Angela and her mom Patti have traveled to many different destinations together. Their large family have always had a tradition of travel, and now that her four siblings are married with kids, she occasionally gets to travel with one or both of her parents exclusively.
Angela planned to visit friends for some fun in Cape Town, which had been on her wish list for some time, but also wanted to plan an African adventure with her mom. After talking with Africa Adventure Consultants Journey Specialist Sara, Angela and Patti settled on South Africa and Victoria Falls for their trip. From the city to the bush to the Falls, the duo had an incredible trip!
Starting off in Cape Town, the mother-daughter duo took full advantage of what South Africa’s ‘Mother City’ has to offer with a sunrise hike at Lion’s Head for views over the city, nightly sunset strolls along the Sea Point Promenade for people watching and glorious views, shopping at the Victoria & Alfred waterfront, wine tasting in the nearby Winelands and more.
Patti celebrated a milestone birthday during their travels. Sara, their Journey Specialist, made sure that our partners in Africa knew so that it would be extra special for her.
“Every property we visited made something for her – a cake, a bottle of wine - some special birthday thing. It was very sweet.”
From Cape Town, they were off to the Greater Kruger area for safari at The Last Word Kitara. Angela and Patty had a fantastic experience there. They loved the incredible level of service by the camp staff, the safari experience, the change in venue for every evening’s dinner and the food itself. They thought the team did a great job of cultivating a wonderful atmosphere and a feeling of community among the guests.
“It was perfect. Every minute they took such great care of us and paid attention to every little detail. When we went to sleep you could hear lions roaring. When we woke up, elephants were trumpeting. One night for sundowners, I asked for an espresso martini. They had never made one before but they figured it out and made one for me. They were excited to know what I thought of the drink – it was great!”
They were also very impressed with the guiding team at The Last Word Kitara.
“We loved our spotter (Patrick) and our guide (Ruben). You could tell that everyone respected Patrick so much. He has been there since 2004. My favorite was watching him track lions – he would spot tracks, jump out, run and smile and point indicating the story about the lions’ movement. He eventually led us to where females were feeding on an impala. There were also two males and we got so close. The lions didn’t care that we were an arm’s length away. We spent an hour with them by ourselves with no other vehicles. Patrick and Ruben did their jobs so well!”
Angela and Patty enjoyed the wildlife sightings immensely.
“We saw a leopard that had killed an impala. We didn’t see the kill but watched the leopard drag it up a tree. There were hyenas circling under the tree waiting for the leopard to drop something. There were elephants feeding next to the hyenas and they didn’t care…the sun was setting. Just before all of this, they had made us gin and tonics…it felt unreal, like they somehow arranged it all. It was too perfect!”
Angela and Patty didn’t want their safari to end, but they were due to head to Victoria Falls. They worried it couldn’t live up to how great their trip had been so far, but they were pleasantly surprised by their hotel.
“The hotel was beautiful! There are animals that roam there… we saw warthogs, monkeys and elephants all from the comfort of our balcony - how cool!”
They enjoyed their time in the Falls including touring the rainforest at the waterfall’s edge, taking a helicopter ride to see it from above and taking in a local dinner show.
Angela and Patti have worked with tour operators before and they were especially impressed with the service they received from AAC.
“We never could have put together a trip like this. This was our 6th continent using a tour operator and this was the best experience. Every detail was thought through - it was perfect. There were no hiccups. I’ve already recommended to three people that want to go to Africa.”
Angela’s advice for others considering an African safari?
“Work with your team at AAC and let them figure everything out. Lean in on AAC’s expertise. If we hadn’t we would have ended up in Kenya – taking 10 hours to fly from Cape Town and missing taking advantage of South Africa. It was so much easier to talk with Sara and she got it perfect. We told her we don’t need rest days – mom is ready to go when she lands. Sometimes tour operators don’t listen, but Sara got it right. We had the best, most unforgettable experience!”
We can’t wait to plan another adventure for Angela and her family!
Contact one of our Journey Specialists to start planning and subscribe to our newsletter below to keep in touch.
Photos courtesy AAC Livingstone Club member Angela S.