Hello. I've been reading this forum for months and it has been very helpful in planning our upcoming trip to Botswana and South Africa. This is our third trip to Africa and we believe having a great ranger and tracker can be the difference between an exceptional experience and a so-so one. I would really appreciate any advice on great rangers/trackers for the camps and lodges we're planning to visit. The most important characteristic for us is someone who is knowledgeable and still excited to be out in the bush everyday. We had a terrible experience with a ranger on one of our trips, simply because she was so blase and bored. We had great sightings, but her lack of enthusiasm was disheartening. On the other hand, we had another ranger on the same trip who approached every drive with joy and an incredible sense of wonder. He made seeing a dung beetle as much fun as a leopard. Our trip is in late August and early September and we have the following itinery:

3 nights at Mateya
5 nights at Sandibe
3 nights in Capetown
4 nights at Ngala Tented Camp
4 nights at Singita Ebony

Also, what temperatures might we expect this time of year at these camps. I know that Capetown is likely rainy and cool, but I'm most interested in how cold/warm our game drives will be. In particular, I can't seem to get very good information on Mateya.

Thank you for all the information you've provided on this board and I promise a full trip report when we return.

I'm going to Singita Ebony on August 22-23. I'll try to remember to come online right after and post about our guide.

Speaking of Singita, have you been on their website recently? They did a major overhaul and the photos of the lodges are spectacular.

As for the weather, it appears the temperature is pretty chilly at the beginning and end of the game drives (40s), but pretty comfortable the rest of the day (high 60s, low 70s). I plan on bringing a North Face down vest, a fleece, microfiber gloves, and wool hat. The vest is extremely light and squishable. Others in my small group are bringing down jackets, but they live in much warmer climates whereas I'm used to winter in Chicago.

Thanks for the info. We're debating what type of coat to take. We're from down south, so we may need a little more than a vest. We'll be a Singita Sept. 6-10, so we'll just miss you. We've been to Singita a long time ago (10 years) and that's where we had our bad ranger experience. That's one reason I'm asking for recommendations. I've read in other posts in this forum that Coleman is a good guide at Singita, but I don't know if he is still there. The woman we had was Cheryl and hopefully she's moved along. We stayed at Boulders last time and loved everything about it except for the guide. I just checked out their new website and it looks great. Now I just can't wait for August 20th to get here! Thanks again for your help.

We were at Ngala Tented last year in early September (also at Londolozi). It was in the low 50sF at Ngala but by noon we were in shorts or taking a quick dip in the pool.

I wore my fleece with a sturdy cotton jacket and was fine. We did use the provided blankets in the vehicle though, on those early mornings and late evenings.

I don't have a guide recommendation for you because I noticed on the CCAfrica website, that our guide, Phil, is now at a different CCAfrica lodge. The guides we met though were fun, affable, and serious about finding the animals, which can be more challenging (and therefore maybe more fun?) at Ngala than in the Sabi Sands.

You'll have a great time.

CW

Thanks for the info on Ngala. We actually enjoy the challenge of tracking and locating wildlife than having it too abundant (like in Sabi Sands). Low 50s don't sound too bad, so maybe we can get by with fleece jackets and not down ones after all. I'm sorry to hear that Phil has moved on to a different camp, but maybe we'll run into him somewhere else one day. I'm glad you enjoyed your trip, did you post any photos or a trip report? Thanks, again.

For Cape Town I would highly suggest Selwyn Davidowitz who often posts on this board. He gives you some of the standard tour items, but with a very personal spin on them. Also his vist to a township bar none the best.

He is at [email protected]

If you go on the website and look at photos and then Carol and Ron Spiegel you can see some pictures.

Thanks for the advice. We are planning to self-guide in Capetown, but the couple we're traveling with may want to hire a guide, so I'll pass this along to them.

Debwarr,

i did post a report. http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34898193

The section on Ngala Tented and the link to the pictures there is towards the end of the report.

CW

CW

Now I remember your trip report and photos. They were one of the reasons we chose to go to Ngala. (Our other choice was Phinda, but we had been there before, so we decided on Ngala Tent Camp.) Thanks for the info, I'll post an update on Ngala when we return in mid-September. Great photos, by the way.

Debwarr

Hi
we just came back from Botswana and have written the following trip report which you may find as a useful guide for hints and tips
http://wilddogsandenglishmen.wordpress.com
There is a downloadable PDF as well as online.
WD

Debwarr, last time I checked this guide was still at Singita. We had her 4 years ago and she was remarkable. Very excited about everything, smart, funny, just terrific. Her name is Carmen and I hope she is still there. At the time she worked with a great tracker named Phanwell or Fanwell. A wonderful team.

Clematis, thank you! We will request Carmen. We leave tomorrow morning and are still weighing luggage and getting more excited by the minute. Thanks for the great recommendation!

Debbie

Debwarr, if you don't get Carmen (I don't remember seeing a female guide), ask for Andre. He was fantastic. And definitely schedule a wine tasting.