Customers On Tour: Barbara on Ultimate African Safari

Barbara shares her experiences on our 19 Day Ultimate African Safari tour

What prompted you to book your tour?

It was a lifelong dream to travel to Africa and after lengthy research, I settled on this particular tour and I was not disappointed. I booked originally to go in May 2020 but eventually travelled in June/July 2023. 

Did your expectations meet reality?

Very much so! On our first afternoon in Kruger I found it hard to believe we were so close to so many animals including elephants, giraffe, zebra, hyenas, baboons and more. Our various guides were very knowledgeable and generous with their information and stories.  The accommodation was good with a mix of basic comfortable cabins/rooms, to spacious good quality tents/cabins.

Any surprises? 
The dust and the rough roads. One night we were woken by the hair-raising howls of a hyena very close to our elevated tents. 

What were the highlights of this tour for you?
Chobe National Park. Some members of our group took an additional afternoon tour the day we arrived. We saw male giraffes necking (fighting), baby elephants hilariously chasing baboons, and we got up close to a number of lions including a male feeding on an antelope.  Another highlight was a cruise on the Chobe River where we saw numerous elephants snorkelling in a line across the channel.

What do you say to those pondering whether or not to book?
Don’t hesitate to book. I’ve travelled extensively and it was one of the very best tours I have done.

Any advice for future travellers?
I would recommend ladies wear a sports bra as the roads are quite rough in parts—particularly on game drives. Also take a couple of face masks. It can be quite cold and very dusty and the mask offers some protection, especially from wind burn. 

Anything else you’d like to add?
Expect the unexpected. One morning we were leaving our accommodation in our safari vehicle and a large female elephant with two young ones stopped us in our tracks. She stood in the middle of the narrow bush track and trumpeted her disapproval. We couldn’t go any further so turned off the engine and waited, camera shutters clicking away, until finally they moved slowly into the scrub.

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