Today they took us to a big sandbar in the middle of the river. The white sand went on and on forever. We had the beach all to ourselves and had a chance to go swimming in water as warm as bathwater.
That night, Robyn and I had a wildlife sighting right in our cabin. I came out of our bathroom and heard a squeaking noise. I ran to the end of the room, where Robyn was standing. She asked, 'What is it?' and I replied, 'I heard something' and then I saw it -- a frog clinging to the molding around the bathroom door RIGHT NEXT TO WHERE MY HEAD WOULD BE IF I WERE LYING ON MY BUNK! We both ran out of our cabin, shrieking, down to the crew's quarters. The first guy we came to, Francisco the mechanic, doesn't speak much English and didn't understand what we were saying. (the crew later told us they thought someone had fallen into the water by the way we were carrying on) So then I grabbed Zacharias, one of the guys who does speak English, and dragged him into our room. He calmly picked up the frog with a rag (after I took some pictures of him, of course! and dropped him into the water.
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
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.