – Change your Perspective

In the Okavango Delta, I was in a mokoro boat at the level of the reeds for my photos.  How different would these be if I stood up or lied down?  The guide’s view is much different from the passenger.

Safari Photo Tip #4 – Photograph through natural (found) filters or use selective focus

For this lioness, it would have been easy to just focus on her but I chose to focus on the grass instead creating what I feel is a bit of danger.  What do you see?

Safari Photo Tip #5 – Anticipate the Moment

I had to wait a bit for the giraffe to bend over like this.  It was worth the wait as it was amazing to see.  Sometimes you need to slow down and wait for the photo to present itself to you.

Safari Photo Tip #6 – Play with Light

I love this giraffe shadowed as I shot into the sun (generally a no, no) but the outline is enough for you to know it’s a giraffe.

Safari Photo Tips – Final Thoughts 

I loved that Eddie said “Be a detective of cool things” it made me realize that we need to channel our inner toddler experiencing things for the first time without boundaries.  How many cool things have you discovered when you stood still for a moment and listened, looked and felt the experience? How did you choose to capture the moment?

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In Search of Hippos

We set out on the mokoro and I could feel the difference in the boat when we entered the deeper part of the water and my stomach had that uneasy feeling I get when I try to kayak and think i’m going to get stuck or fall in.   I could see the other boat ahead in the water. As for me, I was still taking in the various sights and sounds of the reserve enjoying the sun, the water, the light breeze.  Suddenly, my guide steered the boat to the shallow part of the water and right into the tall reeds to hide!  I was told to get down and be quiet.  At this point, I was a bit freaked out not knowing what happened but did as I was told.  My guide whispered that the boat ahead had heard hippos in front of them and were getting close unaware that hippos were approaching them from the side channel so they had to hide in the grass hoping the hippos would pass by and leave them alone. My guide had a look about him that did not provide me a sense of comfort. Hippos are herbivores so no eating people, right?

Well, sort of, here’s what everyone left out or I just neglected to research (a quick google search would have helped)  – hippos are the most deadly, territorial animals in Africa and they kill the most people each year!  They will attack you.  Forget about lions – it is mosquito, hippo, buffalo, elephant and crocodile in the order of deadly animals in Africa. When I recounted this experience later in my trip, everyone seemed to know this nugget of information (except me)!  Walking through the reserve and seeing all of the animals the past few days, gave me a false sense of safety especially as the guides are not armed, so the hippo encounter was scary.  How would we get back to camp if hippos were in the channels? We couldn’t walk (run!) back. So we waited and waited and then after a very long thirty minutes looking at the grass, we started back for camp and my relaxing ride taking in the sights was replaced with a heightened sense of looking and listening for anything that signaled trouble.

Safely Back at Camp – Hippos in the Background

Happily back on land at camp, my heart beating normally, Yvonne and I climbed the rooftop observation area of camp to look out while her husband went back out on the water.

The hippos had been ahead of us and were now just around the camp channels and there was still a couple yet to come back to camp.  We could now hear the hippos and see them around the camp. Our guide had to guide the missing couple’s boat around with hand gestures and sounds.  The boat moved forward and to the side in a bit of a chess game before arriving safely at camp.

From the perch above, I could now take photos, albeit dark, as the sun had set and the hippos were ready to provide our dinnertime music as they had the night before.  I would see the hippo numerous times on my journey through Africa but will not be naïve again to actively set out to look for them or dismiss them as cute animated cartoon characters.

Inside the Elephant Camp Luxury Tent

I was shown inside and greeted by a wardrobe and steamer trunk to store my gear.  Arriving with my bright orange duffel bag and backpack instead of the luxury, designer luggage on wheels the other guests arrived with made me eschew the fancy storage area and live out of the bag as I had the past week. The floors were concrete (of course my shoes brought in the sand and dirt) and some of the walls could be rolled up, while other parts were sliding glass doors to open up and bring the outside that much closer to expose you to the elements.

On the left side of the room was the plush seating area with minibar area and local drink.

The bed  was flanked on either side by the romantic vision of mosquito netting. It was in the center of the room where you could lay in bed and look out the sliding glass doors to watch animals in the distance (I would see buffalo when I awoke the next day).  There was a table area with the electrical outlets in the floor and walkie talkie to contact the staff if you needed anything.  On the table was a handwritten welcome letter from the house manager, Jonathan, which I found a very nice touch.

I was shown the air conditioning unit on the wall and provided instructions on how to use it – given that it was September, it was still hot outside and I would need to run the a/c and or fan inside (there would be a few electrical outages for which the backup generator would kick in). Yes, air conditioning was available in the middle of Zimbabwe -this was definitely a western convenience afforded luxury travelers.

The Elephant Camp Tent Bathroom

I was led to the bathroom and tried to contain my glee at the site of the travel magazine worthy decorated bathroom with a separate soaking tub, shower, sink area and of course the chandelier, because every tent needs one of them (sadly you can’t see it in the photo)!  If I didn’t quite understand the “glamping” term, I did now.

The Elephant Camp Viewing Deck

I was then led to the deck and shown the outside shower area, my private plunge pool (yes, my own pool!!!) and the deck area with seating to enjoy the outdoors. I didn’t have enough time to properly enjoy this amenity – I should have had a bottle of wine to watch the sunset and enjoy the animal sightings but I had places to go.

