By
Judy Sumka
July 7th, 2017
Our Magnificent Experience
Good Morning Jennifer,
We arrived home yesterday and I didn't want to wait to tell you what a magnificent time we all had. You made me look so good, Jennifer!! The group kept saying how well I had done at picking our the various accommodations, and how the various experiences were scheduled. I told them the mysterious Jennifer had done it all. They kept coming up to me and saying: "is this your doing, or the mysterious Jennifer's?" and I kept having to respond that it was you.
Here is a short summary of the trip.
Capetown: We loved the hotel. It had a bed and breakfast feel. The breakfasts were excellent and the rooms were superb. The hot water bottles in bed were a great touch. Breakfast was heavenly, although the breakfast room was quite cozy and sometimes we had to wait for a table. Our guide Gaston, from Thompson tours was great. We did not get to see the fur seal colony or do some of the wineland tour because of the weather which was iffy at best.
Kapama Game Camp: What a deluxe operation! Guides were great, meals were phenomenal. No one minded getting up at 5 for the game tours, then there was a cup of coffee and a snack waiting along with a hot water bottle and a blanket in the vehicles,which could hold as many as 10. We went in two groups of 6 and 7, respectively, and saw a lot of animals, including a group of 3 lions stalking a herd of antelope.
Johannesburg: Nice accommodation but our least favorite. Connected to a large casino complex. A few gambled. I understand there are limited choices here.
Zimbabwe: Other than a 2 hour wait in line for visas (written manually, and slower due to a large amount of incoming passengers participating in a marathon the next day) this was a great visit. All of us loved the Ilana lodge and the sundown cruise. Our guide for Victoria Falls and the village visit was Luckson from Thompson tours, and he was very good. We only met one person at the village homestead because it was Sunday and everyone was at church. We could not purchase any handmade items, or give the gifts that we bought in person. This may be something for you to keep in mind.
Chobe: This lodge is a real delight! The staff were superb, and meals were wonderful. We loved the additional game hunts on the river..it added a whole new dimension to the experience.The staff even had a private dinner for us the first evening. Were were able to see a lot of game activity as well, including 2 kills. the roads are much rougher there, but we had an excellent guide, DK, who added a lot to the hunts.
I've talked to Betty as well, and she said she had excellent care in Johannesburg. Patrick and Matthew from Thompson took excellent care of her. Patrick also took fine care of us while we were in Johannesburg.
I cannot thank you enough for giving us such a wonderful time.
Thank you again Jennifer.
