frh

Hi cary, we are going for 3 nights . You are right, the standard room is R3500 but is is all sold out. The only thing available is the honeymoon suite at R4100. I contacted another site africa2go?? I might have put the wrong name but the agent said that she can probably get me the standard . We will see on Monday. Kings Camp reviews are very good . I have been to SA twice before nad have been to Kruger but stayed outside the park. This time i am going with my husband . Looking forward to it. Love animals. It is still early but I can use some help in planning the air part of safari. Also do you have any insight for Cape Town. We will be there for 4 nights . Can we do some of the Garden route and stay overnite at some B&B?? Thanks for your help.
Farah

frh

Soory, Tom..I think I got yoru name wrong...

cary999

Tanky -
Why lodge over tented - cost, lodge 2,400, tented 3,500. Over 8 nights tented would be 8,800 more or about $1,200USD. Also, both have the same game viewing property. So same game, right? However, however I say, for game drives from the lodge we went down south to near tented. And this 30 minutes each way typically "wasted" about an hour of each game drive.

Farah -
Air - I fly from USA, you also? Best deal I found on air at that time by about $500 was from Premier Travel and Tours, phone 215-893-9966 in Philadelphia USA.

Re Capetown etc. I have not been to CPT. I go to Africa for safaris, period. Do a search here, I recall many discussions about CPT and the Garden Route.

regards - tom
ps - don't worry about wrong name - call me anything but don't call me late for lunch

annhig

hi cary - great report. i like the warts and all approach. far more helpful than the "everything was wonderful" type of report.

Farah, can i suggest that you start your own thread about your proposed trip? you'll get a better response that way. to start you off, I can thoroughtly recommend www.hoghollow.za as a lovely place to stay along the garden route near Plettenberg Bay.

regards, ann

atravelynn

RE the 31: Your conditions for these photos were ideal, even if lighting in general was not. You should copyright the accommodation and meal shots and sell them to Kings Camp and Ngala. These are professional promotional shots!

Was the monitor stationary or on its way up? That's a unique perspective.

I found the photo of the lion eating from the ele carcass to be disturbing. Nice job of capturing it.

Beautiful animals in the sunset. Lovely drinking leopard.

More great photos for the safari albums.

cary999

Thanks Lynn. Of course a good photo is built around lighting. Another one of my favorite sayings - in photography lighting isn't the only thing, it is everything.

I took shots of about 6 meals at Kings Camp and they'll go on my "safari DVD". Didn't think all 6 would be good in my web album!

The monitor lizard was stationary. Agree, unique perspective. But not asleep, just stationary. Watched him for maybe 5 minutes, took several photos waiting for him to take his head off of the tree a bit so you can easily see the shape of his head versus the same colored tree.

I have 218 photos (I just counted them) of the lion eating the elephant plus a couple minutes of video. After the previous days bad weather and bad sightings I had an itchy trigger finger on the shutter release!!! Too bad that was my very last game drive at Kings Camp. It would have been "nice" to see the whole pride chomping on the ele The rangers were happy, they had a ready made super sighting for guests for several days!!

regards - tom

Tanky

I've mentioned on here before that if you go to Ngala make sure you go to the tented camp.

The reason you drive all that way south each morning is obvious if you look at the concession map - they have no option. The lodge and airstrip are at the end of a very long strip of thin land.

cary999

Guess I wasn't paying attention Tanky. Oh, well. The map I had didn't show the location of the Tented camp, only the small bit where the Lodge is. And I thus -assumed- that Ngala shared traversing rights with other adjacent (non CCA) properties. Wrong, two mistakes for me. IF, I had known that the only way to have a good safari experience with Ngala were to be at Tented camp, I would not have paid the extra $1,200 over the Lodge rate. I would have chosen another camp in Timbavati or gone down to Sabi Sand. Next time

So, for 2009 I'm considering going back to Kings Camp (likely) and adding either Djuma Bush Lodge and/or Exeter River Lodge both in Sabi Sand. What say you about those camps?

regards - tom

skimmer

Tom,

Although gameviewing is mostly stunning this time of year, light conditions can be very disappointing.

I never witnessed so much fires as last September in Botswana.

Anyway, I hope you are still satisfied with what you've seen.