The Elephant Camp Luxuries

My nearest neighbor was quite far away (there are 12 tents for 24 guests at the main camp) so my tent was a private oasis.  Times like this when you wish someone else was with you to experience this and at the same time, it gives you pause if you overthink it.  I had an indoor and outdoor shower as well as a soaking tub.  Whatever you put in the hamper, the staff would wash and return the next day which was a great perk for me living out of my duffel bag and rotating clothes for the past week in Botswana. The room had a walkie talkie to contact staff if you needed to leave at night (you had to be escorted by staff to/from your room at night due to the fact that the animals can walk by and did mostly at night). There were so many other small details that made this luxury small boutique camp stand out.

I’m a hotel girl and this luxury room/tent/oasis definitely made me happy and it was all mine to enjoy for the next two days.

Victoria Falls Activities

While you might be tempted to stay in your tent and enjoy the pool and relax, I was keen to check off my “to do” list.  Now normally, I’m not the checklist person but really this was a once in a lifetime visit as Zimbabwe was never on my radar before and I wasn’t sure it would be again.

The staff at The Elephant Camp drove me to Victoria Falls and gave me about two hours to explore (it was enough time given that it was low water season September and not crowded) before they would pick me up to bring me back to the property for my amazing dinner (the food was fantastic). The next day, I would ride a helicopter over Victoria Falls before enjoying afternoon tea at the historic 1904 built Victoria Falls Hotel on the way to many sundowners (happy hour drinks) on the Zambezi River sunset cruise.

On my final day, it was time to walk the hotel cat, Sylvester.  She isn’t your normal cat, she is a cheetah (their ambassador) and she doesn’t quite walk at your pace, she runs and its beautiful to see.  We walked the property and it reminded me of my walking safari in the Okavanago Delta as I could see animal tracks.

Luxury Glamping at The Elephant Camp Victoria Falls

I stay in luxury hotels usually because of hotel points, but in Zimbabwe, I chose to pay for the luxury tent at The Elephant Camp and it was a nice contrast to the other parts of my safari journey.  I met Helen who inspired me and had a memorable time with Sylvester and the staff at the property.  Hopefully, one day I can return to The Elephant Camp, because I’d like to enjoy a sundowner in my pool watching the animals go by in the distance as well as the other activities they offer that I didn’t have time to do.

The Safari Itinerary Planning With a Travel Agent

I printed my draft African safari itinerary on the color printer and carried it back and forth to work each day for over a month to research more about each place and see if the general feel was right for me. I was still a bit back and forth on the tent and the small bush plane flights.  My 27 days trip to Africa would essentially be 5-6 trips – it was a big commitment and despite pricing out much less than a regular tour group would charge for a solo traveler, I was a bit hesitant to book it.  I love the idea of travel,  finding the award space and yet making it real gives me a bit of pause -not sure why really (ok, I have a few theories but let’s not go there now).

With my hotel savings using points, I inquired about upgrading my Kruger safari to the Sabi Sands private game reserve.  It was initially outside of my budget but I thought I could now include it (I don’t ask the price per night because I knew it would be insane as I was a solo travel subject to this, that and the other fees).  I had read in one travel guide that Sabi Sands was a SKIN trip (of course my mind wandered just like yours) but stood for Spend the Kids Inheritance Now for the one time incredible safari experience.  The travel agent was able to add a Sabi Sands property and I was thrilled.

There was only one part of the safari itinerary left that gave me pause – it was at the end when I would join a third party tour operator for the Garden Tour from Capetown to Port Elizabeth – the hotels used were part of a local chain and neither were highly rated – one was rated last and I believe one comment said “I found a flea” so you could understand my concern despite the other good reviews.  The tour was set, did not deviate and there was no other way for me to see the Garden Route with my dates so I decided that I could always change hotels at my expense if needed or sleep in the tour van (ok, not really but in my mind I needed a few options).

So with the safari itinerary set, my adventure was good to go, I emailed the OK to the travel agent and she sent me the invoice to pay.  Since it was less than two months out, the entire amount was due in South African Rand and US dollars so I found my credit card without foreign exchange fees and booked it online.  Funny what you can book online without getting called by your credit card – when I tried to buy something at Wal-Mart my credit card was flagged for fraud and shut down but spending x amount (over my tolerance) and out of the country online was OK- never can figure out the fraud alerts with credit cards.

The Ultimate Safari Itinerary

The final safari itinerary would be twenty seven days mixing luxury with points and cash.

Johannesburg (overnight at the airport) at the Intercontinental (using points & cash rate)

Botswana

• Okavango Delta – 3days/2 nights (4 safari walks)
• Chobe Safari Park – 3 days/2 nights (2 game drives, 1 boat drive)

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe – 3 days/2 nights

White River (overnight as too late to get to camp) – 1 night

Sabi Sands, Kruger Park – South Africa – 4 days/3 nights (6 game drives) at Inyati 

Capetown, South Africa – 7 days/6 nights – Tours of City & Table Mountain, Robben Island, Cape Peninsula, Hermanus and Whale Route and the Winelands

Garden Route tour – 3 days/2 nights

Port Elizabeth – 2 days/1 night

Johannesburg (overnight at the airport) – city tour day of departure, flight at 8pm

Now that the planning is done, the itinerary set – the fun of preparing for the trip is next. Travel shots, medicines, drab color clothes, duffel bag?

The Safari Experience & Planning

To read about the safari expeience in each country as well as the planning do a search by category or drop down the destinations tab for Africa.  There are still posts from Africa to share – the safari in Sabi Sands, Capetown and surrounding day tours, the Garden Route and one day in Johannesburg.  As always, if you have any bespoke queries, just contact me and I’d be happy to help with questions or to plan your adventure.  This trip inspired me in so many ways – to start the blog, to start my travel planning business and to live my life a bit differently.  What will an African Safari Itinerary do for you?

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