We drove to Lichtenstein Castle this morning. This lesser known southern Germany castle would be a great place to spend a full day relaxing with a picnic. The castle grounds are quiet and travelers can explore at their leisure without guided tours or large groups. Around the castle, there are several trails leading out into the forest.
The castle itself is perched up on a cliffside with beautiful views of the surrounding villages. It looks like it was almost built as part of the hillside, and it seems magical that it survived all these centuries in its perch.
That afternoon, we drove to the nearby Hohenzollern Castle. This one is much more well known, but still peaceful compared to Neuschwanstein, with a restaurant located inside the castle gates and the option to explore the grounds on your own or take a guided tour into the interior.
Two families of different royal lines still share ownership of the castle and they have a fascinating painted wall tracing the lineage of both families from the start of the castle to present day. Once again, no photos were allowed inside, but we did get some nice shots of the castle outside and the surrounding villages.
This castle was a favorite of the kids because of all the nooks and crannies (including a secret underground passage) for them to explore. My son was so inspired that he bought a little knight costume to take back on the road with us.
And it was a favorite of the adults because it looked so majestic on the hillside.
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.