South Africa, April 11 - April 26, 2009
Apr 30th, 2009, 06:44 PM
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South Africa, April 11 - April 26, 2009
South Africa, April11 – April 26,
Our trip to South Africa was fabulous. We were supposed to go 2 years ago, but due to 2009 medical reasons, we had to re-schedule. Of course, we had trip insurance, and now those health issues are behind us. Needless to say, we were thrilled to finally be going on such an exciting, memorable, and special journey!
I will present our report in 3 sections: Cape Town, Mala Mala, and Ngala. We made our safari arrangements and airline reservations with Julian Harrison of Premier Tours in Philadelphia. We flew on South African Airways from JFK Airport, NYC through Johannesburg to Cape Town, with a 1 hour refueling stop in Dakar, Senegal, (elapsed time about 21 hours). It is 6 hours ahead in SA; so we departed (NY) in the evening on April11 and arrived (Cape Town) in the evening on April12.
Part 1, Cape Town, April 12 – April 17
We stayed in the Westin Arabella, and we were met at the airport by a driver from the hotel, which we had pre-arranged. It was about a 10 minute ride to the hotel. We had a spacious suite, with a lovely view of Table Mountain, on the executive club level, which included a deluxe daily breakfast and also a daily cocktail hour in the rooftop restaurant, also with a dramatic view of the Mountain and the waterfront. The Arabella is about a 5 minute ride to the V & A Waterfront, and there is a frequent, convenient shuttle there and back. This is a very nice, modern hotel, and the staff is outstanding, happy, and helpful. We had also pre-arranged for a private car and tour guide, whom we met after breakfast in the hotel lobby.
On April 13, we took the hotel shuttle to the waterfront to do a little exploring, had lunch, and took shuttle back to hotel. We met our guide, Shafick, in the lobby for an afternoon city tour, including cable car ride to the top of Table Mountain for breathtaking views. We were very lucky with the weather; in fact, during our entire 2 week stay in SA, it was in the 70’s F. in the daytime and in the 50’s F. in the evening and early morning.
On April 14, we met Shafick in the lobby before 9am and headed down the Cape Peninsula along the Atlantic coast, stopping at scenic viewpoints, beaches, etc. We arrived at Cape Point, and we took the funicular up to the lighthouse at the top, where the views are spectacular. We stopped at the Cape of Good Hope, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian Ocean. We continued back north along the Indian Ocean coast. We had a delicious seafood lunch at Black Marlin, dining outside at a beautiful spot overlooking the water, booked by our guide. Then we drove to Simons Town, and we went to Boulder Beach to check out the very adorable African penguins. (Everybody loves penguins). Along the roads, we saw troops of baboons with the mothers carrying the babies on their backs. We visited Kirstenbosch Gardens and we enjoyed strolling amidst the beautiful plants there.
On April 15, we met Shafick again, same time same place, and we set out for a day in the wine country. (We viewed some townships as we drove past them en route, and Shafick constantly explained background, traditions, history, current events, etc. everyday). We went to Rust en Vrede wine estate in Stellenbosch first, where we tasted 4 wines. The tasting was outdoors in an absolutely breathtaking setting. Next, we went to Ernie Els wine estate; we took a tour there, including his private wine cellar. (Ernie wasn’t there).
Then we drove to Franschoek and went to Boekenhoutskloof, where we had an indoor tasting, consisting of 6 wines. We enjoyed the wine tasting activity. Some of the wines were very nice; the settings were always very special; and the people were lovely and knowledgeable. Luckily, we only had very small sips, and very luckily, Shafick (designated driver) wasn’t allowed to drink. Next stop was lunch at Le Quartier Francais, one of my favorite lunches of all time. Shafick had booked us a lovely table outside on the charming back patio. The food was definitely outstanding, and the ambience was perfect. A funny thing happened here. I had ordered soup, and the waiter had brought me a soup spoon, an important point. Then he came along with my husband’s appetizer and a beautiful presentation of a soufflé and thinly sliced beet salad (for me). I started to say that I had ordered soup (and indicated my spoon), and the waiter said that it was his mistake and that he was sorry, etc. But then I asked him to tell me please what was that delicious-looking plate? So, long story short, I had the soufflé/beet salad, and everybody was happy, (especially me)! He collected the soup spoon (proof that I wasn’t the one who had lost my mind), and then I said to him that I wondered what we were going to be having for our main course, afterall?! He thought that this was hysterical. So we enjoyed a delicious and entertaining lunch at LQF. Then we strolled through the town of Franschoek as we did also in Stellenbosch.. Last stop was Paarl, where we went to Seidelberg wine estate, took a tour of the winery, and learned about the wine-making process. We had a lovely outdoor wine tasting of 6 wines, while enjoying the view. We bought some bottles of wine for us to take home and also one for Shafick. This was such a lovely and peaceful day. Tomorrow is my husband’s birthday, and we are taking one of the bottles of wine with us to a BYO restaurant in NJ. (We will of course recap our fond memories of SA wine-tasting day, as we enjoy his b-day dinner and wine).
On April16, we took a taxi to the waterfront to take a tour of Robben Island, which we had pre-booked prior to our departure for SA. Again, we were lucky with the weather, as the catamaran does not make the half-hour trip across the water to Robben Island in questionable weather. We had booked the first tour of the morning. We went on a narrated bus tour, showing us the various areas of the prison. Next, a former prisoner was our guide, and he walked us through some cells of some famous African former prisoners, including Nelson Mandela. Our guide gave us a very gripping first-hand account of how the prisoners were treated. This was a very moving experience indeed.
On a lighter note, we also walked along the penguin boardwalk there and again checked out some more of these adorable little fellows. This excellent and informative tour went from 9am to 12:30pm. We went back to the hotel and then went to Green Market for a little shopping.
We ate in some good restaurants in Cape Town, including Panama Jack’s, Baia, and Signal (in the Cape Grace Hotel). We decided to enjoy seafood each day there, and we really appreciated the recommendations of many people on this Fodors board.
Our trip to South Africa was fabulous. We were supposed to go 2 years ago, but due to 2009 medical reasons, we had to re-schedule. Of course, we had trip insurance, and now those health issues are behind us. Needless to say, we were thrilled to finally be going on such an exciting, memorable, and special journey!
I will present our report in 3 sections: Cape Town, Mala Mala, and Ngala. We made our safari arrangements and airline reservations with Julian Harrison of Premier Tours in Philadelphia. We flew on South African Airways from JFK Airport, NYC through Johannesburg to Cape Town, with a 1 hour refueling stop in Dakar, Senegal, (elapsed time about 21 hours). It is 6 hours ahead in SA; so we departed (NY) in the evening on April11 and arrived (Cape Town) in the evening on April12.
