“Best advice…” Tom said as we climbed into the komatiks and headed for the ‘bird cliffs’, “Don’t open your mouth when you look up!”
When we reached the cliffs, the guides warned us to watch where we stepped – but while photographing the hundreds of terns and mers, our Aussie buddy Brett learned the hard way, plunging into the water up to his armpits. The guides hauled him out and showing true Aussie toughness and good humor, Brett stayed and dried out remarkably quickly.
After lunch, we made our first trip out to the floe edge where we sat at the edge of the ice, stunned by the vastness of the environment and watched huge flocks of King eider ducks swooping past, their images reflected in the mirror-like water.
Suddenly our guides signaled us. Less than a mile away, a polar bear watched - we were in his backyard.
It was an afternoon of watching, of breathing cool, clear air, and of trying to capture our new world with cameras that suddenly seemed totally inadequate.
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.