North and South Luangwa

Note from Lusaka - Absolutely Bloody Marvellous.......
I was planning on writing in the very near future, ie when I am back in my time zone, but in a nutshell, it exceeded expectations.
I will write soon.
Regards
Mark

Note from Home
Trish,
At all levels my trip exceeded expectations. However it must be said that certain people were outstandingly good and exceedingly welcoming. The sincerety was touching. 

I live in North America where I am routinely asked "How are you?" and told to have a nice day, because their bosses think it will make me like their company more. 

People do not really care anyway and I am happy not to have to answer the question. Kutandala, Flatdogs and The Bushcamp Company are heavily populated with decent folk with high standards. 

Rod and Guz from Kutandala went out of their way to meet me at Lusaka Airport (on my way home) and take me out for a meal. What lovely people!

The Northern Park is where you have to work harder for your game, but was in every way as enjoyable as the South. I appreciated the longer walks (they were more gruelling too!). If I were to go again, I would probably ask for a hike up to the escarpment. (Probably a 3 day trek!). Of course the cooking was legendary.. Guz must be bored with everyone saying how good it was. It must be very difficult cooking in the bush, so all credit to Guz and her team. 

A word of caution... Despite the heat (37 Celsius max daily temperature in the Shade and it seemed to climb their pretty quickly)and the walking, I put on 11 lbs in weight in 3 weeks. (If 1 week was in UK where I indulged in the beers and pies and chips) I think only 2lbs can be put down to Guz and probably 1 of them was Rods fault for plying me with beer.

Bilimungwe was probably the most comfortable camp, but not the most comfortable accomodation-the latter due to the hippo flies. The camp was situated over an interesting waterhole with wallowing warthogs. Manda was an excellent guide and very friendly too. 
The Intriguing Mariann made me eat too many lemon tarts, and the cook here gets the vote for the best toast. John Mbao was entertaining too, if only for his cultural interpretations (mainly to do with aphrodisiacs) and his lion spotting abilities.

Kuyenda was a wonderful camp. Phil Berry was excellent a guide as his reputation promised.Of the 3 leopards I saw, 2 weree due to him, but 0 photographs alas- due to me. Catherine proved an interesting camp manager .. It must be said I have the highest praise for all of the people at this company including Andy Hogg, the owner, whose workers seem to have a genuine liking for him. (At least the ones I spoke to).

What a wonderful holiday.
All the Best 
Mark C
USA PDZ14

Zambezi trip

Jackie,
I thought I'd just like to say thanks for your help. Everything about the trip went without any problems.... flights, accommodation and all the trips. 

Victoria Falls was so impressive a sight, more so from a microlight.....and that combined with game viewing and days canoeing and rafting the Zambezi it really was a fantastic holiday thanks

Kevin S JFT46

Zambia, Botswana, South Africa and Tanzania

Nikki,
I am back from Africa and fully recovered from Jet Lag.

I just wanted to thank you for your fantastic work on my safari and all of my arrangements. Everything went perfectly. The only hitch was at the Grace, on my final day they tried to charge me for transfers to and from the airport and I showed them the vouchers and told them it was pre-paid. So no problem there.

What fantastic accommodations. The Grace being right next to the mall and the movies and restaurants was great. We went to the market on the top of the parking on Sunday. Got many very special bargains. And there is the African craft center there too.

The Islands of Siankaba are a wonderful retreat. It is many kilometers from Victoria Falls, which is fine. We went to Victoria Falls on our way to the airport and is that a tremendous sight. We also got to go to Botswana for a one day boat and truck safari and lunch. The food was fantastic and our "tents." What a great place to stay. Hope to bring my husband back there.

Selous Safari Camp and Jongomoro Camp are wonderful places to stay. The food everywhere was top of the line. Having a vegetarian with me was no problem, she got the best food. I think my husband would be more of a problem. 

Visiting Ruaha National Park and Selous Preserve and seeing 2 different terrains of land and different animals at each place. In Botswana, we saw even different animals. 

What a wonderful diverse continent is Africa. Zambia, Botswana, South Africa and Tanzania were great to visit. My next visit, I will have to get to Iringa in Tanzania and spend some time where Sarah is working. I may be bringing my husband back to Africa with me. Thought I might start in CapeTown for a few days, then Botswana, Islands of Siankaba, and Selous Safari Camp, and Jongomoro Camp, then back to Dar Es Salaam and the bus to Iringa, and stay there for about one week too. I am thinking of June. Right after the rains.

Thank you so much for all your terrific work. I will let you know as soon as I know when we might go back. I would like you to handle it as you did such a great and fantastic job. Thank you again, Nikki.

