South Africa, Zambia & Botswana

"Our flights and transfers all went very smoothly. The guides and transfer people took very good care of us and they were friendly and went out of their way to make sure transfers went smoothly. First of all, the guides were very knowledgeable. Our guide at Vumbura, Brian, was superb. His knowledge of the animals, birds and terrain were just amazing. The people who picked us up at Johannesburg and Livingston could not have been better. The Saxon is just marvelous. The room was beautiful, accessible and the food and service could not have been better. We totally enjoyed the Royal Livingston and it was air-conditioned which was a help but it was not as nice as what I had expected. That is probably my problem. We enjoyed the tour to the village which gave us a good perspective on life in Zambia. We did not go on the booze cruise as Dave was not feeling up to snuff but we enjoyed the helicopter trip.

The flights to the camps went exactly as planned and there were no problems handling the wheelchair. Dave is a very good aircraft assistant baggage handler and knows how everything comes apart. We enjoyed all of the camps. Each provided a little different experience. The birdlife was amazing and we enjoyed seeing different types of antelope at different camps. We saw two beautiful sable antelopes at Vumbura. The camps were elegant to say the least and the food was just superb. My favorites were Shumba, Kings Pool, and Vumbura. We saw the greatest variety of animal and bird life in Kings Pool and had an amazing flight via helicopter between Vumbura and Jao over the Delta. Jao Camp was beautiful but unfortunately their boats were not running properly when we were there.

The timing for each camp was quite good. It took us a little bit to get used to the heat and how to handle it. The most difficult camp for me personally was Chiawa as I could not get into the shower but we rigged up a substitute shower head and everything got organized.  Each of the camp personnel were very happy to assist in any way that they could. I cannot say enough good things about the camps and personnel.

No problems at the borders; I did remain on the plane in Kasane while everyone else got off to go through customs as it was much easier. Our two nights at the end of the trip to Johannesburg were great as it gave us a little time to get organized again. The tour by Robin Binkes was excellent. We went to the Apartheid Museum, the house where Mandela’s supporters were arrested and into the township of Alexander. Robin is an excellent historian and a most interesting guide."

Jeanne and Dave- November 2008