Part 1, Cape Town, April 12 – April 17
We stayed in the Westin Arabella, and we were met at the airport by a driver from the hotel, which we had pre-arranged. It was about a 10 minute ride to the hotel. We had a spacious suite, with a lovely view of Table Mountain, on the executive club level, which included a deluxe daily breakfast and also a daily cocktail hour in the rooftop restaurant, also with a dramatic view of the Mountain and the waterfront. The Arabella is about a 5 minute ride to the V & A Waterfront, and there is a frequent, convenient shuttle there and back. This is a very nice, modern hotel, and the staff is outstanding, happy, and helpful. We had also pre-arranged for a private car and tour guide, whom we met after breakfast in the hotel lobby.
On April 13, we took the hotel shuttle to the waterfront to do a little exploring, had lunch, and took shuttle back to hotel. We met our guide, Shafick, in the lobby for an afternoon city tour, including cable car ride to the top of Table Mountain for breathtaking views. We were very lucky with the weather; in fact, during our entire 2 week stay in SA, it was in the 70’s F. in the daytime and in the 50’s F. in the evening and early morning.
On April 14, we met Shafick in the lobby before 9am and headed down the Cape Peninsula along the Atlantic coast, stopping at scenic viewpoints, beaches, etc. We arrived at Cape Point, and we took the funicular up to the lighthouse at the top, where the views are spectacular. We stopped at the Cape of Good Hope, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian Ocean. We continued back north along the Indian Ocean coast. We had a delicious seafood lunch at Black Marlin, dining outside at a beautiful spot overlooking the water, booked by our guide. Then we drove to Simons Town, and we went to Boulder Beach to check out the very adorable African penguins. (Everybody loves penguins). Along the roads, we saw troops of baboons with the mothers carrying the babies on their backs. We visited Kirstenbosch Gardens and we enjoyed strolling amidst the beautiful plants there.
On April 15, we met Shafick again, same time same place, and we set out for a day in the wine country. (We viewed some townships as we drove past them en route, and Shafick constantly explained background, traditions, history, current events, etc. everyday). We went to Rust en Vrede wine estate in Stellenbosch first, where we tasted 4 wines. The tasting was outdoors in an absolutely breathtaking setting. Next, we went to Ernie Els wine estate; we took a tour there, including his private wine cellar. (Ernie wasn’t there).
Then we drove to Franschoek and went to Boekenhoutskloof, where we had an indoor tasting, consisting of 6 wines. We enjoyed the wine tasting activity. Some of the wines were very nice; the settings were always very special; and the people were lovely and knowledgeable. Luckily, we only had very small sips, and very luckily, Shafick (designated driver) wasn’t allowed to drink. Next stop was lunch at Le Quartier Francais, one of my favorite lunches of all time. Shafick had booked us a lovely table outside on the charming back patio. The food was definitely outstanding, and the ambience was perfect. A funny thing happened here. I had ordered soup, and the waiter had brought me a soup spoon, an important point. Then he came along with my husband’s appetizer and a beautiful presentation of a soufflé and thinly sliced beet salad (for me). I started to say that I had ordered soup (and indicated my spoon), and the waiter said that it was his mistake and that he was sorry, etc. But then I asked him to tell me please what was that delicious-looking plate? So, long story short, I had the soufflé/beet salad, and everybody was happy, (especially me)! He collected the soup spoon (proof that I wasn’t the one who had lost my mind), and then I said to him that I wondered what we were going to be having for our main course, afterall?! He thought that this was hysterical. So we enjoyed a delicious and entertaining lunch at LQF. Then we strolled through the town of Franschoek as we did also in Stellenbosch.. Last stop was Paarl, where we went to Seidelberg wine estate, took a tour of the winery, and learned about the wine-making process. We had a lovely outdoor wine tasting of 6 wines, while enjoying the view. We bought some bottles of wine for us to take home and also one for Shafick. This was such a lovely and peaceful day. Tomorrow is my husband’s birthday, and we are taking one of the bottles of wine with us to a BYO restaurant in NJ. (We will of course recap our fond memories of SA wine-tasting day, as we enjoy his b-day dinner and wine).
On April16, we took a taxi to the waterfront to take a tour of Robben Island, which we had pre-booked prior to our departure for SA. Again, we were lucky with the weather, as the catamaran does not make the half-hour trip across the water to Robben Island in questionable weather. We had booked the first tour of the morning. We went on a narrated bus tour, showing us the various areas of the prison. Next, a former prisoner was our guide, and he walked us through some cells of some famous African former prisoners, including Nelson Mandela. Our guide gave us a very gripping first-hand account of how the prisoners were treated. This was a very moving experience indeed.
On a lighter note, we also walked along the penguin boardwalk there and again checked out some more of these adorable little fellows. This excellent and informative tour went from 9am to 12:30pm. We went back to the hotel and then went to Green Market for a little shopping.
We ate in some good restaurants in Cape Town, including Panama Jack’s, Baia, and Signal (in the Cape Grace Hotel). We decided to enjoy seafood each day there, and we really appreciated the recommendations of many people on this Fodors board.
May 1st, 2009, 06:33 PM
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Part 2, Mala Mala, April 17 – April 20
On April 17, we departed at 7:10am from Cape Town on an SAA flight to Johannesburg; the flight was 1 hour and 40 minutes. After a 2 hour layover, we boarded a 28-seater plane for a 1 hour SA Express flight to Mala Mala air strip. Before take-off, we had to de-plane because there was a safety malfunction, causing a 1 hour delay. (This was just a very slight inconvenience, and we surely appreciated the level of safety and thoroughness). We re-boarded and landed safely at MM air strip. This is a very small air strip in the middle of the bush, where one can get a first taste of safari as the game roams freely. We were met at the MM air strip, transported just a few minutes ride to camp, where we checked in and moved into rondeval #7.
Mala Mala Main Camp is certainly beautiful and classic. There are 19 suites or rondevals, an exercise room, pool, small gift shop, library with 1 computer, bar, attractive area for hanging out and relaxing, dining area and deck. Our suite is lovely, thatched roof, with a comfortable sitting room, large bedroom with dramatic 30 foot ceiling, 2 full bathrooms, 2 walk-in closets, and patios overlooking the bush. We met our ranger, Andrew, and then had a buffet lunch with him in the main dining area. After a short rest time, we met for tea, and then we were off for our very first game drive ever! Boy was it exciting and successful! The managing director, David, was at MM during our 3-day visit. He asked if it would be all right with us if his teenage daughter, Kelly, and her friend, Lauren, joined us for our game drive. Of course, we said that it would be fine. So at 4pm, the 4 of us set off into the bush with Andrew at the helm of the Land Rover, acting as ranger, driver, guide, and tracker. There had been a strike at MM in December, and since then there have not been any trackers there. We set out dressed in safari pants and light shirts, but of course by our return to camp at about 7:30pm, it was dark and cold. So we had put on all our layers, etc. which included fleeces, gloves, knitted head bands (which were indispensable throughout the trip), hats, and jackets.