Greetz,

Johan

atravelynn

No zebra at King's Camp? Did they say why? Elsewhere that time of year? In Angola? Just coincidence?

Even in early Aug. the skies in Zambia were often overcast so light was a problem there too. All the more reason to start earlier at Ngala. The cloudly skies can improve midday conditions that would be too harsh with direct sun. Right?

The lack of sightings at Ngala would not deter me, but some of the other things you mentioned would. Don't they do a lot of walking there?

I might have cried when arriving at the leopard and cub too late for photos. Just let out a "Whaa!"

Congrats to the volleyball players on their Olympic success.

cary999

Lynn-
No zebra in Kings Camp area. That is unusual, ranger said just not that many around. Did see zebra a few times at Ngala, but I did not mention that in my trip report, should have. Didn't surprise me, zebras favor a certain more flat terrain I think. I've seen herds of them in the flats of Kruger but fewer in the bush like at MalaMala, Sabi Sand.

My fourth time in South Africa in September and this time was by far the worst weather. A big weather front moving through twice bring two-three days of very cool solid overcast skies. But you know how the weather is, lot of variation. Yeah midday bright sun is not perfect so if you have some fluffy clouds that the sun peeks through/around is nice. But I would still take bright midday sun over solid overcast skys.

Walking at Ngala. Yes, I did share vehicle on a couple of occasions with guests who just came off of their walking safari. It was not long walking, two days I think.

I wanted to let out a whaa and to choke the guide. Like I said, two leopard cubs playing in the open and the sun had just set. Every other Ngala vehicle had been there, we were the last in line. I did take some video which is ok. Video works better in such light because I think the action and sound masks/distracts from the poor lighting.

Elaine will play beach volleyball in the USA next year, no international competition. She has good sponsors for at least next year. After that she feels she may retire. We'll see, she also said that after the Athens Olympics. If anyone can continue to play, she can. She works out and keeps in shape every day of the year. But she is 38 years old. The oldest womens player in Beijing.

regards - tom

CarlaM

Enjoyed your photos Tom and took a sneak peek before you posted them! Interesting comparison of KC to MM. I have heard so many good comments on KC.

Since you mentioned Djuma, I was looking at this the other night for ideas:

http://www.malamala.com/itinerary.htm

The last one caught my eye, and maybe add Mala Mala and/or Kings Camp. I don't know, just throwing ideas around. And then there is still Elephant Plains and ...and...and... (oh no...here I go again!) &lt

Thanks for your trip report.

Good to hear the news about EY. I was able to catch the end of one of her matches here in Manhattan Beach last month. She is an awesome competitor!!

atravelynn

The oldest at 38! That's something.

cary999

Carla - thanks and always good to hear from you. Your link above to MalaMala suggesting "combination holidays" was interesting . They suggest Mashatu three nights, Coach House one night, then Djuma for two nights. This and all transfers to-from JNB 18,630 ZAR or about $1,700. Not bad price if your looking for just a few days on safari, including to/from JNB. In looking at next safari for Sep 2009 I was considering Djuma but since changed mind to Kirkmans. Now looking like for Sep 2009 starting at Kruger for a few nights, then Kings Camp for 8 nights, then Kirkmans Kamp for 5 nights.

You planning anything for next year?

Carla - Lynn - I'll see EY at Christmas, she lives off season in southern Colorado, Durango. We know she'll play next year in USA, has good sponsors lined up. After that? As for being 38, I wish The king of volleyball players, Karch Kiraly, played until he was 46 years. Winning two Olympic golds in indoor volleyball and one Olympic gold in beach volleyball.

regards - tom

twaffle

I enjoyed both the report and photos. Although light is everything, enjoying photographing wildlife just makes you adapt to all conditions and give it your best shot. I have spent hours in photoshop trying to turn a 'sow's ear into a silk purse' because of bad light, to end up with an overworked sow's purse!!

cary999

thanks twaffle. Yes, been there, done that photoshop exercise. But as you know, if the photo does not start with good light (and is sharp) there is little that can be done with it except turn it into an "art form".

On the typical camp managed safari you have many "challenges". More than -only- uncontrolled animals and light. You are sharing a vehicle and guide with other people with other priorities. Yep, you do have to adapt as you say

regards - tom