As the Andrea is a small ship, she does tend to roll a little which explains why the chairs are all bolted down and the drawers and cupboards have special locks to prevent them banging during the night. A situation it took me a little while to figure out . The morning spent exploring the ship and getting the feel of the ocean. With so few passengers , there is lots of space if one wants to curl up with a good book or just sit and watch the waves. I am very impressed with the facilities and look of the ship which is decorated in what could be described as Swedish Modern (all pale blues and yellow / grey and white ). A very attractive dining room which served a very pleasant lunch. Unfortunately , the swells had increased and lunch and glasses of wine went flying. The crew were so quick in restoring everything, we hardly missed a beat. Only to have it happen again. This time one grabbed the glass of wine first rather than lose it. At least it broke the ice and made lunch a much jollier affair.
In the afternoon a lecture by Kevin the on-board lecturer and specialist in all things marine ( both fish and fowl ).Todays lecture was on whales . The captains cocktail party cancelled due to the swell but dinner proceeded normally.
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.