South Africa trip outline - Sept 2008
Only 24H to go before I can return to 'my' beloved Africa and I'm counting the hours... It will be my 6th trip back Southern Africa and I pray to God it won't be my last because it's such a magical destination. Of all the places I have seen, that part of the world is TOP of my list... I just love the thrill of the treasure hunts (the treasures being, of course, the amazing wildlife)... there's nothing like it. Every day is different.
My sister Nathalie will be joining me and it'll be her first experience of a safari so I can only hope she will be as enthralled as I am. And I mainly hope we can see a leopard really up close and personal. The first one I ever saw very close was snoozing up a tree -as they do- and my driver took me right under his branch. His legs were dangling down and I could almost have stroked his paws if I'd reached out to him on tip-toe. The cat sensed our presence and opened his eyes slowly and for 2 seconds time stood still. I was dumbstruck. I could not believe how beautiful they were, just like pure gold... there was peace in his eyes too, no fear... a kind of 'oh it's just another tourist' kind of blaze look... and he closed his eyes again and went back to sleep. He's long forgotten that moment, but I never have. It has stayed with me because the intensity is such when you gaze into a leopard's eyes that few things in life can match it. And their coat is just so gorgeous too.
They radiate incredible energy (even when asleep!) and you can only feel that when you stand inches away from them... They are so fluid in their movements too - a joy to watch as they leap from branch to branch effortlessly. They are, probably, the most beautiful of all African cats. And as you know, the big cats are my passion... they are the animals that fascinate me the most because I'm attracted to extreme beauty and most are so magnificent that they simply take your breath away (a truly addictive experience).
And so it comes that, having done much research, it seems that the Sabi Sands area of the Kruger National Park is the area where you can spot the most leopards in the whole of Africa... They are very elusive normally... I only saw one in Kenya in 1992 (and only because the lodge had put meat on a tree to attract him), one in Tanzania in 1997 (the sighting mentioned above), none in Zimbabwe (1998), none in Botswana (1998), I saw a mother & cubs in Kenya again in 2002 but it was dusk and I couldn't take photos, just enjoyed their silhouettes going up & down a tree at sunset (memorable too). And in the Lion Park in South Africa where I worked last year, they only had one in a cage... NOT the same.
But I really hope that staying in that area of Kruger, at this time of the year (before the raining season starts - fewer water holes = more chances of knowing where the animals will be when they get thirsty) we too will experience the exceptional sightings that Sabi Sands is famous for.
I even love the trees in Africa, the smell of the earth, the deafening sound of the toads and insects, etc. and the quality of the light too - perfect for photography. I love it ALL. A piece of my heart will always belong to Africa.
It is a bit of a trek to get there, but I know that it will be well worth it when we reach the golden pot at the end of the rainbow!
Flight times are as follows:
Sunday 31 Aug - London Heathrow to Madrid,
flight IB 3167 -Iberia- leaving 18:50 - arr. 22:10 (then 3 HOURS WAIT, YUK)
Connecting on the 01:30am - 11:20 flight to Johannesburg
Connecting to the 1:30pm Fedair charter flight straight to the lodge 55 mins later.
(check the http://www.fedair.com/ site for a cool shot of lions waiting for the plane to land !!! 'Snacks are on the way mate'). I couldn't wish for a greater welcome if this happened to us !
Then we'll be staying at the lovely Arathusa Lodge. Best value for money for private lodges in the area. http://www.arathusa.co.za/
Reviews were all incredibly good, even on Trip Advisor (independent), consistently 5/5... hence my deciding this was definitely the lodge for our budget. Besides, game drives in a jeep are SO much nicer than in mini-buses !!! It feels a lot more like an adventure then... it's all open, so the leopards can jump on your lap at any time (not that they ever do, but ...).