Karen V HFQ36

Matusadona, Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe

Trish - just wanted to say thanks for the Zim trip - it was, as ever, fanatastic (leopard on the road to Kariba, black rhino in Matus and Manyuli as stunning as I remembered). 

Pls pass on my thanks to Nick and Nicky for their assistance and hospitality. Much appreciated as was their company on the return to Harare.

Fingers crossed and I'll be back next year!
Thanks and best wishes.

Richard W PDZ12
P.S. - Nicky seemed to think I'm in th army - much less exciting - I'm a lawyer!

Victoria Falls Vacation

Dear Jackie - Thank you so much! I just wanted to let you know that I had an amazing time in Victoria Falls this past weekend! Everything went exactly as you had scheduled and I had no hassles! I couldn't have asked for a nicer time! 

All the activities were fantastic...the white water rafting and the microlight flight being my favorites! I don't know if you've ever been to Victoria Falls, but if you haven't I would definately suggest going! Its absolutely gorgeous! 

Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you for all your help in making my vacation great! I really appreciate it! Take care.

Sincerely,
Cristianne W

Nix, you're Amazing....

Nikki
First, let me apologize for taking so long to send this email. When we returned from our trip, I was inundated with work and, when not catching up, I’ve been sorting through photos and editing video. 

To say the least, we had the most amazing trip, in no small part due to your meticulous work. Every camp and lodge was fabulous; every transfer was right on time; every guide was knowledgeable and helpful; every day brought new adventures. 

We could not have imagined a better trip.

Bill and I have traveled extensively throughout the world and have worked with a multitude of travel planners, agents, internet companies, airlines, hotels, etc. etc. etc. You went above and beyond our expectations! 

You worked with us to put together a great package within the budget we set. Then you handled all the changes we made before we finalized the trip as if they were no problem at all. 

The last minute changes your contacts created turned out to be in our best interest — upgrades all the way around. 

Even once we were on our way and more changes were necessary due to the Botswana government, you handled them so efficiently, that by the time we found out, the best solution was in place and our trip was flawless.

There aren’t enough ways to say thank you for a perfect job expertly done. 
All we can say is that we hope you stay safe, that the problems in Zimbabwe improve, and that many more people have the same extraordinary opportunity to visit such a beautiful part of the world, guided by the incomparable Zambezi Safari and Travel Company.

Take care
Ann-Rhea F
San Antonio, Texas USA 

Chris Worden - De Kuyper Group - Luangwa and Selinda

Chendeni - LUangwa VAlley, Zambia:
The De Kuypers gave this camp an A+!
There is a good network of game viewing loop roads around both Chendeni and Bilimungwe, so drives are now very good 

Selinda Camp, Botswana:
As usual this camp came out tops, in terms of accommodation, food/wine and game viewing potential. Great staff too! A++!!!!!!
Here’s a quick précis of the highlights we saw in 4 nights at Selinda: This camp gets better and better - My 4th visit now..
Land at airstrip – 19 lion resting under a tree on edge of strip.
Pm drive: 3 cheetah on a Zebra Kill. Big herd of Buffalo.
Am drive: Lion chase Leopard up tree. Leopard jumps down and growls past vehicle. Follow lions and watch them play up a tree and then drink/play at the lagoon.
Pm drive: 16 wild dog at den with 12, 3 week old pups. Lions at Lagoon eating a warthog.
Am drive: Dogs hunting. 3 cheetah on anthill in great light. Hippo joins us for sundowners.
Pm drive: Lion and Dogs again. Large Ele herd drinking at lagoon. 45 Pelican flying into lagoon
Am drive: Lions mating. Dogs regurgitating food to pups at den. I cheetah female. Walked up to a little bee eater and photographed it from 2 metres.
Pm drive: Eles, Giraffe, Dogs all in sunset at Lagoon
Bird list: 200 species in 19 days

Namibia Safari

We spent 9 days in Namibia in mid-August 2003 and had a wonderful time. The arrangements were all with quality vendors -- the hotel in Windhoek, the rental cars, the safaris at Sassosvlei and the skeleton coast. Liz Ferreira did a wonderful job with making the arrangements and with dealing with the only tiny problem we had.

Thanks a lot.
Grace M. C

We are Home in Springfield – after Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa

Dear Jackie,
Our experiences in Africa were truly WONDERFUL ! ! ! We know that this, in large part, was due to the guidance you provided in making the arrangements and the excellence of the folks who work in the camps and on the transfers. A GIGANTIC THANK YOU to you and to them.
Let me now provide a few "observations" that may be useful to you and others in the future.

1. We were truly astounded at the level of luxury in the camps. This being our first-ever experience with "safari" sort of living/traveling, we were totally unprepared for how great the experience was.