The very first animals we saw were impala, which of course proved to be our most frequently sighted animals during our week of combined safaris. That said, our first “other” sighting was a giraffe, my favorite animal, and the one I had guessed would be our first. I said above that this, our first game drive, was indeed successful, and here is what we saw: zebra and a baby zebra about 1 week old, a leopard and 2 leopard cubs about 2 1/2 months old, a crash of rhinos, a pod of hippos, and a wildebeest. It was truly amazing and thrilling to view these beautiful animals in their natural habitat, often up-close. Amazingly enough, I am happy to report that I was not afraid; I felt that we were in good hands, (although, or maybe because, there is a loaded rifle mounted on the front of each vehicle upon departure for each game drive). Andrew provided us with a wealth of information about all the game and our surroundings.
As we were driving back to camp at night, it was most impressive that Kelly could spot chameleons in the branches of the trees along the way. To us, they looked like just another leaf; but she easily pointed out 13 of them to us. She had Andrew stop and get one off its leafy perch and display it on his hand. Then she took her turn holding it and even my husband let it walk on his hand, before they replaced it back in the tree. Only the owner’s daughter could do something like that.
Upon our return to camp at 7:30pm, we had only a short while for R & R, and then we all met for dinner in the boma. The boma is an outdoor reed-enclosed circular structure for dining, where there is a nice, warm fire in the center. There is a long arrangement of tables going around the inside perimeter. So we were seated with Andrew and next to David and family. After the meal, there was pleasant entertainment, African songs by the staff. Then Andrew escorted us to our rondeval #7 for a much-needed good night’s sleep. Our 5:30am wake-up call was indeed very, very soon!
On April 18, we received a wake-up call from Andrew at 5:30am, as promised, and we met him in the dining area for coffee/tea and breakfast baked items. Shortly, we departed for our 2nd MM game drive; this was our first morning game drive. Since it was quite early, it was chilly; so, of course, we started out wearing our many layers. Joining our small group from yesterday, were 2 young men from Mashatu (sister camp) in Botswana, Andre and Craig. They are doing research on predators for their PhD degrees. They were wonderful to have on board, additional sources of info and interesting anecdotes!
We saw: kudu, rhinos, female leopard, zebra with a young one, 2 large male lions, 2 leopard cubs up on high rocks (same ones as last night), lots of impala, crocodile, baboons, vervet monkeys, giraffe (different one from last night), various birds, an eagle, a vulture. We loved the morning game drive! It warmed up nicely, and so off came the layers.
We returned to camp at 9:15am and enjoyed a nice, hot breakfast. Now there was a little time for R & R until 12pm, when we went to the library for a presentation by Andre about tracking leopards using a GPS system and one by Craig about the wild dogs. Both were very informative. Then we all had lunch, followed by the afternoon game drive. We had requested an earlier afternoon game drive at 3pm, in order to avoid being out in colder air later in the evening. We saw: a journey of giraffes, a large herd of elephants, a large herd of cape buffalo, bushback, leopards (in fact we followed one through the bush), leopard cub, sick elephant separated from herd (had a very large tumor on stomach, very sad), impala, kudu, and hippos blocking road on way back to camp.
Suddenly one of the most unusual sightings occurred. We looked across the bridge, and approaching us at a rapid pace, we spotted David and his girlfriend, Tanya, zooming toward us on racing bikes in full racing gear. They were followed closely by Justin, the general manager, in a Land Rover. They said a few words as they passed us and then quickly sped off into the distance. This was quite a unique bush experience, one I wouldn’t do. We returned to MM at almost 7pm and enjoyed dinner.
On April 19, (you know the drill): wake-up call, light breakfast, and 6:15am departure for morning game drive. David had asked if it would be OK with us if his SO, Tanya, rode with us. So in the Land Rover with us were Kelly, Lauren, Tanya, and the student researchers, Andre and Craig. We saw: impala, kudu, a troop of baboons walking on the dirt road and playing in the trees, a lion pride – 2 females, 1 male, and 2 adorable cubs, leopard up in a tree with his kill, which was an impala. At the bottom of the tree, was a hyena, waiting for any possible left-overs. We had to move a herd of grazing cape buffalo off the dirt road in order to get by. On the way back, we passed a rhino and a few giraffes. As we returned to camp at 9:30am, Tanya said that we were just “missing” elephants to complete a sighting of the Big 5. From our patio, as soon as we had parted company, we spotted some ellies including a baby, thus completing the astounding feat of seeing the Big 5 all in one morning! The happy campers had a nice breakfast and excitedly told Tanya the news! A truly good morning!
After lunch and also afternoon tea, we set out with Andrew for a private afternoon game drive; the others had departed. We saw: a hippo in the water, fighting rhinos and other rhinos, baboons, a warthog, a spotted hyena, a puff adder, impalas, kudu. We enjoyed yet another beautiful African sunset. I should mention how dramatic and thrilling it is after dark when the powerful spotlight illuminates the bushveld and we have a nice peek into night life in the wild. We returned to camp at 6:30pm, after a wonderful drive, ready for dinner and a good night’s rest.
On April 20, we received our final 5:30am wake-up call at Mala Mala from Andrew. After the usual light breakfast, we departed for our final game drive, which was once again a private affair. We saw: a cape buffalo, impala, baboons crossing the bridge, rhino which we circumvented, and the highlight of the morning was the sighting of 3 spotted wild dogs, the rarest carnivore! This was truly very exciting and a great way to cap off our wonderful stay at Mala Mala, our first safari ever! Back at camp, we had breakfast and checked out. We were picked up at 11am by a car service to be transported to our next safari. We certainly took with us many very special memories of a fabulous experience, to be shared and treasured for a lifetime….
On April 17, we departed at 7:10am from Cape Town on an SAA flight to Johannesburg; the flight was 1 hour and 40 minutes. After a 2 hour layover, we boarded a 28-seater plane for a 1 hour SA Express flight to Mala Mala air strip. Before take-off, we had to de-plane because there was a safety malfunction, causing a 1 hour delay. (This was just a very slight inconvenience, and we surely appreciated the level of safety and thoroughness). We re-boarded and landed safely at MM air strip. This is a very small air strip in the middle of the bush, where one can get a first taste of safari as the game roams freely. We were met at the MM air strip, transported just a few minutes ride to camp, where we checked in and moved into rondeval #7.
