About halfway through our cruise we made it to Sitka, Alaska. I had been looking forward to this day because of the sea kayaking excursion my sister and I opted to do. Some of the guests on board chose to continue on into the town and a group of us were shuttled down to the pier. We had a brief safety demonstration and rundown from our guides before hopping into the double sea kayaks and paddling out in the sound. We headed out to a group of tiny islands about 15-20 minutes paddling distance from the dock.
The views back towards the mountains were spectacular when we turned around. We navigated our way through the tiny islands our guide pointed out the marine life below. He pulled out a starfish for us to see.
On the kayak back to the dock I fought off some seasickness. I tend to get sick with any movement so I was surprised the rest of the trip had not brought on the sickness. We spotted a male seal on the shore and they distracted my mind to focus on something else. Our guide asked us to steer clear of the seal. They could be aggressive - especially when a meal was involved. It was interesting watching the male bellow and flip the fish from side to side in the air. He was literally playing with his food :)
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.