AFRICAN TRAP.
After last year's Kenyan safari, Africa hooked us so much that we were surprised to find that any attempt to plan our next trip invariably leads us to the African continent. So, is it worth resisting?
The route South Africa - Zambia - Botswana - Zimbabwe is designed and organized (perfectly as always) with the help of the TravelBox operator. The flight was organized by us. Having gone through a lot of various options, we settled on not the cheapest (but not the most expensive), but the most convenient flight in terms of connections Yekaterinburg - Moscow - Dubai - Cape Town and back Johannesburg - Dubai - Moscow - Yekaterinburg by Emirates (except for the shoulder Yekaterinburg - Moscow of course ). Travel time "door to door" 33 hours one way.
Emirates did not disappoint (although Singapore still continues to lead in my rating) and the flight was quite comfortable, especially considering that on the longest leg the plane was no more than 70% full.
SOUTH AFRICA. CAPE TOWN. Southern Sun Waterfront Hotel.
Quite quickly we go through all the border formalities (the visa was done with the help of a tour operator in Moscow), we get luggage, we go through customs along the green corridor (and some arrivals are thoroughly shaken) and we fall into the reliable hands of the meeting guide. 20 minutes later we are at the hotel.
The undoubted advantage of the Southern Sun Waterfront Hotel is its location. From it to the V&A Waterfront (V&A Waterfront) 10 min. on foot, and in the evening you can take a free shuttle from the hotel, which runs every 30 minutes.
Upon check-in, a deposit of 900 rand per room is kept ($ 1 = 6.6 rand). We foolishly gave them a card to hold the deposit. Leave a deposit in cash!
When calculating later, there was some confusion with him, and I still do not understand whether he returned to the card or not.
In the evening, we still went to V&A Waterfront, but since there was not enough time to get our bearings, we decided to have dinner at the hotel. As it turned out, the prices there are the same as on the waterfront. Then, of course, we had dinner at the V&A Waterfront. Dinner on average for 2 from 200 to 500 rand, depending on the pomposity of the restaurant and booze.
Loved the South African wines. Looks like we're getting something completely useless.
The next day was a sightseeing tour of the city and the ascent to Table Mountain. The weather was almost kind to us, the mountain was open, the clouds were below the top. It was quite cool at the top, with a piercing wind blowing (winter is starting in the southern hemisphere), but the breathtaking view of Cape Town and the ocean compensated for everything.
We returned to the hotel for lunch and immediately went on foot to the V&A Waterfront, had lunch with a bottle of the famous Pinotage (very bright smell and rather tart taste) and went to the 4 Oceans Aquarium. It is worth a visit, though it is not very big, but there is a very interesting exposition and a chic aquarium with predators.
The next day we have a big excursion to Hout Bay with a visit to the island of fur seals, then to the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point, then to Boulder Beach to the penguins and at the very end of the Kirstenbosch Park (to be honest, it is already superfluous on this day, because it is not enough for us). just already tired and no strength left for the park).
The weather, I must say, was vile - rather cool and nasty drizzling rain. Well, at least to the Cape of Good Hope all the darkness was blown up and the sun came out.
A big minus (well, what to do when you go in a group) - there is very little time everywhere! Especially little 45 min.
to Cape Point, which offers stunning views of the ocean and is much more interesting to go up and down on foot. We had to take the funicular.
We returned to the hotel at about 17:30, had a little rest and left for the V&A Waterfront.
About money (she searched for information on the Internet herself) - upon arrival, they changed quite a few dollars at V&A Waterfront, then they either took rands at ATMs or paid with a card. In all other countries, they didn’t bother with the exchange at all and everywhere they paid in cash bucks (although cards are accepted everywhere in the lodges).
Cape Town was great! The city is cosmopolitan, where all languages and nationalities are mixed, where there is some special atmosphere, and where for the second time in my life the thought arose that I would like to live here (the first time it was in Prague). I fully admit that my impression is erroneous, that it is impossible to draw conclusions after hanging around the tourist center for three days, so be it ...I will remember Cape Town just like that.
ZAMBIA. LIVINGSTON.
Hotel Zambezi Sun.
We fly very early from Cape Town to Livingston with a transfer in Johannesburg. Quite dreary we pass the Zambian border (one-time visa $ 50) and after 20 minutes. transfer, we check into the Zambezi Sun Hotel, which is located in the immediate vicinity of the Victoria Falls.
We get the number on the side of the waterfall and the sound of a jet liner roaring in some distance does not leave us day or night. From the balcony we see water smoke rising high above the waterfall.
When you check into the hotel, they also take a deposit of $ 200, but we have already been taught to give it in cash.
The hotel is generally good. Its huge advantage is that it takes only 3 minutes to walk to the waterfall. and admission is free for hotel guests. This means that in addition to paid excursions, you can come to the waterfall on your own at any time.