Mala Mala Main Camp is certainly beautiful and classic. There are 19 suites or rondevals, an exercise room, pool, small gift shop, library with 1 computer, bar, attractive area for hanging out and relaxing, dining area and deck. Our suite is lovely, thatched roof, with a comfortable sitting room, large bedroom with dramatic 30 foot ceiling, 2 full bathrooms, 2 walk-in closets, and patios overlooking the bush. We met our ranger, Andrew, and then had a buffet lunch with him in the main dining area. After a short rest time, we met for tea, and then we were off for our very first game drive ever! Boy was it exciting and successful! The managing director, David, was at MM during our 3-day visit. He asked if it would be all right with us if his teenage daughter, Kelly, and her friend, Lauren, joined us for our game drive. Of course, we said that it would be fine. So at 4pm, the 4 of us set off into the bush with Andrew at the helm of the Land Rover, acting as ranger, driver, guide, and tracker. There had been a strike at MM in December, and since then there have not been any trackers there. We set out dressed in safari pants and light shirts, but of course by our return to camp at about 7:30pm, it was dark and cold. So we had put on all our layers, etc. which included fleeces, gloves, knitted head bands (which were indispensable throughout the trip), hats, and jackets.
The very first animals we saw were impala, which of course proved to be our most frequently sighted animals during our week of combined safaris. That said, our first “other” sighting was a giraffe, my favorite animal, and the one I had guessed would be our first. I said above that this, our first game drive, was indeed successful, and here is what we saw: zebra and a baby zebra about 1 week old, a leopard and 2 leopard cubs about 2 1/2 months old, a crash of rhinos, a pod of hippos, and a wildebeest. It was truly amazing and thrilling to view these beautiful animals in their natural habitat, often up-close. Amazingly enough, I am happy to report that I was not afraid; I felt that we were in good hands, (although, or maybe because, there is a loaded rifle mounted on the front of each vehicle upon departure for each game drive). Andrew provided us with a wealth of information about all the game and our surroundings.
As we were driving back to camp at night, it was most impressive that Kelly could spot chameleons in the branches of the trees along the way. To us, they looked like just another leaf; but she easily pointed out 13 of them to us. She had Andrew stop and get one off its leafy perch and display it on his hand. Then she took her turn holding it and even my husband let it walk on his hand, before they replaced it back in the tree. Only the owner’s daughter could do something like that.
Upon our return to camp at 7:30pm, we had only a short while for R & R, and then we all met for dinner in the boma. The boma is an outdoor reed-enclosed circular structure for dining, where there is a nice, warm fire in the center. There is a long arrangement of tables going around the inside perimeter. So we were seated with Andrew and next to David and family. After the meal, there was pleasant entertainment, African songs by the staff. Then Andrew escorted us to our rondeval #7 for a much-needed good night’s sleep. Our 5:30am wake-up call was indeed very, very soon!
On April 18, we received a wake-up call from Andrew at 5:30am, as promised, and we met him in the dining area for coffee/tea and breakfast baked items. Shortly, we departed for our 2nd MM game drive; this was our first morning game drive. Since it was quite early, it was chilly; so, of course, we started out wearing our many layers. Joining our small group from yesterday, were 2 young men from Mashatu (sister camp) in Botswana, Andre and Craig. They are doing research on predators for their PhD degrees. They were wonderful to have on board, additional sources of info and interesting anecdotes!
We saw: kudu, rhinos, female leopard, zebra with a young one, 2 large male lions, 2 leopard cubs up on high rocks (same ones as last night), lots of impala, crocodile, baboons, vervet monkeys, giraffe (different one from last night), various birds, an eagle, a vulture. We loved the morning game drive! It warmed up nicely, and so off came the layers.
We returned to camp at 9:15am and enjoyed a nice, hot breakfast. Now there was a little time for R & R until 12pm, when we went to the library for a presentation by Andre about tracking leopards using a GPS system and one by Craig about the wild dogs. Both were very informative. Then we all had lunch, followed by the afternoon game drive. We had requested an earlier afternoon game drive at 3pm, in order to avoid being out in colder air later in the evening. We saw: a journey of giraffes, a large herd of elephants, a large herd of cape buffalo, bushback, leopards (in fact we followed one through the bush), leopard cub, sick elephant separated from herd (had a very large tumor on stomach, very sad), impala, kudu, and hippos blocking road on way back to camp.
Suddenly one of the most unusual sightings occurred. We looked across the bridge, and approaching us at a rapid pace, we spotted David and his girlfriend, Tanya, zooming toward us on racing bikes in full racing gear. They were followed closely by Justin, the general manager, in a Land Rover. They said a few words as they passed us and then quickly sped off into the distance. This was quite a unique bush experience, one I wouldn’t do. We returned to MM at almost 7pm and enjoyed dinner.
On April 19, (you know the drill): wake-up call, light breakfast, and 6:15am departure for morning game drive. David had asked if it would be OK with us if his SO, Tanya, rode with us. So in the Land Rover with us were Kelly, Lauren, Tanya, and the student researchers, Andre and Craig. We saw: impala, kudu, a troop of baboons walking on the dirt road and playing in the trees, a lion pride – 2 females, 1 male, and 2 adorable cubs, leopard up in a tree with his kill, which was an impala. At the bottom of the tree, was a hyena, waiting for any possible left-overs. We had to move a herd of grazing cape buffalo off the dirt road in order to get by. On the way back, we passed a rhino and a few giraffes. As we returned to camp at 9:30am, Tanya said that we were just “missing” elephants to complete a sighting of the Big 5. From our patio, as soon as we had parted company, we spotted some ellies including a baby, thus completing the astounding feat of seeing the Big 5 all in one morning! The happy campers had a nice breakfast and excitedly told Tanya the news! A truly good morning!
After lunch and also afternoon tea, we set out with Andrew for a private afternoon game drive; the others had departed. We saw: a hippo in the water, fighting rhinos and other rhinos, baboons, a warthog, a spotted hyena, a puff adder, impalas, kudu. We enjoyed yet another beautiful African sunset. I should mention how dramatic and thrilling it is after dark when the powerful spotlight illuminates the bushveld and we have a nice peek into night life in the wild. We returned to camp at 6:30pm, after a wonderful drive, ready for dinner and a good night’s rest.
