South Africa and Zambia
"All flights and transfers were smooth. If we could do it again we’d pay extra for first class it was extremely long travel and fairly uncomfortable especially the 18 hour flight to Johannesburg. There is little you could have done to make the trip better. We enjoyed it thoroughly.
We loved the Victoria Alfred Hotel. It was beautiful, comfortable and similar to what we are used to in the US. It was well located and the guest service was fantastic. The view was beautiful as well. We enjoyed the food, the all inclusive breakfast had a nice variety and we’d recommend this hotel to anyone.
Klein Oliphants Hoek Bed and Breakfast was quaint, clean and comfortable. The accommodations were lovely and the views were fantastic. The restaurant in house was excellent as well. We did not do any wine tastings at wineries due to a lack of time, but we did wander the town and found several nice shops and restaurants. We loved the area and enjoyed our stay.
Taita Falcon Lodge was beautiful. We were nervous at first because of the long drive down the dirt road, and when we arrived we found out we were the only people staying in the lodge for several days. We became comfortable fast and the staff was welcoming and professional. We thought the view was spectacular and the lodge itself was well represented in the brochures. It was luxuriously rugged. We enjoyed the lodge and each chalet was built out of bamboo walls and grass roof, a very nice African experience.
Victoria Falls was unbelievable and breathtaking. We did the microlite flight over the falls and I’d recommend that to anyone. It gives a great view of the falls and we were able to see several different animals from above as well. We also enjoyed the sunset cruise and village tour. I would remind guests to wear clothing suitable for getting wet, as we were drenched when we were near the falls.
The Mfuwe Lodge was fantastic as well. The guest service was excellent and the accommodations were wonderful. We did have a very nature like experience including frogs, mice, and spiders in our bathroom on different days. We had hippos eating right outside of our chalet in the middle of the night. We saw lions hunting and sleeping on several occasions, hippos, giraffe, zebra, elephants & baby elephants, baboons, impala, kudu, puku, waterbuck, many birds, we watched an eagle eat a snake, crocodile and much more. Apparently the rhino is no longer in the reserve due to poachers and that was disappointing. We had surprise lunches, and sundown fires on our game drives which were fun (the staff would set up and cook food for us in the middle of the reserve) the food was excellent and far beyond our expectations for a third world country.
We ended up canceling the rental car and hiring Ralph (tour guide) to drive us to the winelands, we were concerned about driving on the other side of the road and that was a good idea. The only thing I would recommend is to really enforce packing lightly, and perhaps upgrade flights if possible."
Catie and Brandon- May 2009