Arathusa only has a handful of bedrooms so you have to book really early. They only had 6 nights left for the whole of September (well, 6 nights in a row!) when I booked 3 months ago. The good thing about this lodge too is that their single supplement is very reasonable. It's not 'double' as it is in most other lodges but only 1/4 more. And originally I was going to go alone, so... definitely a good one to bear in mind for the single travellers !
I was really keen to avoid getting out of Jo'burg airport (as it's a notoriously dangerous city) hence flying straight to the lodge seemed like a much safer idea -- and also not much more expensive than hiring a driver to get us there. It'd have been 6 hours on fairly bumpy roads otherwise. Besides, I've been told that the scenery from Jo'burg to the Sabi Sands area is just spectacular - one of the best in the whole of South Africa. We should all have a window seat as they are such small planes (as you can see on the Fedair site). The air strip is just 5 mins drive from the lodge and sometimes you can even see animals on the way there already... Better still, they may need to hold back landing until the ground staff can clear the air strip in case some animals are ON the landing area -- they have to hush them away.
Then we'll reluctantly have to go back to reality and leave this wonderland on Sunday 7 Sept.
The bummer is that Fedair only have ONE flight on that day from the lodges back to Jo'burg. And it is at 11:30am !!! So, 55mins later we will already be back in town, but with no overnight flight to Madrid before 21:25pm ! IB 6050. Eeek... 9 HOURS WAIT. Arriving in Spain at 07:25am, then connecting on IB 3162 @ 08:45, to be in London at 10:05am on Monday 8th (my sister will be on the later flight as she booked 3 weeks after I did and mine was already full !).
I did query why we had to leave SO early (4pm would have been plenty!) but I was told that FedAir have to leave late morning to ensure there are no storms and no strong winds (which is often the case in Kruger). It makes for a smoother ride as the plane is so small. However, we were told that the luxury lounge of FedAir is great, with complimentary food, drinks, internet, showers, etc. so we'll be pampered as we are waiting. But then the transfer back to the international airport will be at 5pm latest, and then with 2 hours check-in, "it won't feel so bad". I'm not so convinced myself. We'll see. But by my calculations it will be almost 24H on the go, door-to-door on the last day. So, not the most relaxing way to finish the trip.... but I trust the memories will keep us going... The lengthy journey is not going to put me off going back for more, put it that way. You know me ! I've done up to 4 flights in a row in the past... so...
I will have the Monday afternoon to just get used to being back home and getting on with the usual chores I guess.
There will be internet at Arathusa, but at 10p/min writing personal emails will be prohibitive. I'll just try and update my blog quickly so that anyone who wants news can check them here. A phone call will cost the same though so we'll probably call our parents daily.
I'm hoping they'll sell post-cards ! Not that there'll be much dead time to write them (except for the 9 hours on the last day !!!). Usually you get up before sunrise and head for the park, come back on time for breakfast, then have a bush walk 2 hours later if you want it (I've never done a bush walk so I'm really looking forward to this... even more thrilling I heard + it'll be easier to use my tripod!), then there's lunch, then you can have a dip in the pool (temperatures will range from 12C at night to 28C by day), then it's onto the evening safari, then dinner, and then off to bed ! We'll need to be asleep by 9pm if we have to be up by 5am (my humble guess, going by past records).
Voila... this little summary has given you, I hope, a taster of what I'm in for. If for any reason I cannot log on (and in Africa it's never guaranteed you can... storms can interfere with satellite signals, power cuts are a frequent occurence, plus there may be a queue of people wanting to go on line too !) do not worry if I'm silent... assume that 'no news is good news'. I'm almost 99% sure my mobile phone will not work (so SMS won't go through either).
My sister bought a video camera for the occasion, so that shows she's excited ! She doesn't even take photos much when she goes abroad normally.