On April 20, we received our final 5:30am wake-up call at Mala Mala from Andrew. After the usual light breakfast, we departed for our final game drive, which was once again a private affair. We saw: a cape buffalo, impala, baboons crossing the bridge, rhino which we circumvented, and the highlight of the morning was the sighting of 3 spotted wild dogs, the rarest carnivore! This was truly very exciting and a great way to cap off our wonderful stay at Mala Mala, our first safari ever! Back at camp, we had breakfast and checked out. We were picked up at 11am by a car service to be transported to our next safari. We certainly took with us many very special memories of a fabulous experience, to be shared and treasured for a lifetime….
May 2nd, 2009, 07:21 AM
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Thanx so much, everybody.
Lynn - Actually, the giraffe was our 1st and last real animal sighting of this entire "journey", (like bookends), front and back! But I don't want to spill my own beans - I think that this little story will be at the end of Part 3, Section B, coming hopefully soon.
Last night we did enjoy one of the bottles of wine, Seidelberg estate wine, from Paarl, which we bought during our lovely day of wine tasting. A perfect touch for my husband's birthday dinner yesterday!
Carole
Lynn - Actually, the giraffe was our 1st and last real animal sighting of this entire "journey", (like bookends), front and back! But I don't want to spill my own beans - I think that this little story will be at the end of Part 3, Section B, coming hopefully soon.
Last night we did enjoy one of the bottles of wine, Seidelberg estate wine, from Paarl, which we bought during our lovely day of wine tasting. A perfect touch for my husband's birthday dinner yesterday!
Carole
May 5th, 2009, 12:04 PM
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Part 3, Section A, Ngala Tented Lodge, April 20 – April 24
On April 20, we were collected by a car service at Mala Mala at 11am and we set out for Ngala Tented Camp in the Timbavati region. The ride was very bumpy, to say the least. Much of the trip was on rough dirt roads; but the vehicle itself was comfortable and the driver was chatty. After a 2 ¾ hour ride, we finally arrived safely at Ngala, and the smiling staff greeted us with beautiful African songs and cold lemonade, a lovely and appreciated welcome! We met Clare, the manager, and Richard, our butler, and then we had a delicious lunch on the deck overlooking the bush, served graciously by Richard. (We quickly learned how good the food is at Ngala)! Surprisingly, as we ate, from time to time, some monkeys ran across the deck hoping to find some food, quite amusing.
Ngala has 6 very luxurious tents, which are air-conditioned/heated, absolutely fabulous! They are raised and built on wooden decks, each with a nice sitting area in front with 2 comfortable chairs. We were brought to our tent, tent #3, and shown around. Our home for the next 4 nights is very spacious, with his and hers sinks, bathroom, a large tub, and beautiful (yes, beautiful) outdoor shower on a hidden, enclosed section of the back deck. The bed has an inviting heating source coming from underneath, which housekeeping turns on for the guests during dinnertime for an extra touch of warmth. I told my husband that I imagined this was like being a piece of bread in a toaster oven. We surely made great use of the individual temperature regulators though, as we didn’t want to become toast! The walls and ceiling are made of canvas, and that is, of course, what makes this abode a tent! It is necessary to slide your doors closed and fasten them to keep out the monkeys. One can enjoy hearing the night sounds of the bush, and yet one feels safe and sound inside the unit. This is definitely not your typical scouting tent situation – this is lap of luxury, love that tent, accommodations! There is no phone in the tent; but instead there is a whistle to blow if you need something, and a bit more alarming, a bull horn in case of emergency! (I am happy to report that we didn’t need to use these).
At 4pm, we went on our 1st game drive at Ngala. Our ranger was JP, and our tracker was Richard, (a different Richard). (There are trackers at Ngala). Today there were 2 other couples in our vehicle, a “visiting” ranger from another lodge and his SO, and a lovely, young couple from Mexico City. Our 1st sighting at Ngala was a dead leopard! JP told us that she was probably killed that morning by some lions. She had been suffocated or strangled by horrific neck bites. She was about 17 years old, very old for a leopard, and the rangers think that she was the very first leopard born in this area, very sad indeed. One could easily see up close what a beautiful animal she was! JP asked all of us if we wanted to touch her, since it was probably the only chance we would ever get to touch a leopard. My husband and I (independently of each other) respectfully declined; it didn’t seem like the right thing to do. Some of the others did in fact opt to touch her. This, I thought, was a very unusual, unpredictable, and memorable start of our game drive.
Richard then jumped off his little tracker’s perch on the front of the vehicle, and he went out into the bushveld to track the game. He directed us to a leopard which in a while went after an impala “for dinner”; but he didn’t kill it after all. It was an adventure to track and watch the chase anyway! We also heard a very, very loud lion’s roar, so loud because we were real close to it. First lion’s roar we ever heard! Next we stopped for sundowners in the bush. Right there out in the middle of the Timbavati, JP set up a table with a tablecloth, drinks, and snacks. While watching a beautiful African sunset, we all enjoyed some wine, a very relaxing and special treat. Back at the lodge, we had a delicious dinner. The “bush taxi”, as they call the security men, need to escort the guests back to their tents at night as the animals are able to roam freely in the camp. Listening to the night sounds of Africa, we happily fell asleep under canvas, a new experience for us in our safari tent.
On April 21, we were awakened at 5:30am with a knock on our tent door, a cheery “good morn”, and a tray of rooi tea and crunchies (delicious baked squares). We quickly got ready, and at 6am we were off for our morning game drive. Now our safari-mates are only the very nice couple from Mexico. We were lucky to find a pride of 10 lions lying in the grass, resting after their hunt and kill. They were massive and quite sleepy, although still panting from the chase. We also saw a jackal, a wildebeest, kudu, impala, a large number of vultures cleaning up from a kill of a cape buffalo (probably from the prior night). There was nothing left except one horn and part of a skull. Then JP wisely chose a lovely shaded area under a big beautiful tree to stop and set up a table for our 2nd mini breakfast. What a treat we had – hot chocolate made to order especially for each of us, with the special touch of Amarula, a liqueur made from the local marula tree. We were hooked! From then on in, that was the hot beverage of choice on each morning game drive, without even a discussion. Mmmm…. Upon our return to camp, we had a hot breakfast (3rd breakfast) on the main dining deck, just such a lovely setting.
Our bushwalk with our ranger, JP, was definitely a highlight of our stay at Ngala. He drove us in the Land Rover to a starting point where we jumped out and he gave us some important instructions. We needed to march quietly in a single file at arm’s distance from one another. If he told us to stop, we needed to do so immediately and then freeze, and wait for his next instruction. We set out as directed, with JP in the lead with loaded rifle.
