Dubai
20 of us began our journey to the wonderful land of opulence- Dubai and Abu Dhabi. We had a great 13-hour flight on Emirates. Our first day in Dubai, we had a Dubai City tour with lunch and Burj Khalifa entry. We were able to see the gorgeous Dubai Museum and stunning mosques and architecture. Our second day, we toured Abu Dhabi City and saw the Sheikh Zayed Mosque and the Emirates Palace Hotel. Both cities are fabulous. Everything is ‘the world’s largest, best, etc’, and the buildings are incredible. We even got to go skiing in the mall at Ski Dubai.
Cape Point
We enjoyed a fully guided tour of the Cape Peninsula and visited the Constantia Winelands. Then we drove down the coast to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. We passed gorgeous, bright fishing villages. The views were breathtaking. Our new penguin friends at Boulders Beach in Cape Island were adorable and very entertaining to watch. We saw Table Mountain which has a huge, gorgeous lighthouse at the top. Cape Point is the most southwestern point of South Africa. We stayed overnight a the Radisson Red V&A Waterfront.
KWA Madwala Safari
The Lowveld area is renowned for its climate, abundant wildlife, and rich history. We arrived at the Manyatta Rock Camp in the Kwa Madwala Private Game Reserve, then went on a sun-downer game drive. We saw the sun set over the Lebombo Mountains, and a wide variety of wild animals roaming.
Kruger National Park
This was a beautiful day for game drives in Kruger National Park. I love giraffes; this pretty one was watching us and winked. This trip was truly amazing. I can not explain how awesome the experience was. We were extremely lucky and we got to see the Big Five (Rhinos, Buffalo, Leopards, Elephants and Lions) all in one day. The elephants got so close to us- it felt like we could reach out and touch them. We stayed overnight at the Manyatta Rock Camp.
Victoria Falls
We had an early morning wake up to see a fabulous sunrise. We left Kruger for our next 4 nights at Victoria Falls which is home to the 7th ‘Wonder of the World’. We arrived in Victoria Falls in morning after crossing two borders. Our dinner in Victoria Falls was a special treat from #acaciaholidays. They did a wonderful job assisting us with this trip. Dean, the owner, prepared our dinner and sang for us. Finally, we relaxed at the pool for the 1st time in 10 days. Then, we went on a sun-downer cruise on the Zambezi River. Here we saw hippos under the surface and a herd of elephants frolicking in the water. The sunset was breathtaking. We stayed at the Cresta Sprayview Hotel for two nights.
Chobe
We visited Chobe National Park- famous for it’s large buffalo, elephant herds and labyrinth of islands and marshes. Here we got to get up close and personal with the elephants. We participated in a water-based game cruise on the Chobe River, and then stayed at the Cresta Mowana Safari Lodge for two nights.
Why We Travel
As our whirlwind trip comes to an end, I want to reflect on what an amazing experience this was. 14 days, 5 countries, 6 cities and more.
People that do not travel do not understand the wealth of knowledge they are missing out on. The experiences, the culture, the food and the people you meet are unparalleled. It is a priceless experience. These are just a few of the pictures from the past couple of days in Africa. We had an amazing time.
