Liselle
Yep we’re safely home now.
All went smoothly for the whole trip.
We were very well looked after at Olive Grove – JP was very helpful in making sure our short stays went smoothly. Wonderful friendly staff – great breakfasts!
Kulala was great fun. We had a busy time exploring the dunes and were surprised at how varied the wild life there was. Again wonderful friendly staff.
Burning Shore was a haven of rest and comfort, we had a very nice room. We enjoyed exploring Swakopmund and had a very happy boat trip round Walvis Bay.
Igowati was fine. We were prepared for a more basic stay and it is in a good spot.
It was a relief to get onto tarmac for the run up to Etosha … only one puncture on the gravel roads!
Andersson’s Camp was wonderful. Again the staff were excellent. It’s a lovely spot and we were very happy there. We saw an enormous amount of wildlife during the three full days spent exploring the park. The waterhole by the dining area encouraged two black rhino to visit each evening! We saw lions on a night drive within a very short distance from the lodge gate. Also wonderful variety of birds seen.
Our time in Botswana was also outstanding. Delta Air who flew us round the lodges were very accommodating with our luggage. We had prepared a bundle of unneeded items which they were happy for us to leave in their office. This helped to keep the weight down!
Oddballs was good fun. We enjoyed the simple pleasure of walking near the wildlife with a knowledgable guide and the relaxing Mokoro rides through the reeds, looking out for troublesome Hippos !!. We were lucky the rains had not started – so the animals were still around.
Mapula Lodge was very good. It did provide more in the way of accommodation and space. We finally found a pool that was worth getting in – small though it was. We had the pleasure of an elephant standing just outside our room balcony almost immediately on arrival. The Mokoro trips were quite limited so in the end we only did game drives. Interesting birds again.
The highlight was probably Savute Safari Lodge. We were practically the only people there – Shane and Kim were determined that we should treat it as home from home. It was good to have a large room to spread out in and flat surfaces in the bathroom – made a change from endless wobbly logs everywhere! The staff were all brilliant and the food excellent. Obviously by now we were eating far too much and were beginning to say no …! Our guide Barbar was outstanding in finding animals (almost to order!). Lion family with small cubs, two leopards in tree, wild dogs, huge herds of elephant with babies, Buffalo etc etc. The only animal on our ‘wish list’ not seen was a Cheetah – even in Namibia. We were sorry to leave.
We had a wonderful time and it will be a week or two before we put it all in perspective. We have hundreds of photos to sort out and hours of video to edit, so we will be revisiting this holiday many times in the future!
Overall it was a fantastic holiday and I am grateful for your help in putting it all together.
Thanks and best wishes
Mike and Mary
These guests did experience some difficulties with the vouchers and directions issued. We have put in place procedures to ensure a repeat does not happen.
Brett Thomson – Managing Director, SUNSAFARIS