Take care, and I do wish you could have all come with me... East/Southern Africa is the one place that I think everybody should see once before dying. It changes most people who visit. Hence the reason why 'once' is never enough.... :)
Sylvie x
Only 24H to go before I can return to 'my' beloved Africa and I'm counting the hours... It will be my 6th trip back Southern Africa and I pray to God it won't be my last because it's such a magical destination. Of all the places I have seen, that part of the world is TOP of my list... I just love the thrill of the treasure hunts (the treasures being, of course, the amazing wildlife)... there's nothing like it. Every day is different.
My sister Nathalie will be joining me and it'll be her first experience of a safari so I can only hope she will be as enthralled as I am. And I mainly hope we can see a leopard really up close and personal. The first one I ever saw very close was snoozing up a tree -as they do- and my driver took me right under his branch. His legs were dangling down and I could almost have stroked his paws if I'd reached out to him on tip-toe. The cat sensed our presence and opened his eyes slowly and for 2 seconds time stood still. I was dumbstruck. I could not believe how beautiful they were, just like pure gold... there was peace in his eyes too, no fear... a kind of 'oh it's just another tourist' kind of blaze look... and he closed his eyes again and went back to sleep. He's long forgotten that moment, but I never have. It has stayed with me because the intensity is such when you gaze into a leopard's eyes that few things in life can match it. And their coat is just so gorgeous too.
They radiate incredible energy (even when asleep!) and you can only feel that when you stand inches away from them... They are so fluid in their movements too - a joy to watch as they leap from branch to branch effortlessly. They are, probably, the most beautiful of all African cats. And as you know, the big cats are my passion... they are the animals that fascinate me the most because I'm attracted to extreme beauty and most are so magnificent that they simply take your breath away (a truly addictive experience).
And so it comes that, having done much research, it seems that the Sabi Sands area of the Kruger National Park is the area where you can spot the most leopards in the whole of Africa... They are very elusive normally... I only saw one in Kenya in 1992 (and only because the lodge had put meat on a tree to attract him), one in Tanzania in 1997 (the sighting mentioned above), none in Zimbabwe (1998), none in Botswana (1998), I saw a mother & cubs in Kenya again in 2002 but it was dusk and I couldn't take photos, just enjoyed their silhouettes going up & down a tree at sunset (memorable too). And in the Lion Park in South Africa where I worked last year, they only had one in a cage... NOT the same.
But I really hope that staying in that area of Kruger, at this time of the year (before the raining season starts - fewer water holes = more chances of knowing where the animals will be when they get thirsty) we too will experience the exceptional sightings that Sabi Sands is famous for.
I even love the trees in Africa, the smell of the earth, the deafening sound of the toads and insects, etc. and the quality of the light too - perfect for photography. I love it ALL. A piece of my heart will always belong to Africa.
It is a bit of a trek to get there, but I know that it will be well worth it when we reach the golden pot at the end of the rainbow!
Flight times are as follows:
Sunday 31 Aug - London Heathrow to Madrid,
flight IB 3167 -Iberia- leaving 18:50 - arr. 22:10 (then 3 HOURS WAIT, YUK)
Connecting on the 01:30am - 11:20 flight to Johannesburg
Connecting to the 1:30pm Fedair charter flight straight to the lodge 55 mins later.
(check the http://www.fedair.com/ site for a cool shot of lions waiting for the plane to land !!! 'Snacks are on the way mate'). I couldn't wish for a greater welcome if this happened to us !
Then we'll be staying at the lovely Arathusa Lodge. Best value for money for private lodges in the area. http://www.arathusa.co.za/
Reviews were all incredibly good, even on Trip Advisor (independent), consistently 5/5... hence my deciding this was definitely the lodge for our budget. Besides, game drives in a jeep are SO much nicer than in mini-buses !!! It feels a lot more like an adventure then... it's all open, so the leopards can jump on your lap at any time (not that they ever do, but ...).
