Marcy & Michael B.
May 31st, 2017
We Experienced Moments that will Never be Forgotten
Beth,
My husband and I (Michael & Marcy B.) booked our Southern Explorer Africa vacation through African Travel, Inc. We did South Africa (and added Grootbos Private Nature Preserve for 4 days) & Victoria Falls. Although upon our arrival in Cape Town we found out our lodge at Grootbos Private Nature Reserve had tragically burned down during our flight to Africa, the African Travel staff were very accommodating, helpful, and assured us that we would be staying at a wonderful alternate hotel, and we were transferred to the Marine Hotel in Hermanus, which was a beautiful hotel alongside the ocean with exceptional service. We very much enjoyed our time in Hermanus (and saw lots of whales!). We were still able to be given transportation to and from Grootbos for the next few days, and enjoyed the beautiful preserve.
One of the reasons I wanted to travel to South Africa was to go shark cage diving, as I am a lover of sharks. This was a highlight of our trip to South Africa for me. The sharks we saw were absolutely beautiful and thrilling. Being so close to them in the cage made me realize how magnificent they are. Thank you so much for that incredible opportunity! Seeing the sharks meant so much to us that we adopted one of the newly seen sharks. The staff on the boat were fabulous - fun, kind, helpful, and full of knowledge. We especially love the conservation efforts of the Dyer Island Conservation Trust. Our time next was in Cape Town and the Winelands - so lovely! Our private tour guide was excellent and really listened to us and what were interested in and enjoyed, and focused our day tours accordingly (for example, our guide talked to us and learned that I work at a zoo, so he took us to a winery that was close to a place called Eagle Encounters - where I had the chance to hold a black eagle and other hawks and owls during our visit. Moments like this with a private tour guide were so meaningful.
Another highlight of our trip were the safaris, of course. We stayed at Kapama Southern Camp in a stunningly beautiful luxury suite with a private pool. Kapama's staff were absolutely fabulous - so lovely, helpful, and attending to all our needs. Our game drive ranger and tracker were amazing - full of information and so focused on helping get the most out of our safari game drives. Our game drives were a dream come true - the Big Five and so much more! So many special moments seeing giraffe, lion, rhino, elephant, leopard, zebra, vultures, hyena, kudu, hippo, jackal, bushbaby, monkeys, mongoose, and so many other species! The animals of Kapama touched our hearts and souls, and we are so grateful that we experienced so many special moments while at Kapama Private Reserve.
Stopping for "sundowners" was always a special treat - the African sunsets are so beautiful. We also visited Camp Jabulani, where we were able to interact and spend time with elephants - memories that we will forever treasure.
The end of our trip brought us to Victoria Falls and more safari time - we even saw a baby black rhino with its mom, and some crocodiles!
Thank you to African Travel for such special memories that will last forever. Your attention to detail and making sure we experienced moments that will never be forgotten are forever in our hearts.
Marcy & Michael B.
