Dr. C's Safari trip to Africa; an adventure of a lifetime.

Many patients have asked how our two-week adventure to Africa was.  It was an adventure of a lifetime. There are many ways to go on a safari and it can be done to fit many budgets.   We used a tour operator recommended by a couple of friends who went. The tour operator who you use will determine the facilities you stay at as well as the experience.   Our tour started in Cape Town, S.A., and then progressed to Zimbabwe to see Victoria Falls as well as to Zambia to see the other side of the falls.  We then were driven across the border to Botswana and stayed in two camps run by a company called Sanctuary. Our direct 15-hour flight landed without complication in Johannesburg and we stayed over at the intercontinental which was a short walk from the terminal.  The next morning, an early morning flight took us to Cape Town where we stayed at the waterfront, a tourist friendly place with nice restaurants and interesting things to see. Our friend Bonnie had arranged the first day for us to visit with her old opare (nanny) who showed us some of the sights including table mountain with its amazing views of the area. We went to a winery and they explained apartheid to us and how things have changed since then.   The day culminated with a wonderful gathering at their home with their entire family.  A good way to be introduced to So African culture. The following day, a professional tour guide showed us other areas including penguin beach, a penguin sanctuary. Who knew there were penguins in Cape Town. The weather was awesome both days as we reserved our energy for our next flights to Zimbabwe to see Victoria Falls.   These are considered the largest waterfalls in the world. The camp we stayed at had tents and a central gathering area where meals were served.   We stayed in luxurious tents, sometimes called glamping. The driver who picked us up from the airport was our for the two days we stayed there.  This was true for the other places we stayed at as well. We met some of the local wildlife.   The first day they took us out on the river where we saw hippos and other natural wildlife.  Great views of the river as the sun set.   The following day, we set off to Victoria falls.   Our driver, JB was a tracker and we saw signs of elephants as we approached the falls. He suggested we maintain our position on the road as the elephants were likely to walk across the roadway.   He was of course right. Then we went to the falls that were magnificent. First to the one side on Zambia than then they took us across the border to Zambia for a different view. The following day, we were driven across to Botswana to Sanctuary Chobe camp.   Our driver for the trip picked us up from the meeting place at the local airport and we began our safari in Chobe.  A Safari consists of a driver or tracker or someone who does both (ours did) who finds the animals so you can observe them and take photos.   Just imagine being in a zoo and there are no cages and animals are just living amongst themselves. Morning comes and we see this.   We go to breakfast and then go on a game drive with our driver Kux. Here's a taste of what we saw       Then, it was off the delta which is a private reserve owned by the Botswana National Parks service. Imagine getting into a small plane that is propeller driven to the first camp 40 minutes away.   Not unlike a bus, it dropped off two people and then we took off and flew 15 minutes to a second camp and then finally to our third camp. We are met by our driver nick named Ice who came to the airfield which is basically a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. Ice  took us to an ongoing game drive for the afternoon before dinner where we also met a family from Germany who was also on Safari and had done a number of these types of trips. We stayed in Stanley's camp named after Stanley Livingston a famous explorer. The camp included 10 tents and a public area where meals were served and people gathered before and after their game drives.   The camp had a pool and a bar and the service and food were awesome. Our driver Ice  showed us an amazing time.  The camp arranged lunch in the bush and the people who ran the camp couldn't do enough for us. Some more photos It was the trip of a lifetime.   It also helps to have a great camera.   Hope you enjoyed my story behind our safari adventure.   See you soon in the office