Out of Africa Final Thoughts

minimal luggage

packing cubes

As I mentioned in the last post, we managed to take the trip to South Africa with only carryon luggage. We each had one suitcase as shown above. I also had a purse and my husband used a backpack. We had earlier purchased the Away brand carryon suitcases due to their size, weight, and positive reviews. We liked the fact that one of the inside compartments has compression capability, and they sell the packing cubes as well. I wanted to ensure that I got cubes that would fit inside these particular suitcases. The cubes worked great for keeping our belongings organized during the trip. We had no problems with any of the airlines with the items we carried on.

In terms of other advice given on what to pack and wear in South Africa, many things were not true. I'll preface what I'm about to say by clarifying that on our trip we stayed in lodges, and the safaris were in Toyota jeeps. We did not camp in the wilderness, and we did no hiking through the brush. Because of that, we wore tennis shoes on the safaris and they were fine. We did not need hiking boots, which was great because that saved space in the suitcase. Many online articles said to only wear tan, gray or dull green clothes so the animals wouldn't be disturbed by bright colors. Our clothing did not matter one bit. The animals are far more disturbed by the jeeps than what you have on. I did wear a large safari-style hat due to all my skin cancer issues. Our jeep was covered, but the sun still came in from the sides. I was happy to have my hat on for protection. We liberally used our sunblock, and had insect repellant wipes as well. Mosquitos can be a problem, especially since malaria is prevalent. We did not, however, take any malaria prevention medicine as I was concerned about the side effects.

The other thing of confusion for me was the power outlet situation in the areas to which we were traveling. I had read that the outlets are not standard in South Africa or in Botswana. I erred on the side of caution and purchased a power plug adapter kit that would handle several types of outlets, but in the end all I needed was the Type D plug. We did not need any voltage converters.

Covid was pretty much a non-issue on this trip. Masks were not requited anywhere, and the only time we had to prove we were vaccinated is when we landed at the Victoria Falls Airport. Botswana requires proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test. Just like in America, I did see that some Covid signs are still being displayed.

Africa covid signs

The biggest miracle is that we did not get Covid on this trip. Despite being in airports, planes, vans, and restaurants with their buffets (we haven't eaten a buffet meal in over three years!) we came home happy and healthy. To our knowledge, we have never gotten it. So far...

Out of Africa Day 7

Chobe River

We grabbed a to go box breakfast at our lodge as Mehluli picked us up at 7:00 AM to drive us to the Botswana border. There he handed us off to another driver who would take us into this country. We had to go through the border post at Kazungula. 

We first had to disinfect our shoes, followed by an inspection of our passports. We then proceeded to a second building where our Visas were reviewed. It was all a relatively quick process. The driver proceeded on to a dock on the Chobe River for the first part of our day's adventure.

our boat

It was just the four of us on the boat in addition to the captain. That was very nice as we could stay with any birds or animals as long as we liked to take pictures. We saw many birds and ducks. crocodiles, hippos, water monitors, and lots of elephants. It was fantastic!

Chobe River wildlife

After a couple hours on the water we were treated to lunch before our next guide came to pick us up for a game drive in Chobe National Park. It is Botswana's first national park, and covers 4,500 square miles. It is noted for its wildlife, particularly its large elephant population.

On this drive we encountered impalas, giraffes, baboons, hippos, warthogs, and many more elephants. It was a wonderful way to wrap up our last day of this trip. 

Chobe National Park

Out of Africa Day 6

Baobab tree

Following breakfast, Mehluli picked us up at 8:15 to take us to Victoria Falls. First, though, he drove us to see a 1,200 year old Baobab tree. It was huge, with a girth of over 74' and a height over 78'. Nicknamed the tree of life, the baobab trees provide food, water and shelter to various birds, insects and reptiles.

Victoria Falls is located along the Zambize River between Zimbabwe and Zambia, and is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World (the others being the Northern Lights, Grand Canyon, Paricutin, Mount Everest, Harbor of Rio de Janeiro, and Great Barrier Reef). It is the largest waterfall in the world, with a width of 5,604' and a height of 354'.

Mehluli guided us on a walk along the falls, providing us with a rich history of the falls and the area. Thankfully we were provided with large raincoats, and we certainly needed them as the spray from the falls was like being in a rainstorm. It was quite an experience to see the falls from a distance as well as close up.

Victoria Falls

From the falls we were driven to the airfield of Zambezi Helicopters. Jim and I have never been in a helicopter before, and we were not sure how we would like it. Dubbed "Flight of Angels", the name did not inspire confidence in us. We selected the shorter 15 minute flight plan, which gave us several passes over Victoria Falls and one over a national park. We absolutely loved it! There is really no way to grasp the magnitude of the falls from the ground. An overhead look really put the falls in perspective. I would not hesitate to take a helicopter ride in the future.

Next Mehluli took us to a bridge where we could walk above the Zambize River from Zimbabwe to Zambia and back again. While the scenery was beautiful, the experience was marred by the street vendors hawking their wares. They just would not take no for an answer, which forced us to do the walk at a faster pace than we would have preferred.

bridge over the Zambize River

We retired back to the lodge to rest up a bit before dinner. The next day would begin early once again.