We saw impala up-close, learned about different trees and vegetation, and how to read the trail and footprints. We circled around back to the vehicle for our return to camp and lunch. This was a very exciting activity, and I am glad that I mustered up the courage to do it!
After a little nap in our fabulous tent, and then teatime, it was time for our afternoon game drive. We were still a party of 4. We saw hippos, giraffes, a jackal, impala fighting, cape buffalo, and vultures. We stopped for sundowners, once again enjoying another African sunset. A nice dinner back at camp was followed by another good night’s sleep under canvas.
On April 22, we had our 5:30am wake-up knock and breakfast tray, prior to our 6am departure for our morning game drive. This morn we saw 6 hyenas (adults and young ones), warthogs, zebra, impala, kudu, wildebeest, steenbok, and cape buffalo. We ended up near Ngala Main Camp, and so JP showed us the accommodations there. It is very different as it is not tented, more traditional and larger. This is about a 45 minute drive through the bush from the tented camp. We also briefly went into the gift shop where we bought ourselves a memento of Ngala. Of course, we enjoyed our daily morning hot chocolate treat, and then later our hot breakfast at camp. After a rather short rest, the 4 of us went out again with JP in search of the cheetahs, which had been spotted in the morning. JP drove us around for about an hour; but he couldn’t find the cheetahs. It was fun anyway, and we did come across a skull including the jaw and teeth and bones of a hyena. We also saw a cape buffalo.
Next was lunch, a short rest, teatime, and then the 4pm afternoon game drive. We saw a crash of rhinos, which came really close to the vehicle and surrounded us! We saw a pod of hippos in the water, maybe 4 or 5 of them. We saw a large herd of elephants , 20 or more, marching along. We saw a troop of baboons, a jackal, kudu, a steenbok, hyenas, impala, and a dazzle of zebra. At sunset, we stopped for sundowners, and JP served champagne which our safari-mates had bought in Stellenbosch, and had given to JP to chill and serve to us all out in the bush. This was a lovely, thoughtful treat which we all enjoyed! Later, upon our return to camp, we were greeted with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres poolside, also very enjoyable. Next we had dinner and of course another wonderful night’s sleep in our now familiar tent!
On April 23, we had the usual 5:30am wake-up knock accompanied by a tray of tea and crunchies and then our 6am game drive departure. First we saw a male elephant with only half a trunk, which my husband actually spotted himself. JP explained to the 4 of us that the ellie was caught in a trap accidentally some time ago. It was very sad to see him eating and I was worrying about how difficult it must be for him to drink. Next we saw 2 hyenas at an impala kill. Then we followed a beautiful cheetah for a while, very rare. Next we had our light breakfast, hot chocolate , the Amarula way, at a lovely waterhole. Then Richard, our tracker, left us and went out tracking. He returned by foot and had discovered foot prints, blood, and dragging marks, evidence of a kill. So JP drove us around, found the cheetah and we waited until she started to eat the impala, which she had hidden under a thicket to keep vultures from getting it. We then watched the cheetah feasting on it for about a half hour. Upon return to camp, we had breakfast and then some R & R.
JP and the manager asked us if it would be all right if we switched to the other Land Rover for our last game drives because a group of 6 was arriving from England and they of course wanted to be together. So after lunch and teatime, we set out with our newer ranger, Mark. We saw a family of warthogs, a giant herd of cape buffalo (about 1000) in a water hole, very amazing. When we stopped for sundowners, we had a fantastic astronomy lesson. The African night sky is so very beautifully clear, and so it was thrilling to see and hear all about the vivid constellations. My husband said that this was a highlight of the trip for him. It was the first time he had really seen the Milky Way. On the way back to camp, we saw an elephant and a rhino. After a lovely dinner, we packed; this was our last night at Ngala.
Part 3, Section B, Unexpected Extension, April 24 – April 26
On April 24, after our wake-up knock and rooi tea, we set out for our final game drive at 6am. This morning was devoted to tracking a large pride of lions, at least 10 resting and displaying their giant, full stomachs after a large kill. They were appearing to be quite lazy and distracted, but as soon as an even slight noise was heard in the distance, they all picked up their large heads in unison and looked off in the exact same direction. Then they plopped down again and continued to doze. Of course, we enjoyed our last fix of hot chocolate with Amarula, delicious as usual, and then we began to head back to camp. After breakfast, we warmly said goodbye to all. We were picked up at 11am for the 40 minute ride to Hoedspruit Airport. On our drive through the Timbavati to the airport, we saw cape buffalo, nyala, and giraffes. The 1-hour flight to Johannesburg was scheduled to depart at 2pm; but due to mechanical problems, it finally departed at about 6:15pm. This is a very, very small airport and it was a beautiful day; so it seemed like a good idea to spend the time out of doors in Africa, instead of in the tiny building. Good decision! What did we see….a zebra came walking out of the shrubs and thicket onto the dirt road, and then along came a giraffe, who was kind enough to hang around and pose for some 15 minutes. So this giraffe was actually our very last animal sighting of this trip, very cool, surprising, and memorable! Thus the giraffe was our first and last animal sighting, hooray!
Needless to say, our connecting flight to JFK had departed prior to our arrival in Johannesburg. Long story short, we arranged for tickets on the same flight for the very next day. We stayed at the Peermont Hotel (Emperor’s Palace complex) about 5 minutes by shuttle from the airport. The meals in the attached, enclosed small mall were fine, and we appreciated a much-needed good night’s sleep. Perhaps not such a bad delay after all.
On April 25, after a good rest and pleasant meal, we went back to the Johannesburg Airport, and we finally departed at 7:30pm. We arrived at JFK Airport, NYC on Sunday, April 26 at 7:30am. The time in Africa is 6 hours ahead of our time; so the flight time was actually 18 hours. We were very happy to be greeted by our son’s smiling face at the airport. He enthusiastically exchanged stories of Africa with us on the ride to our house, as he had been on safari some years ago. Now he knew that we too, had caught the bug!
On April 20, we were collected by a car service at Mala Mala at 11am and we set out for Ngala Tented Camp in the Timbavati region. The ride was very bumpy, to say the least. Much of the trip was on rough dirt roads; but the vehicle itself was comfortable and the driver was chatty. After a 2 ¾ hour ride, we finally arrived safely at Ngala, and the smiling staff greeted us with beautiful African songs and cold lemonade, a lovely and appreciated welcome! We met Clare, the manager, and Richard, our butler, and then we had a delicious lunch on the deck overlooking the bush, served graciously by Richard. (We quickly learned how good the food is at Ngala)! Surprisingly, as we ate, from time to time, some monkeys ran across the deck hoping to find some food, quite amusing.
