Travel Review: Africa Safari, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls, Kruger National Park, Chobe River

We had a great trip.  I talked with our safari travel agent a few times on the phone and email to talk about what we wanted to do and she recommended places that turned out to be exactly what we wanted.  I felt that our travel agent really listened to what I wanted to get out of the trip.  It was a once in a lifetime Adventure so we wanted to get it right.  Thanks!  We had three nights at each location – Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, Ngoma Lodge in Botswana and Dulini Lodge in South Africa.  We were taken care of from beginning to end with people at each place to get us where we needed to go.  Generally speaking, I can’t say enough about how well we were treated during the whole trip.

Victoria Falls is spectacular!  We took the guided walk to see all the viewing sites on the Zimbabwe side of the falls.  They will rent you a poncho for $3.  I’m so glad we got them because in some places we got soaked.  Our agent recommended that if we go into town we should stop at the Elephant Walk shopping mall.  We did and ended up getting several things.  It had artists who did various crafts, so I knew we were getting original and unique mementos from our stay there.  I was really happy with the place we stayed in Victoria Falls.  When we got there, there was a mixup with the rooms.  Our agent stepped in and got it fixed right away.  Our rooms had decks that overlooked the watering hole.  It was amazing to get up in the morning, step out on my deck and see elephants, impalas and crocodiles meandering around the watering hole.  One night for dinner we had a Boma, which is kind of like an African luau with local dancing and singing.  They get everybody involved so it was a lot of fun. 

Next we drove to Ngoma Lodge in Botswana.  It was truly in the middle of nowhere so I wasn’t sure what to expect.  Every aspect of it was wonderful.  The lodge was on higher ground so we overlooked the flood plains of the Chobe River.  They had a multi-level deck with lots of places to sit and enjoy the view.  In our rooms the whole wall was windows so we had a view that just went on and on.  And we had a deck with a plunge pool.  We never got to use it because we were so busy.  Near the lodge, there was a watering hole.  Each morning the zebras, giraffes, impala and more came to the watering hole to drink.  We took our meals on the deck so we could enjoy it all while we ate.  The food and the service were good.  They really pampered us.  We went on game drives each day.  One thing I really wanted to see was elephants crossing the Chobe River.  I had heard about it and seen pictures.  We saw a herd of what must have been over 100 elephants crossing the river.  It was one of my favorite highlights.  We saw lots of impalas, kudus, elephants, giraffes, and so much more.  We saw a lion stalking a kudu.  Nearby there was a herd of giraffes that got scared and ran away.  They are so graceful when they run.  They really went out of their way to ensure we had a good stay.  Our game driver grew up in a nearby village so was really familiar with the area and knew exactly where to take us for the best game viewing.

Our last stop was at Dulini Lodge.  It is a private game reserve outside of Kruger National Park in South Africa.  The room was huge with an extra-large bathroom, living room and large deck with a plunge pool.  Elephants walked in the dry river bed off of our deck.  The grounds were all grassy and covered with trees.  It was beautiful.  Every day animals came up and grazed on the grass.  We ate outside here too with elegant dinners and excellent service.  Sometimes we ate by ourselves and sometimes in small groups.  Try the kudu steak and the wart hog.  They were both delicious.  We tried lots of foods we had never heard of.  Most of them were really good.  Both lodges had expert chefs.  We went on game drives every day.  We would tell our game driver what we wanted to see and he and his tracker would look for tracks.  One time we saw three lions resting after eating their fresh kill.  In another part of the park we saw a leopard with her cub and a fresh kill in the tree.  Then we saw a lion with three cubs.  We saw so much on every game drive.

I was really pleased with the whole trip.  The locations were just what we wanted.  We were really pampered with the food, service and amenities.  We saw game on every single drive we went on.  Three nights in each place worked out really well.  I would whole heartedly recommend this safari travel company to plan your trip.