Out of Africa Day 5

our FastJet plane

We had a 6:30 AM pickup time for our van ride from Karongwe to the Nelspruit Airport. It took about three hours to get to the airport. Once there we boarded a FastJet plane, which is a local airline servicing Africa. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but we had a great experience with them. It took a little over 2 hours to fly to the Victoria Falls Airport.

on the way to Victoria Falls Airport

The terrain definitely got more mountainous on the way to our destination. Because Victoria Falls is in Zimbabwe we had to go through Immigration and Customs when we arrived. The lines moved okay, and we also had to purchase a VISA as we were going to travel to Botswana as well. We ended up meeting a couple of other people from the Charlotte area as we were standing in line, which is pretty crazy.

We were met at the airport by our local guide, Mehluli. He took great care of us during our time in Zimbabwe and Botswana. He took us to the Shearwater Explorers Village lodge, where we stayed for the next three nights. After checking in, we relaxed a bit before having dinner at the lodge. We had another full day coming up, beginning at 8:15 AM, so we turned in early.

Out of Africa Days 3 & 4

Karongwe Private Game Reserve

The next two days had pretty much the same itinerary. We would be awakened by a 5:30 AM knock on our door. After getting ready for the morning, we met the rest of reserve guests near the restaurant for coffee/tea. The guides arrived shortly before 6:00, and we all headed out to our respective vehicles. Gilbert, our driver, has been doing this for 20 years. He told me that it was his dream as a child to be out in the bush, and he has been living his dream. His wife also works at the Shiduli Lodge in the restaurant. Their schedule is 21 days on (when they stay on-site) and 7 days off (when they go back home to their village). 

After an hour and a half or so Gilbert would pull over and set up a snack for us. It was coffee and tea and a little something to eat. Then we would return to the vehicle for another hour or so. Once back at the lodge we would have breakfast. We had free time until lunch, and then we all met again for tea at 2:30. At 3:00 all the vehicles took off for an additional three hour safari, again breaking halfway through for drinks and snacks.

Then there was a short amount of time to get cleaned up before dinner. Our group went to bed pretty early each night due to the early wake up call. I spent most of my off time going through photos and posting on Facebook. The Internet signal wasn't stellar at the lodge, but I was able to get the job done.

Everything was included at the lodge, with the exception of alcoholic beverages with meals or at the bar. They did have offer a small drink on return to the lodge after the afternoon safari, and each afternoon at our break you could have water, a soda, a glass of wine or a beer. I have nothing but good things to say about the Shiduli Private Game Lodge, and the Karongwe Private Game Reserve. During our time there we were able to see the Big Five - lion, leopard, black rhinoceros, African bush elephant and African buffalo. The lion was behind dense brush, and we could only see his tail swishing. We did hear him growl and roar, though, and that was magnificent!

safari animals

Out of Africa Days 1 & 2

We just returned from our first major trip since BC - before Covid. We traveled with our good friends to Africa. We had high expectations for the trip, and they were all exceeded! First we had to take a short flight from here to Atlanta, where we met up with Kathy and Paul. From there we boarded the plane to Johannesburg, with a flight duration of over fifteen hours. I'm not going to lie, that was no fun despite being in the Delta Premium Comfort Class. I never sleep well on planes, so I maybe got an hour or so of sleep.

Once we landed and cleared customs we were met by a representative from the travel agency that we used. He took us on the short walk to our hotel, which was attached to the airport. Once we checked in, he told us where to meet at 7:30 the next morning to catch our shuttle to the Karongwe Private Reserve. We dropped our things in our rooms and went to enjoy a cold beverage by the pool before having dinner.

Following breakfast the next morning we met our shuttle driver. Unfortunately one of the other people using his services showed up a half hour late, which was incredibly rude to the rest of us. The drive to the reserve was a long six hours, considering we were quite jet-lagged. It was interesting scenery along the way, so that helped pass the time.

from Johannesburg to Hoedspruit, South Africa

Upon arrival at the Shiduli Private Game Lodge, we were greeted by resort manager Shauna and taken to our rooms. It is a small resort and very private as it is in the middle of a 9,000 hectare private reserve. We quickly dropped off our stuff and went to grab a late lunch before being met by our driver for a 3:00 4x4 trek our into the wilderness.

Our driver was Gilbert and our tracker was Johnson, and we remained with them for the next three days. There were two other couples in our vehicle - one from Holland and one from Brazil. They were both very nice, and interesting to talk with.

They have had a lot of rain in the area, and some of their roads were inaccessible. Luckily they have lots to choose from. The couple from Brazil said they were originally staying in Kruger National Park, but they had so much water that they cancelled their safaris. So that's how they ended up at our resort.

We saw quite a number of animals, birds and plants on our first time out. It was simply amazing! After three hours they took us back to the lodge, where we were met with a cool cloth and a beverage. We cleaned up, ate dinner then hit the sack. The next morning would come early with a 5:30 AM knock on the door.

a few photos from our first safari