Ngala has 6 very luxurious tents, which are air-conditioned/heated, absolutely fabulous! They are raised and built on wooden decks, each with a nice sitting area in front with 2 comfortable chairs. We were brought to our tent, tent #3, and shown around. Our home for the next 4 nights is very spacious, with his and hers sinks, bathroom, a large tub, and beautiful (yes, beautiful) outdoor shower on a hidden, enclosed section of the back deck. The bed has an inviting heating source coming from underneath, which housekeeping turns on for the guests during dinnertime for an extra touch of warmth. I told my husband that I imagined this was like being a piece of bread in a toaster oven. We surely made great use of the individual temperature regulators though, as we didn’t want to become toast! The walls and ceiling are made of canvas, and that is, of course, what makes this abode a tent! It is necessary to slide your doors closed and fasten them to keep out the monkeys. One can enjoy hearing the night sounds of the bush, and yet one feels safe and sound inside the unit. This is definitely not your typical scouting tent situation – this is lap of luxury, love that tent, accommodations! There is no phone in the tent; but instead there is a whistle to blow if you need something, and a bit more alarming, a bull horn in case of emergency! (I am happy to report that we didn’t need to use these).
At 4pm, we went on our 1st game drive at Ngala. Our ranger was JP, and our tracker was Richard, (a different Richard). (There are trackers at Ngala). Today there were 2 other couples in our vehicle, a “visiting” ranger from another lodge and his SO, and a lovely, young couple from Mexico City. Our 1st sighting at Ngala was a dead leopard! JP told us that she was probably killed that morning by some lions. She had been suffocated or strangled by horrific neck bites. She was about 17 years old, very old for a leopard, and the rangers think that she was the very first leopard born in this area, very sad indeed. One could easily see up close what a beautiful animal she was! JP asked all of us if we wanted to touch her, since it was probably the only chance we would ever get to touch a leopard. My husband and I (independently of each other) respectfully declined; it didn’t seem like the right thing to do. Some of the others did in fact opt to touch her. This, I thought, was a very unusual, unpredictable, and memorable start of our game drive.
Richard then jumped off his little tracker’s perch on the front of the vehicle, and he went out into the bushveld to track the game. He directed us to a leopard which in a while went after an impala “for dinner”; but he didn’t kill it after all. It was an adventure to track and watch the chase anyway! We also heard a very, very loud lion’s roar, so loud because we were real close to it. First lion’s roar we ever heard! Next we stopped for sundowners in the bush. Right there out in the middle of the Timbavati, JP set up a table with a tablecloth, drinks, and snacks. While watching a beautiful African sunset, we all enjoyed some wine, a very relaxing and special treat. Back at the lodge, we had a delicious dinner. The “bush taxi”, as they call the security men, need to escort the guests back to their tents at night as the animals are able to roam freely in the camp. Listening to the night sounds of Africa, we happily fell asleep under canvas, a new experience for us in our safari tent.
On April 21, we were awakened at 5:30am with a knock on our tent door, a cheery “good morn”, and a tray of rooi tea and crunchies (delicious baked squares). We quickly got ready, and at 6am we were off for our morning game drive. Now our safari-mates are only the very nice couple from Mexico. We were lucky to find a pride of 10 lions lying in the grass, resting after their hunt and kill. They were massive and quite sleepy, although still panting from the chase. We also saw a jackal, a wildebeest, kudu, impala, a large number of vultures cleaning up from a kill of a cape buffalo (probably from the prior night). There was nothing left except one horn and part of a skull. Then JP wisely chose a lovely shaded area under a big beautiful tree to stop and set up a table for our 2nd mini breakfast. What a treat we had – hot chocolate made to order especially for each of us, with the special touch of Amarula, a liqueur made from the local marula tree. We were hooked! From then on in, that was the hot beverage of choice on each morning game drive, without even a discussion. Mmmm…. Upon our return to camp, we had a hot breakfast (3rd breakfast) on the main dining deck, just such a lovely setting.
Our bushwalk with our ranger, JP, was definitely a highlight of our stay at Ngala. He drove us in the Land Rover to a starting point where we jumped out and he gave us some important instructions. We needed to march quietly in a single file at arm’s distance from one another. If he told us to stop, we needed to do so immediately and then freeze, and wait for his next instruction. We set out as directed, with JP in the lead with loaded rifle.
We saw impala up-close, learned about different trees and vegetation, and how to read the trail and footprints. We circled around back to the vehicle for our return to camp and lunch. This was a very exciting activity, and I am glad that I mustered up the courage to do it!
After a little nap in our fabulous tent, and then teatime, it was time for our afternoon game drive. We were still a party of 4. We saw hippos, giraffes, a jackal, impala fighting, cape buffalo, and vultures. We stopped for sundowners, once again enjoying another African sunset. A nice dinner back at camp was followed by another good night’s sleep under canvas.
On April 22, we had our 5:30am wake-up knock and breakfast tray, prior to our 6am departure for our morning game drive. This morn we saw 6 hyenas (adults and young ones), warthogs, zebra, impala, kudu, wildebeest, steenbok, and cape buffalo. We ended up near Ngala Main Camp, and so JP showed us the accommodations there. It is very different as it is not tented, more traditional and larger. This is about a 45 minute drive through the bush from the tented camp. We also briefly went into the gift shop where we bought ourselves a memento of Ngala. Of course, we enjoyed our daily morning hot chocolate treat, and then later our hot breakfast at camp. After a rather short rest, the 4 of us went out again with JP in search of the cheetahs, which had been spotted in the morning. JP drove us around for about an hour; but he couldn’t find the cheetahs. It was fun anyway, and we did come across a skull including the jaw and teeth and bones of a hyena. We also saw a cape buffalo.
Next was lunch, a short rest, teatime, and then the 4pm afternoon game drive. We saw a crash of rhinos, which came really close to the vehicle and surrounded us! We saw a pod of hippos in the water, maybe 4 or 5 of them. We saw a large herd of elephants , 20 or more, marching along. We saw a troop of baboons, a jackal, kudu, a steenbok, hyenas, impala, and a dazzle of zebra. At sunset, we stopped for sundowners, and JP served champagne which our safari-mates had bought in Stellenbosch, and had given to JP to chill and serve to us all out in the bush. This was a lovely, thoughtful treat which we all enjoyed! Later, upon our return to camp, we were greeted with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres poolside, also very enjoyable. Next we had dinner and of course another wonderful night’s sleep in our now familiar tent!