The biggest minus of the hotel is that it works on the basis of breakfasts, dinners in the form of a buffet and are very expensive ($ 39 without drinks), despite the fact that they are clearly not worth the money, and there is simply nowhere else to eat. The famous Bomo was completely closed.
There is no drinking water in the rooms (and this is the only such hotel of those where we were on this trip), you have to buy it for $ 2 for a small bottle.
On the first evening we had a catamaran trip on the Zambezi River, in the morning a guided tour to the waterfall. Then we returned to the waterfall several times on our own.
The impact of the waterfall is amazing! No stories and no photographs can convey it.
We got to the waterfall during the period of the highest water and the sight of this gigantic roaring mass falling from 100 m height, over which rainbows constantly shine, is shocking.
The guide during the morning tour gave us 2 raincoats, but then we still had to dry our clothes, especially after walking along the famous bridge, where a tub of water continuously pours on you.
The next day, we still decided to fly over the waterfall by helicopter ($140 per person for 15 minutes). The impression from this excursion was ambiguous. Firstly, when the plane comes in to land in Livingston, the waterfall is perfectly visible! Secondly, everything depends very much on the seat in the helicopter, and there is no way to choose it, and then how lucky. Well, it was just a pity for the 2 hours spent because of the 15-minute flight (everything is organized in this way), it would be better if we walked along the waterfall. And yes, it's expensive too!
BOTSWANA. Chobe Marina Lodge.
Our transfer to Botswana is scheduled for 10:30, so after breakfast we walk quietly by the waterfall for about an hour.
We are taken to a checkpoint on the banks of the Zambezi, we quickly pass the border control, we cross the river by boat, we pass the border with Botswana (a visa for Russians is free) and after 15-20 minutes we check into a small and very cozy Chobe Marina Lodge. It is located on the very bank of the river and is surrounded by a beautiful garden. There are few guests in the lodge and therefore there is a feeling that the number of staff exceeds the number of guests.
At 15:00 we go on a river trip on a catamaran. The views of the Zambezi River during its widest flood are very impressive.
The peculiarity of Chobe Park is that it is home to a huge population of elephants, there are several tens of thousands of them! Just in the late afternoon they all come out of the bush to the river for a drink. And it is truly unforgettable!
First you see the swaying branches of bushes and trees, then another group of elephants appears - they literally run to the river and drink, drink, drink ...Many little elephants. You can watch them endlessly.
In addition to elephants, on the river we meet a lot of hippos, crocodiles and a wide variety of birds.
Then we had 3 jeep safaris, which are organized by the lodge itself and are included in the price.
Of the most interesting, we observed a group of 3 lionesses and 5 cubs. I asked the guide about the male lions. It turns out that there are only 2 of them in the park, they are brothers and it is very difficult to see them, because they constantly move around the territory, and lionesses with cubs move slowly and it is easier to see them. And all the male cubs are killed by dads ...like this.
Incredibly beautiful kudu antelopes live in the park, the males of which have huge helical horns - we have not seen them in Kenya.
At 9 o’clock it’s already getting warm and gradually you start to take off layer by layer ...It’s already quite hot during the day, you can go on an evening safari in T-shirts, but you still need to take jackets with you, because you will return after dark.
I’ll digress a little for food ...Everywhere it is cooked with high quality, although the choice is not as great as in all-inclusive places in Turkey and Egypt. There is one feature - the dishes are not signed anywhere, and so I accidentally ate a crocodile! Once at dinner I looked at everything that is offered - I don’t want lamb, I don’t want fish, but I would probably eat chicken! I already put it on a plate, and then it seemed to me that it was some kind of strange chicken with obvious layers of fat. I asked a nearby cook what it was, it turned out to be a crocodile! Well, let there be a crocodile, especially since it really tastes like chicken with a subtle aroma of fish.
ZIMBABWE. Metetsi Water Lodge.
After another morning safari in Chobe we leave for Zimbabwe.
At the border we buy a visa ($ 30) and move towards the Metetsi private park. At the entrance to the park, the guide passes us into the hands of a ranger, we transfer to a jeep and in 15 minutes we will get to the unique Metetsi Water Lodge.
This is a very small and very secluded lodge, which is located on the very banks of the Zambezi and consists of 3 camps with 6 bungalows each. That is, the maximum capacity of the lodge is 36 people. Children must be at least 12 years old.
The concept of the lodge is the maximum preservation of the privacy of guests. Bungalows, consisting of a bedroom and a huge bathroom (including an outdoor shower) are located at a sufficient distance from each other and are separated by dense vegetation, so that there is a feeling of complete privacy.
