Onboard the Amaserena we cruised between the Carpathian and Bulgarian mountains north to Budapest. Along the way, we saw the Roman Tablet, a stone carving celebrating the first Roman road in the area and the more modern statue of Decebalus, a huge carved face of this respected ancient Dacian king in Romania. Roman Gate along the Danube (Mary Curry)The rock sculpture of Decebalus on the Danube (Mary Curry)
We also cruised through the colossal Iron Gates Dam and watched the locks deliver our ship upriver. The Iron Gates form part of the boundary between Romania and Serbia and contain two massive power stations to provide hydroelectric energy to the area. Cruising through Iron Gates (Mary Curry)Cruising through Iron Gates (Mary Curry)
The setting is gorgeous - nestled between the Carpathian Mountains on the south to the Balkan Mountains on the north. Cruising through the gates is a bit of a celebration, surrounded by other tourist ships and working vessels along the river. As we waited, travelers waved across the ships to each other and toasted to their adventures.
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.
