We docked at Governor’s Harbor where we would spend the afternoon and evening. Evan and I decided to go for a walk to the other side of Eleuthera and explore the white-sand beach on the rougher side. We walked through town, popping our heads in a few souvenir and coffee shops and then trekked up and over the hill to see the beautiful pink sand beach on the other side. This side was much rougher, as it was the last piece of land before the wide-open Atlantic. We spent the next couple hours walking the beach, which was completely deserted. We walked in front of a few houses but primarily, we had the beach to ourselves. I’d never seen a pink-sand beach before and while it was subtle, the contrast between the gorgeous blue-green water and the pink sand really was beautiful. We were just thinking it was time to head back when we came across a fun little beach bar named Tippy’s. We ordered a couple rum punches and sat down to chat with the bartender. We got a second to go and met up with another couple from our boat for the walk back. This time we walked the highway and through town. While not an exciting afternoon, it felt great to stretch our legs after a few days on the Liberty Clipper.
Once we got back to the sailboat, we still had some time to kill before dinner so we grabbed the spinning rods and headed over to the other side of the dock, a natural rock cliff about 15 - 20 feet high. We had no idea what we were fishing for but we could see fish swimming around below us and decided to just see what happened. After a little time, I felt a bite! I started reeling in, and had to lift that poor fish all the way up the cliff. Luckily Evan was there to free the fish, because I wasn’t sure what it was or if I wanted to touch it. Fishing in the ocean can be fun, but I am never sure what I am going to pull out of there!
After dinner the crew asked the guests if we wanted to “go out” in Governor’s Harbour. We were game and went to a little locals bar that was near the dock. We played some basketball in the back of the bar and had fun chatting with the crew, a few locals and our fellow guests. While in the bar we noticed someone had started a beach fire and were dancing. Evan and I wandered towards them are realized it was a group of Rastafarians drumming, singing and dancing around the fire. We sat down a few yards away and listen to their singing. It was beautiful and peaceful. Omar, one of the drummers, came over and introduced himself and invited us to join them. But didn’t want to change their dynamics or their enjoyment and so just watched from afar. This experience ended up being one of my favorite moments of our trip. I nearly fell asleep on the sand listening and watching Omar and his friends have fun around the fire, and couldn’t have imagined it any different.
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.