Today we are out on yet another kayaking adventure. This will be one of our first in open water so we have a safety briefing on what to do if you capsize and how to avoid that.
We will be kayaking about 3 hours to Sail Island. Cap'n Dan has decided to join us. We are a small group of about 4 kayaks for a total of 8 people. It is fun to have Cap'n Dan along as he is a wealth of knowledge.
About 2 hours into our adventure, Cap'n Dan notices something floating at the surface of the water. Upon closer inspection, he informs us that it is a humpback whale floating on the surface of the water. When the whales sleep, they stay close to the surface so they have a steady air supply. But they only shut off half of their brains at a time so they are fully aware of their surroundings.
We get closer and slowly following this massive creature. Cap'n Dan starts to hit his kayak with his paddle to make sure the whale knows we are there...no need to have the whale breech under one of our kayaks.
Once Dan wakes the whale, we do get to see the whale tail. I can't believe that I caught it on video. You can hear the tenseness of the situation. The creatures are amazing!!
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.