This morning, I am out in the kayak early. The water is glass and the quiet of our kayaks moving through the water is eerie. As we round the bend into the cove, we see an old whaling station.
When we make it to land, I am amazed by the technology of using water to run an entire while station. You can see old pipes that lead from the nearby waterfalls to what use to be one of the main buildings.
With the lush background and the stream bed, I am hoping to see a bear. No such luck. We do however, stumble upon bear claw marks on the inside of an old whale oil tank. Seeing the bear scratches makes me sort of glad we didn't run into a bear.
This afternoon we make it to another cove where we hike to the top of the island. It is here that see my first whale and I am as giddy as a child Christmas morning. It was so relaxing to sit at the top of this hill overlooking the sea and just follow the whale's path. I am addicted and can't wait for more.
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.