In July and August this year, EXPLORE sent the Compton party to South Africa and Zambia. They would like to share their experience and photos with you…
“We liked all the locations and were treated well by everyone. I would like to single out the Bushcamp Company people at Mfuwe Lodge for the care and attention that they gave us. We were greeted at Mfuwe as if we were old friends. Shelly, Ian, Jamie, Peter, Savilla…..all gave us warm welcomes and made sure we had royal treatment.
There were special things to like about every site:
Jackalberry – The small size of the lodge and the fact that we saw cheetahs and rhinos in the semi-wild. We were extra lucky to be in on the activities immediately following the darting of a cheetah to remove her non-functioning radio collar!
Chindeni – Its remoteness and its beautiful setting. Sightings of leopards there were outstanding and our guide and tracker did an outstanding job of finding them.
Lion Camp – We saw lots of lions there and went to a fresh kill within seconds after it happened. We liked the architecture at Lion Camp with the raised walkways and wonderfully designed central area.
Royal Zambezi – Some of our best photos came from there including a courting pair of lions. We even saw an aardvark.
At every place the staff was friendly, highly competent and fun to be with. In summary, our expectations were more than met. We appreciate everything you did in planning and arranging the trip.”
-Dale and Doris
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Exploritas program #15583
The following is an excerpt from an email to EXPLORE from Exploritas participant Anita Balch:
My trip to South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia had been a dream for over 15 years. On my 68th birthday, I headed to South Africa from Hawaii with my good friend Ellie Katz. It was a highly organized, efficiently run trip by EXPLORE and Exploritas which would normally be hard on a “free spirit” like myself but I still managed to get my moments of unsupervision so that I could connect in a real way with the local people. Although all of the animals were exotic and breathtaking and the sunset over a pond with silhouetted giraffes was awesome, for me the highlights of the trip were connecting with local people like the lodge manager, Neeltjie, at Grassland Bushmen Lodge. Singing Christian songs and being taught Botswana songs by the kitchen help, reaching out and “touching” on a personal note, getting up at 3 a.m. and finding the lodge locked up at Motsentsela Tree Lodge and talking with the guard who shared his life story. How he left his home in Zambia, went by bus knowing no one, finding a job and then the real challenge of finding a place to live. Seeing our guide Sue Slogrove with a cook who had known Sue since she was a small child helped to make it another “reach out and touch” moment. But probably for me the highlight was the very warm and personable young man who took extra time to teach me proper greetings with the proper voice inflections at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge. Every time we saw each other, it was like we were seeing family. I found the African people respectful, kind, thoughtful, and sincere. Of course, kissing CoCo the elephant’s trunk (after riding the elephant with Ruth Shaw from Atlanta, Georgia) rates right up there close to the top. I did the Gorge Swing while staying at Thorntree Lodge in Livingstone. I thought it was going to be like the “zip line” and I got there (with the kind help of Thorntree lodge manager) and it was stepping off a platform, free falling what seemed like a million miles and then being jerked to a standstill until you thought your teeth would fall out (AND THEY ARE MINE) and then climbing out of the Gorge…. The only thing harder would have been chickening out so yes, I did it, I am glad to have done it, and I am alive to tell it. Thank you, EXPLORE for making it a trip to remember always. Aloha, Anita