Spectacular adventure to Africa!!
South Africa
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May 25 - Jun 8, 2024
The trip was spectacular in every way! From our arrival in Capetown, every driver was ready and waiting (and we had a lot of internal flights which all went smoothly!). The Queen Victoria Hotel was lovely and the staff was so gracious. Our guide for two days in Capetown, Rochelle, was FABULOUS! She managed to satisfy the wants and needs of everyone in our group of six and did so with grace and humor! We loved our tour of the peninsula and the penguins are the CUTEST! Lunch at Crofter's Kitchen was a highlight of the trip...simply delicious food and amazing home and views. Nikki was entertaining and a talented chef...we also loved the tour of her gardens. Do not skip Table Mountain as the views are simply awesome. We went to three different wineries on the second day that Rochelle suggested and they were each unique and amazing in their own ways. The scenery in wine country is beautiful too.
Next up was Monwana Lodge which we all agreed was BEYOND FABULOUS! If you are considering a safari, you MUST go to Monwana! There simply aren't enough superlatives to describe the experience we had there from the accommodations, the food, the staff, the spa, the game drives and wildlife! Our guide (Colin) and tracker (Bennie) were the absolute BEST and made each and every game drive an incredible experience. From there we went to Johannesburg for a night and went to the Marabi Jazz Club which we loved!! Great food and music! Next up was the adventure of a lifetime with Beagle Expeditions in the Okavenga Delta of Botswana. Do not let the glamping fool you...this adventure was exciting! My family loved the 9 mile walk from camp to camp (we spent four nights total and 2 in each camp). The wildlife was plentiful and the water hole at the second camp was a parade of elephant families, baboons, wart hogs and others. It's honestly impossible to describe all of the incredible moments we had on both safaris. You just have to experience it and I can guarantee you won't be disappointed.
We ended our adventure in Victoria Falls which was beautiful. We stayed at the Palm River Hotel on the bank of the Zambezi River. The hotel was wonderful and we especially enjoyed the Ra-Ikane Sunset Cruise and riverside dinner. I had no idea the Zambezi was so awesome and my only regret was that we didn't do the white water rafting while we were there. The Victoria Falls National Park was a great way to view the falls and we went early the day we left so almost had each viewing spot to ourselves. Dusty Road for dinner the first night was also fun and interesting!!
We will be forever grateful to Deb and her team at Elgin Africa (as well as Corlia, Anna Marie, Wildr.Africa and I hope I am not forgetting anyone) for helping us plan a bucket list trip of a lifetime. We spent months planning it and Deb and Co were patient and helpful throughout and planned the PERFECT adventure for our group of six (My husband, me and our three sons in their 20s and one girlfriend). I chose this company because I really wanted an authentic, "insider" type of experience for this trip and I have worked with KimKim to plan several trips now and find that they are great at connecting us with fantastic travel planners in the countries we want to visit who help us achieve our travel dreams. I highly recommend working with Deb and her team to plan your next adventure!!
Hotel Reviews
Lovely hotel. Friendly and helpful staff, great food, spacious comfortable rooms and beds, nice location!
I could go on and on and on about this Lodge. It may be my favorite place that I have every stayed. It will forever be near and dear to my heart and I would love to go back.
Great location, peaceful and serene. We loved being on the Zambezi River.
This hotel was in a pretty busy location and it was a bit loud when we arrived. Overall it worked out well for a quick one night stay. It was clean and comfortable and the breakfast was great!
Activity Reviews
Our guide, Rochelle was amazing! Penguins are the cutest things and it's so much fun to watch them. Beautiful scenery!
We loved this special experience. Nikki was an amazing chef and the food was soooo delicious! We loved the tour of her gardens and all the knowledge about the plants that she shared. She was entertaining and fun and her home was beautiful with lovely views!
We went to Table Mountain first thing and it was not to be missed. It was a clear day and we got there before it was crowded so the line for the funicular was very short. AMAZING views from the top. We loved all three wineries we toured. The scenery was fabulous and so was the wine! We stopped in Stellenbosch for some shopping which was also wonderful.
The staff at Monwana was waiting for us upon our arrival and greeted us with incredible warmth. Our first game drive was full of spectacular sightings and set the stage for our incredible four day stay at this heavenly lodge. There are too many amazing things to write about so you just have to BOOK YOUR STAY NOW and experience it! We would return to this place again in a heartbeat!!
Every single ride with Bennie and Colin was beyond belief. We learned so much and loved hearing the stories about the animals...especially the Black Dams (Dams?) and the leopards! The snack stops were so awesome....there is nothing like an African sunset although we enjoyed the sunrises so much too. I worried that my family wouldn't want to get up so early every day but Colin and Bennie drew us into the story of the African bush and we didn't want to miss a single second!
There are not enough enthusiastic words or phrases to describe every game drive at Monwana! As my sons put it, we "completely vibed" with Colin our guide and Bennie, our tracker. We loved everyone on the staff led by Robbie. The accomodations were simply stunning and the food was superb! It is worth the long flight to travel back to this lodge, truly one of my top life's experiences!
We didn't fully understand the true adventure we signed up for but it was awesome! The wildlife viewing was astounding. The water hole was fascinating. We loved the nine mile walk from camp to camp. The food was delish and everyone worked so hard behind the scenes to make this experience spectacular and one of a kind from start to finish. It was wonderful to be completely disconnected in such a remote and special environment. Even though we were in tents, the bedding and comfort was incredible and I loved the hot shower (made with water heated over a fire) at the end of each day.
This was fun but I actually loved the views from Victoria Falls National Park even better than those from the helicopter.
The staff and owner were so nice and seems like they are doing such important work in their community. It was fun to try local food and drinks. Great atmosphere!
I don't know how the Chef prepared such incredible meals over fires! Amazing!
The 9 mile walk from camp to camp was one of our favorite days. Taking a long break for lunch, naps, reading and wildlife viewing in the middle of the day in "Paradise" was awesome.
The tents, bedding and bathroom exceeded our expectations. Everything was so comfortable and spacious. Even though there was no running water the staff made sure to help you feel like all your needs were met. It was incredible to be so close to the water hole and see the steady stream of animals come by. The elephant families were plentiful and entertaining. Very exciting to be immersed in nature like this.
This was our favorite experience during our stay in Victoria Falls. We had a beautiful sunset and the crocodiles, hippos and birds were amazing to see. The drinks and snacks were delicious too. We ended up having a private Riverside Dinner and show. So much fun!
Hello Susan
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for writing such a detailed and raving review! I absolutely loved putting the trip together and planning what will work for everyone in your family. I know this trip was incredibly important to you.
I will be in touch on the kimkim platform as I would love to arrange a call and discuss your trip in more detail.
Deb