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Africa….several amazing sites, September 2022
Finally our African trip booked 2-1/2 yrs. was realized.
Chicago to Amsterdam then to Johannesburg, it was a long flying day not getting tour hotel until 10pm. The next day we had a tour of the city seeing all the Nelson Mandela sights. Lunch was in Soweto at Sakhumzi. Fun place with good food. Next morning off we went on Safari. Flew Airlink to Hoedspruit and Kruger National Park. Shiduli Lodge was absolutely fantastic. Gorgeous setting, beautiful public rooms, and such friendly people everywhere. When we were shown to our room we were at a loss for words. The gardens were set with formal tables for lunch, didn’t expect that. Actually all ur meals except the last night were outside. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d6212b88e.jpeg Ready for lunch https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1eef0d0f4.jpeg Inviting setting for meals https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...121df2486.jpeg Welcome We could tell from the first minute at Shiduli that this was going to be memorable. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a7393b000.jpeg Very inviting https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...492a7bedc.jpeg Balcony to watch some animals pass by After lunch and settling in we already felt like we had been there a while. 4pm tea was followed by our 5pm evening game drive. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0a5691d13.jpeg Simon and Gabriel were our guides for all 3 days of our game drives https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4c324c047.jpeg 8 people in our group fit just fine in the truck https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...84ba1cc5e.jpeg First animal we saw was. Kudo right in our backyard Next up some lions. We were able to get close to the females because the male lion wasn’t around https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9a4f43e6b.jpeg Never thought we’d get this close https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...74df2d715.jpeg Just laying around Lots of impalas everywhere https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...617c59567.jpeg Zebras and giraffes https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6be0e4916.jpeg Love giraffes https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...03834a1da.jpeg Looks like he is posing for the photo At about 7:30 we stopped on the trail for a wine and snack break…..now that was unexpected! More animals then back to the lodge for dinner outside. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...df9177dfe.jpeg Buffet dinner of many African dishes with beautiful table settings https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...dacd78a9b.jpeg I could get used to this |
Day 2 at Shiduli……up at 4am, a little coffee And I do mean a little, no rest rooms out there, just a bush to go behind.
5am and we are off https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...02928a0d8.jpeg Lovely sunrise https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4545603ff.jpeg Hornbeak bird https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d23907fa6.jpeg Wow! https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e8f411f03.jpeg More Wow! We were able to get out of the truck and walk quite close to the cheetahs. The guide said that cheetahs are not fighters, if they are threatened they will run away FAST. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4ee937c1f.jpeg Water Bull https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b130089ac.jpeg More Zebras https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b8bdab621.jpeg A hidden elephant Midway stop for coffee and muffins and it was back to the Lodge for breakfast outside in the garden. |
Rested a bit and it was time for lunch. You spend a lot of time eating at Shiduli.
Bought a few things in the shop and took photos of the public rooms. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...84b6a57ef.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f8e201b35.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...204ff6a1f.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...acacdb0a1.jpeg |
4pm Tea Time and 5pm off on our evening game drive.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ccc3ec946.jpeg More giraffes https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...472daa85e.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...639f245ba.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...236f07a48.jpeg Termite Mound https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b2e5a7484.jpeg Hippos Midway it’s wine and snacks time. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5cb8dba5e.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...77efced10.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...78aa28b46.jpeg My silver chalice on white wine Back to the Loge for another fantastic dinner outside by the fire https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8ce73ed1e.jpeg BBQ tonight with many different meats served https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c59f34376.jpeg |
It looks like you had a FANTASTIC trip. Great pix!
I'm just back from Kenya and it seems like we had similar wildlife sightings. Thanks for posting. |
Songdoc….I’ve been following your TR also. Amazing photos.
My favorite is of the cheetahs on the termite mound. |
Day 3 at Shiduli…..Up again at 4am, getting used to this, haha.
One of the last photos I marked as hippos. Duh! Those aren’t hippos, they are rhinos. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d7f018ab5.jpeg On this mornings drive we saw wart hogs, lots of impalas and Cape buffalo. Our guides tracked the lion’s footprints for quite a while but it was not to be. We did see several female lions but never came across the male lion with the gorgeous mane. The preserve is over 7,000 acres so the animals have a lot of space to roam. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c918bc2fa.jpeg Cape Buffalo https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...74cf8b7ca.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4b76f9a37.jpeg The elusive leopard |
Tracking the lions s it was getting dark. No luck so time for a wine stop.
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After the evening game drive, wine stop, and another another
tasty dinner at the lodge it was off to bed early. We will be up again at 4am to go to the airport and 2 short flights to Victoria Falls. |
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A couple of short flights later we landed in Zambia. Our guide picked us up at the airport and helped us get the $50US visa we needed for Zambia/Zimbabwe. The border crossing was cumbersome. Get passports and visa checked at Zambia small building. Drive about 20ft. over the border and do the same at Zimbabwe building. Then shift all our luggage to a different van with a different Zimbabwe driver. Finally arrived at our resort,”The Kingdom” for 2 nights. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...208886106.jpeg Kingdom Resort dining room https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...809c1def1.jpeg Our balcony at The Kingdom Tonight was a drum/dinner show at Gold. Every person got their own drum and then the lessons began, followed by a very entertaining show. Very touristy, but quite fun. A 14 course dinner was served with dishes from all over Africa. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...777bd84a2.jpeg Drum lessons and show https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e5695c88f.jpeg Every person got their own drum https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bcf1f16a3.jpeg The restaurant https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d3bb5b4a5.jpeg 14 course dinner served |
We’ll, that was a mistake. We did have a drum show in Livingston (Victoria Falls) but it was a different one.
