Posted on by adusija

Victoria Falls: Zim Zam

After a wonderful safari in Kruger, we took a short 1.5 hour FlySafair flight to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The immigration and visa line at the airport was longer than the flight, and we had to get our passports stamped three more times before arriving at the Avani hotel on the Zambia side! The Avani hotel is the closest hotel to the Victoria falls entrance on the Zambia side, and on the grounds of the Mosi-ou-Tunya (The smoke that thunders) or Victoria falls national park with zebra, giraffes, impalas and gazelles freely roaming the property. It’s also adjacent to the sister colonial property of The Royal Livingstone, where we ate a really nice dinner at the Old Drift the first night. On our buggy ride to dinner a giraffe walking directly at us forced us to take a detour!

We woke up next morning to zebras right outside our room! After breakfast, we decided to walk across the borders to the Zimbabwean side of the falls. It was our first time ever walking across borders, over the no man’s land bridge, and into a new country. I had been paranoid all trip that Ariana and I did not have enough passport pages left, but luckily all immigration officers have been very efficient. The Victoria Falls have been on my dream list forever, and they were as Epic as I had imagined – a true natural wonder of the world. Almost 2km wide and over 100m in height, we walked along the many falls including the rainbow, main and cataract falls, admiring the force with which the water hit the river bed. I was very surprised to hear from the guide that the country of Zimbabwe was 3 days younger than me, probably one of the youngest countries I have visited. After a couple hours of absorbing the grandeur of the falls, we took a taxi to the nearby Lookout cafe for lunch with views deep into the gorge. The rest of our day was spent lounging at the pool at The Royal Livingstone watching wildlife and admiring the Zambezi river.

The next day it was our turn to see the Zambia side of the falls. Ariana preferred playing at the kids club, so Anjali, Ayaan and I spent most of the morning walking around the marked trails and gushing over the beauty of the falls. The Zambia side offers a view into a smaller fraction of the falls than the Zimbabwe side, although you are closer and can cross the knife-edge bridge which is special. We at lunch riverside at the Kubu restaurant at the hotel, before another dip in the pool and some soccer – one of the zebras did a back kick as Ayaan kicked the ball towards it! The highlight was the day was the Mukuni Boma village tour, dinner spread, and live performances. We all wore the traditional outfits and painted our faces, Ariana got her hair braided, and Anjali and I visited a fortune teller. For dinner we loved the crocodile steak and local veggies, and Ariana thoroughly enjoyed all the performances – including a fire show, interactive drumming and dancing, and incredible costumes. A great way to experience the Zambian and African culture.

On the fourth day, I took the opportunity to go solo on a helicopter ride to get a different perspective on the falls, river and national park. You really can only appreciate the magnitude of the falls from the air, and the ride was made special with some wildlife spotting. We spent the rest of the morning walking down to the Boiling Pot where the water swirls around at the base of the falls and the Zim-Zam bridge. The afternoon brought on another adventure, as we embarked on a river safari on a small boat. We were treated to viewing half a dozen crocodiles, each about 4 feet away, and varying from tiny to gigantic. Dangerous hippos spotted the Zambezi river everywhere and grunted every time they wanted us to move away. We stopped at an island for drinks and snacks over the stunning sunset, and sat on the roof of the boat as we raced back to the dock of our hotel. It was a fantastic way to cap off our safari and wildlife viewing experience over the last three Kenya, Kruger and now Zambia.

On our final morning at the Victoria falls, Anjali sneaked in an adventurous Microlight flight over the falls where she also spotted 3 of the big 5! Victoria falls has been truly epic and Zimbabwe and Zambia have been very welcoming as our 10th and 11th countries of this summer adventure. Off to our last leg and week in South Africa before we head back!

Posted on by adusija · 1 Comment

South Africa – Kruger & Game Reserves

We were excited for our next leg of the trip, South Africa which Gaurav and I had on our bucket list for over a decade. We’d decided to wait until the kids were old enough to experience it right. A lot of the private game reserves don’t allow young children because the animals are allowed to roam freely within the tented lodges. With Ariana turning 8, this was our time.

We landed in Johannesburg and experienced a relatively seamless 5-hour road trip to Kruger Gate Hotel arriving just in time for a lavish bush dinner. There were several fire pits, music, a combination of south African, western and Indian dishes and a large dessert buffet with s’mores. The next morning, we awoke early for a guided game drive in an open vehicle spotting elephants, giraffes, two lionesses running, a large hippo fairly close to us, and hundreds of impalas, kudu, zebras, nyala and other animals. Towards the end, we were rewarded with a large crocodile, next to another hippo. We returned to the lodge for lunch by the pool overlooking nyala, impalas and a visit from a buffalo and even a white rhino. This was special, and we lounged by the pool watching these animals go about their day. That evening, Ariana and I enjoyed a game of mini golf where we each cheered each other on (I’m so proud of how her cheers always bring me results!) while the boys played tennis. On the way back to our room, Ariana and I encountered a large herd of baboons which was enthralling to watch. From our room, we were greeted with impalas grazing outside.

