Robert W. is an Africa Adventure Consultants Tanzanite Circle member who has traveled with us to Kenya, South Africa and Namibia. His most recent safari was to Botswana on a mobile safari that moved to three different areas, as well as visiting Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls and Hwange National Park. After a night in Johannesburg on arrival, he headed straight out into the wilderness on safari.
“The whole mobile tented safari experience exceeded all my expectations, and our guide, Alex, was the best I've ever had. The scenery was stunning and the animal sightings were astounding, especially lions, leopards, and elephants. (It) was so much better than I expected. I was a little nervous going in, since I had only been to lodges and luxury tented camps on my other safaris, but I really did not have to worry. I've never felt more connected to nature...”
Robert chose a mobile safari as he enjoys outdoor adventures and being in nature, which is a great match for this type of travel. He described his safari as “out of this world” and the best safari he’s ever done, even compared to luxury lodges. He especially loved being immersed in nature even while in camp. They could see hippos during dinner, elephants walking past their tents and also enjoyed a spectacular sighting of hundreds of thousands of red-billed quelea in a murmuration, swarming the sky and diving into the water to drink.
The wildlife was spectacular outside of camp as well. Some highlights included tracking 14 lions off-road that had just made a kill (eland), spotting wild dogs on two occasions (one time hunting impala), having hyenas and their cubs come out of their den to sniff their safari vehicle, seeing “every antelope under the sun,” daily leopard sightings throughout the mobile safari and seeing a leopard kill a mongoose.
“The Delta’s diversity rivals the Masai Mara — there is always something to see, and very few trucks, especially compared to the Mara.”
From the pristine nature of Botswana, Robert headed to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. He very much enjoyed his stay at Pioneers Lodge, remarking that he appreciated that the lodge is located away from the hustle and bustle of town, has beautiful grounds and offers very good food. While in Victoria Falls, he took advantage of the many activities available to travelers, including a helicopter sightseeing flight, a tour of the Falls, a meal at the aptly named Lookout Cafe and taking the plunge on the gorge swing, which is just what it sounds like – a swing that drops 200+ feet into the breathtaking Batoka Gorge.
“The gorge swing was most insane thing I have ever done and I loved it!”
Robert then headed in to Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe’s largest. He arrived in a very unique way – on an open-air safari train called ‘The Elephant Express.’ He was able to drive the train on his journey into Hwange while enjoying a totally unique game viewing experience. Hwange National Park is even bigger than the Serengeti but hosts just a fraction of the visitors, lending a wonderful sense of exclusivity to guests. Once he arrived at the train siding in the park, his guide met him and they went straight out on a game drive, diving straight into safari!
Wildlife and activity highlights on his three-night safari in Hwange included seeing huge prides of lion (21 in one pride!), seeing a herd of 400 buffalo and enjoying night game drives. One afternoon, he elected to skip siesta time and instead spent three hours in a sunken hide watching elephants. He said it was “mesmerizing” and was his “favorite three hours of the trip.”
Excellent guiding is arguably the most important aspect of any safari and at AAC we only work with the best. Robert was very happy with the guides he was paired with on safari, calling the guiding “off the charts excellent.”
“I've traveled the world and used many guides over the years. I thought the guide on my Namibia trip two years ago could not be topped, but that was before I experienced (this) safari. I'd certainly be hard pressed to name anyone as personable, caring and knowledgeable as Alex. He was an expert tracker, but more than that, he was a wonderful person who made me laugh at a time when I most needed it most. I would have no hesitation recommending him...”
Robert rated his safari with AAC as excellent, noting that it was “really something special”, “seamless from start to finish” and his “favorite safari ever.”
“AAC more than met my expectations. Sara was terrific throughout the whole process. Just like on my previous trips, I never had to worry about a thing from the minute I arrived in Africa until the minute I left. AAC makes traveling to Africa stress-free and their recommendations are always spot on.”
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Photos courtesy AAC Tanzanite Circle member Robert W. and Wild Horizons Gorge Swing