Upon reaching the villages a new guide, Justin greeted us to provide a tour and tell us about Zulu life and beliefs. In order to marry a man must produce a dowry of 11 cows. Justin has enough cows to marry but wants to wait a few more years so the cows will breed more before he marries the mother of his child!
Once the daughters are married they will move away with their husbands and families. The single men will stay with their own mother and father until they marry, or if they stay single, remain at the family home to care for the father and mother when they are old. Family is the foundation of Zulu culture. Justin still lives with his 83 year old father and 68 year old mother in the village...
We entered an ancestral hut which is used by the family to communicate with their ancestors. The night before the contact they will place something the deceased was known to enjoy such as a cigar, whiskey, or some female finery so that when the loved one returns they can enjoy their earthly pleasures! Upon our return to Ghost Mountain Inn we were entertained at dinner with beautiful and soulful singing by our waiters and waitresses, truly an amazing day and evening!
On Friday, 8/14, a morning of leisure was welcome after our busy few days! Staying at the Ghost Mountain Inn was a great pleasure, beautiful surroundings and gracious hosts; truly a joy. For the afternoon we headed to Hiuhluwe-Imfolazi Game Reserve and proceeded to enjoy a second game experience. This reserve is very different from Kruger National Park with vast open vistas making wildlife viewing more challenging! As soon as we travelled off road we began to see wart hogs, nyala, elephants, rhinoceros and a herd of Cape buffalo which our guide Jean estimated to number about 150!
The highlight for me was when we came upon a lone giraffe just walking down the road in front of our vehicle. We followed along until he took a right turn and continued on...Our trip ended with the sighting of a huge bull elephant near the road just enjoying his stroll and the vegetation; A solitary giant with enormous ears and unconcerned with our presence or the rest of the world!
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
2 days ago
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
3 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.