Red FootGenovesa island, home of the red-footed booby. A panga ride away from our long and arduous, sleepless night. Spirits were low at breakfast, but quickly rose as we faced a land of which we had never before seen. As we ambled past booby nests . . . on the ground . . . drawn in the sand by poop, we began to recognize that we were in a whole new world, and if we missed a couple of the islands, then we would still be okay. We would still witness wonderment.
Still, we did feel a little bit deflated as we stood on the beach watching our sister boats, the Letty and the Flamingo, sail away from us, their broken sister. But, in their hasteness to board their working vessels, one of our sister passengers left us a little gift. And, in the spirit of eco-awareness and "leave nothing behind" my husband attained a brand new pair of shades and a slightly used "I Love Boobies" hat.
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.