The next morning, we decided to self drive through Kruger because the roads, infrastructure and signage were extremely tourist friendly. Immediately upon entering the park, we were greeted by two large giraffes right next to our car. We went on to see the hornbill (“zazu” from the lion king), a large herd of baboons, several elephants including babies, large black scavenger birds with red beaks, more giraffes, warthogs (Ayaan’s favorite) and impalas. Our most rewarding sight was a lioness eating a giraffe kill with her two baby cubs nearby. We stayed for a while watching this epic sight, an opportunity created by my insistence on taking the more adventurous route over to our next lodge.

We arrived around lunchtime to Honeyguide Khoka Moya Camp in the Manyeleti Private Game Reserve. As we entered our tent, we witnessed a large herd of elephants passing by to the watering hole near the camps pool, which soon became a popular sight for guests. After lunch consisting of a rosemary-garnished burger (that even Gaurav and Ayaan enjoyed despite not eating beef), we embarked on our afternoon game drive. Our guide, Luis and the completely open vehicle (no doors) were the perfect ingredients for an epic afternoon of wildlife viewing. The sundowner stop at the lake where Luis poured us red wine and then handed out blankets as we ventured back to the lodge had us truly pampered. As it was dark, with the glow of a flashlight, we saw a pride of 4 lions walking right to us. As they approached our vehicle, I heard myself silently gasp “oh my god”, mostly in disbelief of how close they were and how thrilling this experience actually was! The kids did extremely well, sharing in the disbelief as Ariana let out a small giggle of excitement when one of the lionesses passed us by. We retreated to the lodge freely truly lucky to have had this extremely surreal experience.

On our next morning game drive, we got a good start with a single male lion who our guide believed had lost the rest of his family, that he was searching around for. We also saw two hyenas and a cub lying down. That afternoon, we lazed at the pool as herds of elephants visited within a few feet from us, a truly exhilarating experience to be this close in harmony with these magnificent creatures. Our evening game drive was relatively uneventful as we saw the same lone male lion and some giraffes and an ostrich.

The next morning was our last game drive, and it did not disappoint. Luis was determined to have us see a leapord that he heard was in the south side of our game reserve. He was relentless in his search (as leopards are notorious for being discreet) as he took the vehicle through large shrubs and bushes knocking them down until it actually startled the leapord who sprung out of the bush. That movement had us excited, as the view of the leopard completed our ‘Big 5’ sighting across both countries. We then followed the leopard around for a while, and were lucky enough to see him running, hiding, ducking back in and out until we finally gave other vehicles a chance to view this evasive creature up close. After lunch, we departed the game reserve completed satiated with our game drive experience and made our way toward Johannesburg.

On our drive, we passed through the beautiful Blythe River Canyon and stopped for lunch at a Trout river lodge where the kids enjoyed playing soccer with the owners three puppies (including a particularly adorable white French bulldog named Olive) and even got to meet a baby decker. That evening, we checked into the rather swanky Voco hotel in Rosebank, and the kids enjoyed arcade games and bumper cars in the mall next door. We strolled around, and then dropped the kids to the room before heading to the hotel restaurant for a dinner of grilled octopus and truffle risotto. Overall, this leg of our South Africa journey has been one that already has me craving for more of this wonderfully diverse country, and thankful that our plans call for a return in a few days.

Posted on by adusija

Kenya

Kenya was probably the most anticipated part of our trip because we’d planned our visit to coincide with the Great Migration when tens of thousands of wildebeest accompanied by zebras and gazelles migrate from the Serengeti to Masai Mara. After a brutal red eye that was delayed by 3 hours finally departing at nearly 4am, we were greeted by the team at Axis Africa Safaris and we made our way to Amboseli National Park. Nearly 5 hours later, we arrived at Amboseli Kibo lodge, an impressive lodge with a grand bar, fire pits, a large restaurant and best of all, a large two-bedroom suite. Each of us enjoyed spreading out in the lavish space after sharing small rooms through most of Asia. The kids even had their own private outdoor shower! We enjoyed a buffet lunch including some Indian favorites that were much appreciated by all of us. We embarked on an evening game drive where we witnessed huge herds of elephants including several with babies. The most stunning part was when the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro came into view soaring high above the clouds, and herds of elephants walked towards us as the sun set into the horizon. This sight was stunning and truly magical leaving me with goosebumps, truly grateful to be in there in that moment! That evening, we retired to the hotel and were pleased to find that the bar had some good South African wine. Dinner was absolutely fantastic and then I enjoyed the Masai dancing around the campfire as Gaurav put the kids to bed.