2. In this regard, the Chobe Safari Lodge was a very different sort of experience. Not a bad experience -- the afternoon boat cruises on the river were among the most memorable of the entire trip. But after Thorntree and Impalila, we were unprepared to find ourselves in "just a big hotel." The patio door opened onto a wonderful lawn, but there was no screen door, so we felt we could not leave the door open for air and sounds -- because bugs, monkeys, baboons, etc. could then easily wander in. We realize you tried to get us to go to a different lodge, and perhaps we should have, but that will need to be for some future trip.

3. Selinda probably was "the highlight" lodge of the entire trip -- great accommodations and great game drives. While there we also met one of your (I believe he said) former colleagues -- Chris Worden (sp?) -- who told us a little about your growing-up in what is now Zimbabwe; you must be very sad with the way the country currently is operating.

4. All the guides, everywhere, were fantastic -- knowledgeable, articulate, informative, friendly, etc.

5. We now know that visitors should spend at least three nights at each camp rather than the two we spent -- clearly that would provide a better "viewing" to "transfer" ratio. On the other hand, with our limited time, doing only three camps rather than five would have left some big holes in our overall level of awe and wonder.

6. On the "second half" of the itinerary, we again had nearly all positive experiences.

a. The Queens Hotel in Oudtshoorn had a similar level of "difference in feel" to the other lodgings as Chobe Safari Lodge did on the "first half." Again, not a "bad" place, just a different "feel" from the others.

b. Just FYI, the closest thing to a disaster the entire time was the arrival in Port Elizabeth. The EuropeCar people somehow had it in their heads/system that we were to arrive at 8 a.m. (0800) rather than at 8 p.m. (2000), so the car they reserved for us had sat in the airport drive all day, they had assumed we were "no shows," and when the car was put away for the night, the key either was locked inside or went home with their driver. It took nearly an hour to sort through that and have them provide a different car for the night drive to Elephant House. Heather, the woman at the EuropeCar desk, was wonderful and efficient through it all. The next day, she (and her mother and her aunt) delivered the reserved car to us at Elephant House and took the "loaner" back to Port Elizabeth -- with a R250 reduction in the drop-off charge for our inconvenience. True "service with a smile." (Our "in the dark" and "first hours of 'on the wrong side of the road'" drive from the PE airport to Elephant House were tense -- out of unjustified concern, given all the advice we received -- but otherwise just fine.)

c. The afternoon Elephant House "Valley Tour" was another true highlight with unique stops and information. And Elephant House itself is a splendid facility.
d. As you told us from the outset (and as noted in #5 above), we clearly needed a least twice as long for the PE to Cape Town journey. But again, we would not have wanted to miss any of what we saw to spend more days anywhere else along the way.

e. I don't know if you can book folks into the oceanside cabins in Tsitsikamma National Park, but if you can, you should -- those cabins are in a remarkably beautiful setting. The Arniston Hotel was at about the same level of raw beauty and a super place also.

7. Our nine days in Durban with the conference were OK, but Durban has a level of "criminal tension" that made this a less desirable setting to just "see the sights." (We also were fortunate to have friends from the Washington, DC area -- not associated with the conference -- there at the same time (one of these folks was raised in Durban and his 90 year old mother still lives there on her own), so we had a chance to see and do things well beyond what the other conference attendees did. (Not to sound negative -- because all our experiences were well into the "good" range, with those you arranged in the "truly exceptional" range -- the conference-related tours were at a lower level of informativeness than what we experienced elsewhere -- except for the Lesotho/Sani Pass tour, which was another "highlight".)

8. Our week from Durban through St. Lucia, Swaziland, Kruger, Hazyview/God's Window/etc., Pretoria, and Johannesburg/Soweto were interesting but mostly in a large bus with limited stopping. So, again, a "different" sort of touring. (The Saturday evening at The Rock, a bar/cafe in Soweto, was a highlight of that segment.)

9. Our days in the Cape Town area were also grand. Unfortunately, the only two "bad weather" days of the entire five weeks occurred there, so we experienced Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope much as some of the early unhappy sailors -- in high winds and rain, and although we had a clear day to "view" Table Mountain, that was the day we were on the Township Tour and visited Robben Island. The other days when we could ascend Table Mountain, it was "in the clouds."

10. Just FYI -- we shot 123 rolls of film and took nearly 800 digital photos (some of which are short "movies) -- so nearly 4,000 total images preserved "for the record." Hope to have the film all processed and back next week. If you are able to download pictures at your e-mail address, I might send a few choice ones on to you after we truly see what we have.

