soccerdad72
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2012
- Messages
- 7,816
The safari portion of our trip began as many of our days did - an early morning wake up call and then a morning game drive.
So, for our first morning, a staff person came by the room to personally wake us up (no phones in the rooms) at 5:30am. They had a nice continental breakfast and coffee/tea setup for everyone at 6am before heading out at 6:30 for our game drive.
Most of the safaris were in open air trucks seating 6 people or so. Being a family of 4, we were always paired up with another couple. In LLT (what the guides all shortened the camp name to), it was a sweet older couple from Belgium, who we would get to know a little more as the trip went on.
Morning temps being in the low 50’s, we were always pretty bundled up, but they also usually had blankets and, what became our favorite thing every morning, the “bush baby”, a hot water bottle in a fleece pouch.
Highlights of the morning that first day included seeing our first elephant, giraffe and tons and tons of zebras. The area we were in was the location of one of the largest zebra migrations in the world, so there was hundreds and thousands of them around us. We also saw an elephant than had fairly recently died (our guide said it was likely natural causes), so we watched as jackals and vultures fought over the carcass. Sad, yet fascinating at the same time.
We came back to the camp before noon, where hot towels (for the dust) and lunch were waiting for us. The service across the board has been second to none at all these locations. The Botswanan people have all been so nice and outgoing as well.
Post lunch, we rested up for the late game drive. Our boys room got a show of an elephant right outside their deck that was mudding himself (their form of sunscreen). Younger son said it was pretty surreal to just sit there and watch it from right outside his room.
But before heading out, of course, there was food
. Afternoon tea was served every day around 3pm, with 3:30pm being the sunset game drives. This would be a good time to mention that at no time we ever worried that we would ever go without food. And the food nearly across the board has been gourmet level.
Our evening game drive, we veered off to a different path. Once we went down the path, we saw why. There were dozens of hippos sunning themselves on the side of a watering hole along with a number of crocodile as well. And as we were taking pictures of that, behind us came a whole herd of elephants as well. We spent about half our drive that afternoon just watching all this, especially the little baby elephants that were there as well. Every night finished with a ‘sundowner’, a cocktail while watching the sunset on the national park. The first night, it was herds of elephants and zebras we were watching while having our drinks.
That night, we freshened up and came down for dinner. On a side note, at all of the camps, they require an escort to come bring you to the dining area and take you back to your room once it gets dark because all of these camps have random animals wandering through them all night. We got down for dinner and while having a pre dinner drink, we had the manager show us to our table for the night. While most meals are done communal style, that night we were given a private table for the four of us, set up in their ‘hide’, an observation area where you’re right down by the watering hole, just slightly above the animals. What an incredible experience, enjoying a gourmet meal while endless elephants came and went to get their water. We got some great pictures that night. I’ll have to post some when we get back.
We went back to our rooms, got packed up for the next camp and got to bed for the next 5:30am wake up call.
The next morning, we headed out after breakfast for one last game drive. I don’t recall anything special about that drive offhand. We came back to the camp, cleaned up quickly and headed back to the airstrip for our flight to the Moremi Game Reserve and Camp Xakanaka (or Camp X for short).
So, for our first morning, a staff person came by the room to personally wake us up (no phones in the rooms) at 5:30am. They had a nice continental breakfast and coffee/tea setup for everyone at 6am before heading out at 6:30 for our game drive.
Most of the safaris were in open air trucks seating 6 people or so. Being a family of 4, we were always paired up with another couple. In LLT (what the guides all shortened the camp name to), it was a sweet older couple from Belgium, who we would get to know a little more as the trip went on.
Morning temps being in the low 50’s, we were always pretty bundled up, but they also usually had blankets and, what became our favorite thing every morning, the “bush baby”, a hot water bottle in a fleece pouch.
Highlights of the morning that first day included seeing our first elephant, giraffe and tons and tons of zebras. The area we were in was the location of one of the largest zebra migrations in the world, so there was hundreds and thousands of them around us. We also saw an elephant than had fairly recently died (our guide said it was likely natural causes), so we watched as jackals and vultures fought over the carcass. Sad, yet fascinating at the same time.
We came back to the camp before noon, where hot towels (for the dust) and lunch were waiting for us. The service across the board has been second to none at all these locations. The Botswanan people have all been so nice and outgoing as well.
Post lunch, we rested up for the late game drive. Our boys room got a show of an elephant right outside their deck that was mudding himself (their form of sunscreen). Younger son said it was pretty surreal to just sit there and watch it from right outside his room.
But before heading out, of course, there was food
. Afternoon tea was served every day around 3pm, with 3:30pm being the sunset game drives. This would be a good time to mention that at no time we ever worried that we would ever go without food. And the food nearly across the board has been gourmet level. Our evening game drive, we veered off to a different path. Once we went down the path, we saw why. There were dozens of hippos sunning themselves on the side of a watering hole along with a number of crocodile as well. And as we were taking pictures of that, behind us came a whole herd of elephants as well. We spent about half our drive that afternoon just watching all this, especially the little baby elephants that were there as well. Every night finished with a ‘sundowner’, a cocktail while watching the sunset on the national park. The first night, it was herds of elephants and zebras we were watching while having our drinks.
That night, we freshened up and came down for dinner. On a side note, at all of the camps, they require an escort to come bring you to the dining area and take you back to your room once it gets dark because all of these camps have random animals wandering through them all night. We got down for dinner and while having a pre dinner drink, we had the manager show us to our table for the night. While most meals are done communal style, that night we were given a private table for the four of us, set up in their ‘hide’, an observation area where you’re right down by the watering hole, just slightly above the animals. What an incredible experience, enjoying a gourmet meal while endless elephants came and went to get their water. We got some great pictures that night. I’ll have to post some when we get back.
We went back to our rooms, got packed up for the next camp and got to bed for the next 5:30am wake up call.
The next morning, we headed out after breakfast for one last game drive. I don’t recall anything special about that drive offhand. We came back to the camp, cleaned up quickly and headed back to the airstrip for our flight to the Moremi Game Reserve and Camp Xakanaka (or Camp X for short).
.
