It took a little doing but we managed to squeeze in a side trip to Siem Reap at the end of our trip. Angkor Wat gets all the love, but the temple complexes in this region are vast and varied.
Of course Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom are the most well-known. They've also been the best excavated and maintained, so, despite thousands of tourists each year, the incredible structures - and more impressively, stone carvings - remain.
We approached Angkor Wat from the back side. It's a small detail, but it meant that our first views were almost completely void of other travelers - an amazing feat at such a destination. It's little touches like this that let us know our guide was truly a pro.
The detail in the stone etchings is incredible, especially after so much time has passed. They still stand out with incredibly intricate detail. Banteay Srey, with its pink sandstone, was the most impressive to me. Just imagining the simple tools these were made with is enough to boggle the mind.
We also had the chance to see Ta Prohm, which is most well-known for being featured in the movie "Tomb Raider." I failed to watch the movie before the trip, but I could still appreciate the massive jungle trees growing up and around it. This particular site is notable because it is only just now really being excavated and, in some cases, rebuilt like a puzzle. There was an entire front lawn with pieces of stone laid out, each one painstakingly numbered as archaeologists attempt to rebuild the structure.
Temple fatigue is definitely a real thing though, and by our final afternoon, we decided to bow out of our last visit to relax by the pool and get a massage. We did, after all, have a long trip home still ahead of us.
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.