Because we are so impressed with all that you did for us, we have been touting you and "Zambezi Safari and Travel" to everyone with whom we talk. Hope it will result in some future bookings. And we hope that our future travel plans will take us again to Africa. (Do you do bookings for other areas/parts of Africa as well?)

Should you ever be in this part of the world, we would be delighted to meet you in person and share a beverage/meal and conversation. You "know where we live," our telephone number, and our e-mail should you wish to exercise this invitation.
That's all for now.

With deep gratitude, appreciation, and thanks.
Bob and Janet M

Luangwa Valley

Dear Chris,
Thank you for such a wonderful holiday. You spoilt us rotten and were a fantastic guide. The children are having to adapt to their household jobs again and I'm having to think about buying and cooking food again!

Bills in a post holiday decline and moaning about how boring England is - he always does this after a particularly good holiday!

So many thanks from us all and I hope things improve in Zim soon. THere was a picture in the newspaper of Mugabe's 'retirement home' that is nearing completion at vast expense. Maybe he is going to retire after all.

Best regards,
Carey, Bill, Michael and Mo S.

Zambia and Botswana

Dear Chris,
We're all back home safely. Had marvelous flights: BA upgraded us all to business, which was great. I understood you said something about luggage problems at the desk, but they already had us booked [extremely correct, I must say] and Bob & I flew business with KLM [again without loosing points!]. Slept 5 out of 10.15 hrs, not bad at all. We all missed your "good morning! Did you sleep well? and coffee/tea at the camp fire.........

Back in Holland I wonder again, you know, what the hell am I doing here? I should live in Africa, somewhere, it suits me far better. Or may be I'm just daft. I personally think you did a hell of a good job, finding us these lovely camp sites and different environments and you are absolutely a great host with superb skills to please all of us. Many many thanks, we'll be back with you as our guide!!!!

We all thought of you having your operation. Is it all ok now? Was it realy a piece of thorn stuck in your foot? Are you out of pain now? Please let me know, I was worried about you, although you constantly said it was "nothing".

I'll ask Bob to scan my Grevy's zebras and may be 2 or 3 others, together with the approx. measurements.

Bob's photographs are absolutely beautiful, almost professional. He'll email the best to you, no doubt.

Will you drop me a note every now and then, to inform me of your well being and also of the political situation in Zimbabwe, which worried me as well! When I arrived in Amsterdam I had to pin some money [completely broke!] and in 30 sec I had my cash in hands. So different from your situation and I never realised before how easy and standard that is!

Miss you & Africa. Hope to see you in January. I take it you'll be spending 1 or more nights with us, so please let us know in time when you'll be here. We have busy schedules and we all want to be together for dinner one night.

Warmest regards,
Minou

Zimbabwe, Zambia - trip of a lifetime

Hello to Liz.
First of all - thank you. Everything was terrific - well organized and exceptional. The logistics were seemless - with just a few little hiccups - this was to be expected. 

Needless to say we had an incredible time - an amazing journey - the rafting on both rivers was truly unbelieveable - major league and the safaris were eye opening experiences. 

All six of us were touched in so many ways - we all feel changed after the experience and want to come back to Africa in a few years time. 

We would probably do it again next year except for the cost! We need to save a few bucks and then come back - for a much longer time focusing on people, game and ancient dwellings/civilizations. 

Mountain Travel Sobek have a hiking/4x4 trip across Africa which might be of interest, however before we start work on that type of trip we will be back to you and Zambezi Travel. 

Please feel free to use me as a reference at any time. The Gillams and Fogel/Applebaum are of the same opinion. 

We all concluded that this trip was indeed, a trip of a life time - the best vacation - travel experience - challenge we all have ever taken. And we want more!!!

So thank you Liz for making it a truly amazing trip/experience.

With regard, to the outstanding payment I will process the Zambezi credit card authorization form this week. I would do it today, but we are 'enjoying' some technical difficulties with our computers - for some reason no download capablities and limited internet access thanks to the massive power black outs which happened in the eastern half of North America while we were away. There are still lingering affects - especially to computer systems here in Toronto and New York. Anyway, it will be attended to for sure this week.

Again, we had a fabulous time and we'll be back.
Best regards,
Tim, Viv, Keith, Murielle, Marlene and Neil.

p.s. Neil made headlines on the Zambezi. Our raft flipped - 4 times and the second flip Neil went out and lost his bathing suit trying to get back into the raft. 

It was tangled around his feet and the video man got him with his backside fulled exposed as we tried pulling him back into the raft. 

We had trouble - not so much from the rocking and rolling of the raft, rather from laughing too hard!! Anyway, Neil took it all in good stride and now his backside is famous - and our Zambezi rafting video is now X rated!!!

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Last updated 14 January, 2005