My final landscape was located in Yangshuo. The Yangshuo Mountain Retreat is THE place to stay during your time here. It is a small lodge holding 18 rooms that all look out over the Li River and infamous limestone mountains. I quickly checked into my room and was greeted with a cup of ginger tea by the river. I then took a bamboo raft ride down the river where I was privy to even more beauty. A word of warning, this is one of the most popular excursions in the area, so don't plan on being the only traveler in awe floating along the river. An insider's tip: take your raft ride later in the day to avoid the business and you'll get the stunning images of a sunset on the mountains and river.
At night, I saw the acclaimed Impressions of Sanjie Liu created by the artist who designed the opening show of the Olympics in Beijing circa 2008. The show was beautiful and utilized the river and natural setting to only enhance it's story line.
My last day in Yangshuo was spent biking the countryside and taking in the last bits of this landscape before heading back to Beijing.
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.