The show at Gold that I described above was in Cape Town. The drum show in Livingston was a buffet dinner. So many grilled meats to choose from. It happened to be my birthday so some singing and a cake appeared at our table. We also had a chance to buy many African souvenirs from vendors outside of the restaurant. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0e7a3b874.jpeg Huge, tasty buffet of African foods https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8991002ce.jpeg Grilled meats https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3a214b28f.jpeg Happy Birthday And what a birthday this was! A total of 3 birthday cakes appeared at different times. Thanks to our travel agent BarbSchumacher at ElJo Travel in Milwaukee for arranging this fabulous trip and all my birthday surprises. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...92f8a631b.jpeg Birthday cake at Shiduli Lodge https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6cffa812d.jpeg Birthday cake delivered to my room at The Kingdom This will definitely go down in my history book as a birthday that will be hard to beat. |
Every day was a new delight on schedule.
Today was a long, long walk along Victoria Falls stopping at many lookout points to take photos. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c5cdecaa5.jpeg Dr. Livingston I presume https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f0b79ddfe.jpeg Breathtaking https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b8f74d84e.jpeg So many lookout points https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a15dbfc96.jpeg Got very wet at times |
Later in the afternoon we headed over to the Zambezi River for a sunset cruise.
What a stunning boat! Open bar, servers passing hot appetizers, gorgeous views, and a hippo, this was a real treat at the end of a long day. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d24b246ff.jpeg Welcome aboard https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...17f8c3bce.jpeg First class all the way https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...653fe0e49.jpeg Cheers! https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...16d3498b3.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c8a12dfcc.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...cc919974e.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...95276b382.jpeg Crew saying goodbye https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0a16c7f10.jpeg Sunset on the Zambezi https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d799bc809.jpeg And the hippo |
Thanks so much for sharing. It looks like an AMAZING trip.
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After a long day at Victoria Falls and the river cruise we decided to have room service at The Kingdom for dinner.
Good idea, some sandwiches, salad, and fries fed us we’ll. The next day would be a long one with 3 short flights to go from Zambia to Cape Town. What a surprise on the way to the airport….ELEPHANTS! Lots and lots of elephants. Probably about 20 of them crossing the road. Our guide said that they put their trunk on the road to feel car vibrations to see if it’s safe to cross. He also said late at night they roam the town eating off the mango trees. Apparently elephants love mangos. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1f565e7c7.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...cafd389b4.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1879a318c.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4bd5008d1.jpeg Our small van didn’t seem to bother them at all https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ea692f3f0.jpeg |
The first 2 flights were again with Airlink and less than an hour each. Seemed like we were flying on a private small plane.
The first flight had only 14 people on it. Food, wine, wonderful, friendly service. The 3rd flight was with Safeair and one of the worst we have encountered anywhere. 200 people boarding at will with no organization of any kind. Cramped, uncomfortable seats. We were offered nothing….you even had to pay for water! It was 2 hrs. I would never want to repeat again. Thankfully it was only 2 hrs. This was the only ow point of our whole trip. We didn’t arrive at our hotel until 10pm s off to bed Sunsquare Cape Town Garden hotel for 3 nights. |
I love the elephants!
Our flights were very different. Mine were 12-seaters--and water was free! |
Comfortable hotel in a good location, a very nice restaurant, and an inviting garden.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9ae1ecf6d.jpeg Cape Town Sunscape Garden Hotel We had some free time so took an Uber to Victoria Wharf for some serious shopping. Of course 8 women on vacation would want to shop. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0fba2ce98.jpeg Time to put a dent in the charge cards! So many stores seen in every place in the world but also lots of “Made in Africa” stores. We filled our bags with souvenirs for family and friends but also found plenty of things with our name on them. The wharf itself was quite lively with entertainment and had lovely views of the bay. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d363dbde5.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...689bb68e2.jpeg Time for a glass of wine and a gourmet lunch. Harbor House was calling our names. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f5e791a87.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...13e4fdf16.jpeg Excellent choice! Our waiter was talkative, funny, and knowledgeable of the menu choices. Fish was the order of the day (of course, we are next to the ocean) and we all chose something different. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d8e0f5e8a.jpeg Beautiful view, excellent wine, food and service https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fdf08437c.jpeg My fresh Kingklip fish https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3f6ee0aa5.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ada2848fd.jpeg Time for an Uber back to the hotel |
Tonight was the drum and dinner show at Gold Restaurant in
Cape Town that I mistakenly listed earlier in this TR. Tomorrow we go up in a cable car to Table Mountain. |
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Watching the weather closely our guide chose early morning to make the ascent. By afternoon the clouds arrived and high winds would have canceled the trip. The car rotated around as it was going up so everyone got a good view. |
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