Arathusa only has a handful of bedrooms so you have to book really early. They only had 6 nights left for the whole of September (well, 6 nights in a row!) when I booked 3 months ago. The good thing about this lodge too is that their single supplement is very reasonable. It's not 'double' as it is in most other lodges but only 1/4 more. And originally I was going to go alone, so... definitely a good one to bear in mind for the single travellers !
I was really keen to avoid getting out of Jo'burg airport (as it's a notoriously dangerous city) hence flying straight to the lodge seemed like a much safer idea -- and also not much more expensive than hiring a driver to get us there. It'd have been 6 hours on fairly bumpy roads otherwise. Besides, I've been told that the scenery from Jo'burg to the Sabi Sands area is just spectacular - one of the best in the whole of South Africa. We should all have a window seat as they are such small planes (as you can see on the Fedair site). The air strip is just 5 mins drive from the lodge and sometimes you can even see animals on the way there already... Better still, they may need to hold back landing until the ground staff can clear the air strip in case some animals are ON the landing area -- they have to hush them away.
Then we'll reluctantly have to go back to reality and leave this wonderland on Sunday 7 Sept.
The bummer is that Fedair only have ONE flight on that day from the lodges back to Jo'burg. And it is at 11:30am !!! So, 55mins later we will already be back in town, but with no overnight flight to Madrid before 21:25pm ! IB 6050. Eeek... 9 HOURS WAIT. Arriving in Spain at 07:25am, then connecting on IB 3162 @ 08:45, to be in London at 10:05am on Monday 8th (my sister will be on the later flight as she booked 3 weeks after I did and mine was already full !).
I did query why we had to leave SO early (4pm would have been plenty!) but I was told that FedAir have to leave late morning to ensure there are no storms and no strong winds (which is often the case in Kruger). It makes for a smoother ride as the plane is so small. However, we were told that the luxury lounge of FedAir is great, with complimentary food, drinks, internet, showers, etc. so we'll be pampered as we are waiting. But then the transfer back to the international airport will be at 5pm latest, and then with 2 hours check-in, "it won't feel so bad". I'm not so convinced myself. We'll see. But by my calculations it will be almost 24H on the go, door-to-door on the last day. So, not the most relaxing way to finish the trip.... but I trust the memories will keep us going... The lengthy journey is not going to put me off going back for more, put it that way. You know me ! I've done up to 4 flights in a row in the past... so...
I will have the Monday afternoon to just get used to being back home and getting on with the usual chores I guess.
There will be internet at Arathusa, but at 10p/min writing personal emails will be prohibitive. I'll just try and update my blog quickly so that anyone who wants news can check them here. A phone call will cost the same though so we'll probably call our parents daily.
I'm hoping they'll sell post-cards ! Not that there'll be much dead time to write them (except for the 9 hours on the last day !!!). Usually you get up before sunrise and head for the park, come back on time for breakfast, then have a bush walk 2 hours later if you want it (I've never done a bush walk so I'm really looking forward to this... even more thrilling I heard + it'll be easier to use my tripod!), then there's lunch, then you can have a dip in the pool (temperatures will range from 12C at night to 28C by day), then it's onto the evening safari, then dinner, and then off to bed ! We'll need to be asleep by 9pm if we have to be up by 5am (my humble guess, going by past records).
Voila... this little summary has given you, I hope, a taster of what I'm in for. If for any reason I cannot log on (and in Africa it's never guaranteed you can... storms can interfere with satellite signals, power cuts are a frequent occurence, plus there may be a queue of people wanting to go on line too !) do not worry if I'm silent... assume that 'no news is good news'. I'm almost 99% sure my mobile phone will not work (so SMS won't go through either).
My sister bought a video camera for the occasion, so that shows she's excited ! She doesn't even take photos much when she goes abroad normally.
Take care, and I do wish you could have all come with me... East/Southern Africa is the one place that I think everybody should see once before dying. It changes most people who visit. Hence the reason why 'once' is never enough.... :)
Sylvie x
posted by Sylvie at 10:48 AM
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