In front of each bungalow there is a large veranda with sun loungers, chairs and a table and a private pool. Each bungalow has a personal battler that will fulfill literally any of your desires, up to scratching your heel.
Lunch is served directly in the bungalow - wherever you wish. Dinner in the lobby. All drinks included! The bungalow has a stocked mini-bar, hair dryer, a very rich set of high quality cosmetics and bathroom accessories, beach towels, bathrobes, mosquito repellents. An absolutely wonderful thing hangs in the hallway - a slingshot to protect against monkeys and a bag of pebbles! Seeing this, of course, we giggled, but it turned out that this thing is extremely useful.
As I mentioned, lunch is served directly in the bungalow and served where you specify. On one of the days we comfortably settled down in the shade, opened a bottle of beer from the min-bar and decided to have a leisurely lunch. And then a real gang of monkeys attacked us! There was nothing left to do but shoot from a slingshot.
Breakfasts and dinners at this lodge are served in the lobby area of each campsite right by the river. At dinner, the chef comes to you and announces the menu.
Your task is to choose a main dish from several proposed options and drinks.
All movements around the lodge after dark only accompanied by security. There is a siren in the closet just in case. And all these measures are justified - the animals roam freely right on the territory of the lodge! I have already talked about monkeys. In the clearing in front of our bungalow, a group of warthogs were grazing, small antelopes were walking around ...At night, someone very large walked around the bungalow and sighed noisily. In the morning, large footprints were found at the very edge of the water - it looks like it was a buffalo. And one day, returning from an evening safari, we met an elephant at the very lodge.
The safaris in this park are very different from any we have been on before. And this is due to the fact that the area is a rather dense bush (bush), so it is very difficult to see the animals.
There are many of them - everywhere there are traces, manure, animal paths ...But you can only see them from a fairly close distance, otherwise the bush hides everything.
To facilitate the search for animals, a special seat is attached to the hood of the jeep, on which the tracker sits. His task is to find the animals, track their path along the tracks left on the road and the roadside. And in the dark, he turns on the searchlight and often an elephant wandering along the road, impalas crossing the road, a buffalo looking unkindly from the bush, or even just someone's eyes burning in the dark, often fall into his beam.
In addition to a jeep safari, the lodge organizes walks along the river, where you can also see the watering hole of elephants, although of course there are many times less of them than in Chobe. In addition, you can go to the Victoria Falls, which is 40 km away, and see it from Zimbabwe.
In general, this lodge will certainly not give you the opportunity to get real pleasure from observing animals, and maybe even disappoint you to some extent. But the very atmosphere of solitude, very sincere hospitality and complete peace was very helpful at the end of such an eventful journey.
There really was a feeling that the entire staff of the lodge was waiting for you, that you are the dearest guest, and all this was sincere, absolutely not pretentious. When we left, everyone came out to see us off, from the camp manager to the maid of our bungalow.
We fly on the route Victoria Falls - Johannesburg - Dubai - Moscow - Yekaterinburg.
In Victoria Falls, we say goodbye to our luggage, because the achievements of civilization have not reached this godforsaken place, and everything is done manually. I don’t remember how many years ago I saw a handwritten boarding pass!
Naturally, when landing, a complete mess - a lot of double seats.
To our surprise, we successfully receive a suitcase in Johannesburg and enjoy spending time between flights buying souvenirs, the choice of which is huge.
The long flight was much easier than expected, although on the last shoulder I already wanted to jump out on the go.
CONCLUSION.
Comparison of safari in South Africa and in Kenya:
- in Kenya, the landscape itself makes the safari more intense, because there is an open shroud, and it is easier to see the animals;
- in South Africa there is no chance to see all the big African five, because they killed the rhinoceros, and to see the leopard is a great success;
- cheetahs are not found in the closed bush, you can probably see them only in Namibia;
- organizing a safari in Kenya, at least in our case, when you travel with the same guide and in the company of the same people, it is more comfortable;
- the spectacle of the watering place of elephants in the Chobe Park is unforgettable, you will not see this in Kenya;
- there are no unrealistically beautiful kudu and black antelopes (if I'm not mistaken, they are called sebola) in Kenya;
- walks along the river, which are found in many parks in South Africa, will especially appeal to bird lovers and photographers, as they will provide an opportunity to admire very beautiful views and unrealistic sunsets;
- binoculars are simply necessary, without it we would not see a lot, because in most cases there is no way to get close to animals;
- of course there are mosquitoes on the river, and despite the fact that there are mosquito nets and means in the lodges, you should not neglect antimalarial drugs.
The result of our journey is 2.000 km on the way, 4 countries, 7 airports, 9 flights and 36 GB of photos.
The entire route was built specifically for safari, so the actual acquaintance with the countries remained outside the scope of this program.
I have no doubt that we will return to Africa again, because this trap now holds us even stronger than before.