On April 23, we had the usual 5:30am wake-up knock accompanied by a tray of tea and crunchies and then our 6am game drive departure. First we saw a male elephant with only half a trunk, which my husband actually spotted himself. JP explained to the 4 of us that the ellie was caught in a trap accidentally some time ago. It was very sad to see him eating and I was worrying about how difficult it must be for him to drink. Next we saw 2 hyenas at an impala kill. Then we followed a beautiful cheetah for a while, very rare. Next we had our light breakfast, hot chocolate , the Amarula way, at a lovely waterhole. Then Richard, our tracker, left us and went out tracking. He returned by foot and had discovered foot prints, blood, and dragging marks, evidence of a kill. So JP drove us around, found the cheetah and we waited until she started to eat the impala, which she had hidden under a thicket to keep vultures from getting it. We then watched the cheetah feasting on it for about a half hour. Upon return to camp, we had breakfast and then some R & R.
JP and the manager asked us if it would be all right if we switched to the other Land Rover for our last game drives because a group of 6 was arriving from England and they of course wanted to be together. So after lunch and teatime, we set out with our newer ranger, Mark. We saw a family of warthogs, a giant herd of cape buffalo (about 1000) in a water hole, very amazing. When we stopped for sundowners, we had a fantastic astronomy lesson. The African night sky is so very beautifully clear, and so it was thrilling to see and hear all about the vivid constellations. My husband said that this was a highlight of the trip for him. It was the first time he had really seen the Milky Way. On the way back to camp, we saw an elephant and a rhino. After a lovely dinner, we packed; this was our last night at Ngala.
Part 3, Section B, Unexpected Extension, April 24 – April 26
On April 24, after our wake-up knock and rooi tea, we set out for our final game drive at 6am. This morning was devoted to tracking a large pride of lions, at least 10 resting and displaying their giant, full stomachs after a large kill. They were appearing to be quite lazy and distracted, but as soon as an even slight noise was heard in the distance, they all picked up their large heads in unison and looked off in the exact same direction. Then they plopped down again and continued to doze. Of course, we enjoyed our last fix of hot chocolate with Amarula, delicious as usual, and then we began to head back to camp. After breakfast, we warmly said goodbye to all. We were picked up at 11am for the 40 minute ride to Hoedspruit Airport. On our drive through the Timbavati to the airport, we saw cape buffalo, nyala, and giraffes. The 1-hour flight to Johannesburg was scheduled to depart at 2pm; but due to mechanical problems, it finally departed at about 6:15pm. This is a very, very small airport and it was a beautiful day; so it seemed like a good idea to spend the time out of doors in Africa, instead of in the tiny building. Good decision! What did we see….a zebra came walking out of the shrubs and thicket onto the dirt road, and then along came a giraffe, who was kind enough to hang around and pose for some 15 minutes. So this giraffe was actually our very last animal sighting of this trip, very cool, surprising, and memorable! Thus the giraffe was our first and last animal sighting, hooray!
Needless to say, our connecting flight to JFK had departed prior to our arrival in Johannesburg. Long story short, we arranged for tickets on the same flight for the very next day. We stayed at the Peermont Hotel (Emperor’s Palace complex) about 5 minutes by shuttle from the airport. The meals in the attached, enclosed small mall were fine, and we appreciated a much-needed good night’s sleep. Perhaps not such a bad delay after all.
On April 25, after a good rest and pleasant meal, we went back to the Johannesburg Airport, and we finally departed at 7:30pm. We arrived at JFK Airport, NYC on Sunday, April 26 at 7:30am. The time in Africa is 6 hours ahead of our time; so the flight time was actually 18 hours. We were very happy to be greeted by our son’s smiling face at the airport. He enthusiastically exchanged stories of Africa with us on the ride to our house, as he had been on safari some years ago. Now he knew that we too, had caught the bug!
May 5th, 2009, 01:49 PM
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That was an awesome trip report! Thanks so much for taking the time to write it. I must say, you took missing your flight a lot better than I would have. I would have been panic stricken but it's good to see that it all worked out well.
May 5th, 2009, 02:47 PM
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Wonderful report. We're going back in October. Our second trip. It's been 5 years since our first and we are simply over the moon about going back! Warning. It is a "bug" and you may find yourself planning a return.
May 5th, 2009, 03:07 PM
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atravelynn- I just finished forwarding your shark trip report to my son. We are going back to SA in August and he really wants to do the great white shark diving. He's just trying to convince the rest of the family. I know he will enjoy reading your report!
May 6th, 2009, 02:07 AM
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What a pleasure to read your report, <b>wkwb42a</b>! Your enthusiasm is infectious (a dangerous word these days, I suppose), and the literary grace notes ("a crash of rhinos ... a dazzle of zebra) are like a perfect port after a sumptuous meal. It's also kinda fun to add 1 or 2 words to my vocabulary -- thanks!
May 6th, 2009, 07:41 AM
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Thanks for a very informative report. Did you like the combo of Mala and Ngala and why did you pick these 2? Which one was your favorite and would you return or go somewhere different? Did you have enough time in Cape Town and/or do you wish you had spent more days on safari? As you can guess I am trying to figure out a trip similar to yours and I would REALLY appreciate any of your thoughts! Thanks.
May 6th, 2009, 09:05 AM
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What a terrific report. I relived our days at Ngala Tented through you. Happy to see that the routine is the same. We thought the food was better there than at Phinda (which came pretty close), and Londolozi. You certainly had excellent sightings there--even seeing cheetah.
Did you not have sundowners at Mala Mala? I'm glad you reminded me of the Amarula on the morning breaks--I think I had mine in coffee, and the great astronomy lessons.
So . . . when is your next trip?
Did you not have sundowners at Mala Mala? I'm glad you reminded me of the Amarula on the morning breaks--I think I had mine in coffee, and the great astronomy lessons.
So . . . when is your next trip?
May 6th, 2009, 10:08 AM
#20
Very enjoyable report and it sounds like you had a great trip. It must have been sad to see the dead leopard and very cool to see the leopard cubs. You really did see quite a lot of good stuff.
I met Andre at Mashatu last July. I imagine he was loving the leopard action at MalaMala. We didn't see very many at Mashatu compared to MM. I loaned him my 500mm lens so he could take closeup pictures of "his" leopards at Mashatu (or 300mm, I can't remember which one).
Are you going back?
I met Andre at Mashatu last July. I imagine he was loving the leopard action at MalaMala. We didn't see very many at Mashatu compared to MM. I loaned him my 500mm lens so he could take closeup pictures of "his" leopards at Mashatu (or 300mm, I can't remember which one).
Are you going back?