The next morning, we set out for Lake Naivasha where we embarked on a boat safari. We saw a herd of hippos and learned about their territorial dominant nature including that the dominant male could kill his own son so as to retain dominance. A few flamingo sightings later, we were on a guided walking safari where we had a chance to witness magnificent giraffes and zebras, within 2-3 feet from us which offered great selfie opportunities. That evening, we arrived late at Kongoni lodge just in time to enjoy a 4-course meal overlooking the lake.

The next day, we headed towards Lake Nakuru, most famous for its rhinos and flamingos. The part lived up to its name as we saw, in fairly close proximity, two black rhinos walking / running in unison as we followed them for quite a distance. What surprised me was their ability to scare off 3 large Cape buffalos, asserting their dominance! Towards the evening, we arrived at the lake where we saw hundreds of beautiful flamingos, pelicans, tens of Cape buffalos and other birds. As the rain started to pour down, we retreated to Ziwa Bush Lodge where we enjoyed another four-course meal (yes, the kids are getting too pampered! 😀)

Day 4 held high expectations for us as we made our way to Masai Mara National Park where we would celebrate Ariana’s 8th Birthday. We were greeted with a cake at breakfast and a short visit to the adjacent orphanage where 72 orphan children sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to Ariana. They were curious about us and asked a few questions, proudly toured us around their facilities and a teen girl named Jini gifted Ariana a large cucumber from the greenhouse where she’d planted it. Our guide arrived an hour late which left Gaurav fuming because it meant a later arrival to the much anticipated Masai Mara. The guide tried his best to make up for his shortfall and we arrived in time to make an evening game drive. Not long after, we were rewarded with sightings of two lionesses playfully pouncing on each other. That evening, we enjoyed a simple buffet dinner at Elangata Olerai Tented Camp. Our accommodation was rustic to say the least but the fantastic service compensated for it! That evening, at my request, the camp had organized a cake and African dance celebration for Ariana. Very soon, we all participated in the dancing, singing and celebrations!

We made an early start with a sunrise game drive this morning as we made our way to the Mara river crossing. On the way, we were greeted with Cape buffalos, hyenas, a jackal around a herd of impalas, stalks and a large herd of hundreds of wildebeest running across our path as they migrated north. This sight is awe inspiring and we wished we could have stayed longer (but our guide was eager to make it to the river close to the Tanzania border). We were lucky to witness 9 lions today including a ‘honeymoon couple’ as our guide called it, as well as a leopard hiding in a ditch. Once we arrived at the river, we saw a crocodile tearing up a wildebeest as well as tens of hippos. Overall though, we found the Mara river experience somewhat underwhelming given the hype. We made it back to our camp a few hours later in time for a shower and dinner followed by a nightcap at the campfire.

Today was our last day in Masai Mara and we spent the day largely relaxed since we’d seen everything we’d set out to see. We spent the majority of our time in the meadows surrounded by thousands of wildebeest and observed these animals admiring their solidarity but also their anxious nature. We were rewarded with another leopard sighting, a large lion sleeping right by the path, and a large herd of elephants protecting several baby elephants in between them including a 1 week old baby! Watching these smart, magnificent creatures cross right by us to join another herd of elephants was incredible. On our way back to camp, we stopped to watch a herd of baboons who seemed as curious about us as we were about them. The kids played together at camp while Gaurav and I enjoyed a few glasses of wine by the fire.

We had an early start this morning to arrive at the much anticipated Saaten Primary school where Ayaan had inspired a volunteer activity for the 157 children. He had raised and saved up $400 (matched by us) to donate educational and sports supplies to these children. I had been corresponding with the school for months and had chosen the safari operator based on their ability to help us organize this volunteer event for the Masai people at a small school located just beyond the park borders.

The children could not have been more excited to see us, and greeted us warmly in unison. The boys played soccer at Ayaan’s request with the brand new soccer ball we’d gifted them and the girls played jump rope and danced to African songs with Ariana. We then went around distributing educational supplies to each of the children surrounded by their songs and claps of gratitude. This experience was such a gratifying culmination of Ayaan’s vision to educate the children of Africa, albeit one small step at a time. I’m so proud of his generosity and hope that he continues on this path because, as the motto of Saatan Primary goes, Knowledge is Power!

Following a morning well spent, we made our way to Nairobi and we were thrilled to be greeted with the luxury of the JW Marriott Nairobi following 6 nights in the bush. Gaurav and I enjoyed a warm bath while the kids played with the balloons gifted for Ariana’s birthday. We then headed to the lounge where Priscilla, the lounge manager impressed us with her warm hospitality which culminated with the 3 of us doing an African dance interspersed by squeals of laughter. We enjoyed dinner at an Indian restaurant before retreating for evening. Kenya, while more commercial than our experience in Tanzania, was epic particularly during the Great Migration.