• It was the last day of our trip. Since our flight did not leave until 10:20pm, we had the whole day ahead of us. Natan arranged for us a late checkout at no charge (6:00pm) which worked out great.
• Natan got up at 5:00am to watch the sunrise over Copacabana beach. The hotel rooftop bar was closed. He could not get coffee anywhere without ordering room service. He went to the beach across the street to take pictures of the sunrise.
• The early morning was dedicated to visit Santa Theresa, a bohemian neighborhood that was highly recommended by books and our guide. We went by metro to downtown where we picked up an old yellow street car that moaned all the way up the hill to Santa Theresa. Half way uphill the street car could not continue due to a disabled bus parked on the rail and no driver in sight. The street car driver with the help from the men onboard tried to push the bus but to no avail. Finally, the street car driver decided to turn the car around and go back, so did we (they also charged us full fee going back).
• We strolled in the downtown market, very large market but nothing special. We noticed there were very few tourists around.
• We spent the afternoon on the beach; this time we brought cash, but the watermelon guy did not show up. From yesterday’s experience Natan did not go swimming.
• The grand finale dinner took place at the Arab restaurant from 2 nights ago. This time with stuffed cabbage and other Middle Eastern goodies – we loved it and it was cheap!
• Off to the airport for our trip back home; our flight seats have been changed by a request from Marius (according to United’s records) from a window and isle to isle and middle seat. Of cause, we have no clue who Marius was (maybe the owner of the famous restaurant). That what the records said and there was nothing they could do. Oh well!!
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
1 day ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.