Prior to this trip, I had arranged for an excursion to a Harpy Eagle nest before moving to our next destination at the Rock View Lodge in Annai. I convinced one of the others, Peter, to join me. It was about a 1/2 hour drive and then a 1 hour hike to the nest and we patiently waited for the large eagles to return. We could hear them in the distance and waited for nearly 3 hours but they never returned. Apparently the chick was now old enough to venture out further from the nest. I was disappointed but at least we tried.
We arrived at Rock View Lodge in time for lunch and now in the savannah. My thoughts of seeing a jaguar had now passed and I shifted my focus to the giant anteater. Of all the lodges so far, this was the most luxurious and reminded me of the lodges I had stayed in Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania and other lodges I had stayed in across Central and South America. The owner also owned the Atta Lodge which was under renovation when I was there earlier and I know when completed will be just as pleasing to future tourists. As I entered my room, a blue tailed emerald hummingbird was admiring itself in my mirror! But by the time I could retrieve my camera from my bag to capture this image, it flew out the window. What an awesome shot that would have been but I still have the memory! It was so cool!
As I strolled around the grounds, buff-necked ibis were also surveying the grounds as well as numerous species of wrens, flycatchers and tanagers.
While the others relaxed, Peter and I walked about the airstrip with our guide Richard to search for other birds (and maybe a giant anteater?). It was amazing how many species of birds we saw. The best was vermillion flycatcher, fork-tailed flycatcher and a burrowing owl that allowed us to get within 25 feet.
Despite not seeing the Harpy, this was a great day!
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
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.