Christina’s Journey Journal

Tag: game drive

  • Africa Recap

    Africa Recap

    Now that I’ve been home over 6 weeks, I thought I’d write a recap about our trip to the breathtaking countries we visited in the continent of Africa. People have asked me which adventure was better — Africa or Antarctica. I can’t answer that because both were so different, but they do share 3 things in common — unbelievable outdoor adventures, amazing animals, and experiences that brought tears to my eyes.

    Yes, I have been known to cry when leaving to come home (Hawaii—I am talking about you), but never have I felt such a strong pull toward one place in such a short time. I absorbed every last experience that was this trip. I left a piece of my soul in the places I visited and hope that I will go back one day to reclaim it!

    A week after coming home I went to the St. Louis Zoo. Why? It paled in comparison to what I saw in Africa but it was a way to see some beautiful animals. I have been craving that since returning home. It seems strange I am living in a place where there are no dogs barking because the elephants are walking down the street at night, lions looking for their next kill, or baby baboons riding attached to their mommas’ bellies. My surroundings aren’t as nearly as interesting — well we did have both the 13-year AND the 17-year cicadas in June…the first time both emerged together since 1803. And we also had the incredible Northern Lights display back in May—rare for Missouri and simply gorgeous. But the animals! And the stars! And the sunrises and sunsets! Sigh…

    Everywhere we went, we could see how much people cared for the land and the animals. Every guide followed the park rules, respected the animals, and stopped to pick up trash when they saw it in the bush.

    I wrote reviews on TripAdvisor for all the hotels and a couple of miscellaneous adventures where the people really went above and beyond. Through those reviews, I was able re-live our adventure—plus I have watched the videos a few dozen times.

    If you’re asking yourself, “Should I go to Africa?”, don’t think twice…GO!

    Africa —you have stolen my heart ❤️. I cannot wait to go back!

    Here is a video, compliments of my travel companion and friend, Jen. Enjoy!! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LxZ7YiSOVOFMiD9AC9E4cfL0H7LVOK61/view?usp=sharing

  • South Luangwa National Park – Day 3, Zambia (July 11, 2024)

    South Luangwa National Park – Day 3, Zambia (July 11, 2024)

    I have fallen in love with Zambia — the park, the people, the animals, and Mfuwe Lodge. Two more game drives today with a spa appointment in the middle – the spa is unbelievable! (More below)

    Let’s start with the morning drive. Up at 5:00 am and left by 6:00 am.

    Having breakfast while the sun rises
    Good morning!
    Enjoying Mother Nature
    Lots of lion tracks lead us to the kill

    What we came across first was a lion kill. There were 15 lions of the same pride eating an African Buffalo they had killed sometime during the night. I have videos—but it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s nature in action.

    I won’t post the video but here’s a picture of the lion kill. You can see the buffalo’s horn at the top.

    That was a sobering moment for us all. What we came across next was even more so…one of the leopards also made a kill—a baby waterbuck. He had it under the tree with him. The sad part was the momma Waterbuck was calling for it but keeping her distance from the leopard. We saw this first thing in the morning. When we went back late afternoon, the momma was still there giving her alarm call/snort.

    I am not posting the video with the kill (the baby is under the tree) but here is a very upset momma Waterbuck. She and the leopard exchanged a few “words”

    On a much lighter note, here are some other amazing views from today.☀️

    Afternoon game drive
    Thirsty lion!
    Going to rest with the pride on a fully belly. Lions sleep for about 20 hours a day! (Females 15-18 hours)
    Afternoon nap time!
    Eating the fruit from the sausage tree
    Look at the whiskers in that kitten!
    Blue starling

    Afternoon break at the incredible spa! The spa is situated at the edge of a hippo pond.

    My spa room – a massage and facial. A special treat after some very long days.
    Sundowner time!
    Another unbelievable African sunset
    🩵Safari sisters🧡
    Playful hippos
    I 🧡 Africa
    No words
    Last dinner in Zambia!🇿🇲
    One thing I forgot to mention about Mfuwe Lodge—we have an afternoon tea at 3 with snacks every day. And then the drums call us to dinner! The food was incredible—tonight we had Mongolian stirfry.

    I will be “making a plan” to come back to Africa as soon as possible.

  • South Luangwa National Park – Day 2, Zambia (July 10, 2024)

    South Luangwa National Park – Day 2, Zambia (July 10, 2024)

    The wake up call was early (5:00 am) but we had to be ready for breakfast by 5:30. Since it was dark, we were walked to the lodge by a watchman. We then ate and left at 6:00 am.

    It took about an hour but we found a place free from lions to do our walking safari. We brought along a scout, Kesius, who has a rifle. This is required on all walking safaris.

    Our crew for the walking safari

    The hour+ trek allowed us to explore nature that is difficult to see when you’re in a vehicle. Things like—animal tracks, termites, nests, trees/bushes, lots of dung and what the animals eat! We heard the lions roaring so went to find them in the jeep.

    Alec is explaining more about the diets of the animals via their scat (aka poop)

    So we went in search of the lions and here is all we saw!

    Wild dogs
    Catching up with the pack

    And we found them!

    Here comes the lion

    In this particular area, there is a Pride of 17 lions — two males and rest female and cubs. Here’s one of the males.

    King of the jungle
    Part of the pride having a lazy afternoon!

    We also had a surprise for brunch—a picnic overlooking the hippos!

    With our new friends
    Brunch is served!
    Delicious spread of food!
    Our bathroom…make sure you turn the sign to “Engaged”
    After such a fantastic breakfast, this is how we all felt. Nap time 😴

    Because we booked this tour through Smithsonian Institute, there were 4 lectures over the course of the trip that Robyn Keene-Young provided. The one this afternoon was about the sounds animals make. It was interesting to identify an animal by its sound—and learn what the different sounds mean (warning call, territorial, etc).

    This afternoon was another game drive at 4 pm and what a drive it was! It started with us having to wait for 500+ African buffalo to cross the road. As one of our guides says, these fellows look at you like you owe them money!

    500+ African Buffalo cross the road to get to the water. The older male buffalos are extremely dangerous. These “dagga boys” are unpredictable.

    Add on zebras, giraffes, impalas, lovebirds, hippos, warthogs, Vervet monkeys, a whole lot of beautiful trees like the Tamarind, Baobob, and Sausage Trees! It’s interesting to see how the impalas have a friendship with the baboons.

    The zebras were out
    Another gorgeous sundowner.
    A sundowner is a refreshing drink (typically alcoholic) taken at sunset in the African bush to end the afternoon safari game drive
    Our group from the Smithsonian Institute Tour

    After sundowner and we admired the colors of the sunset, the sky turned dark and was filled with so many stars and a crescent moon. Then it was time for the night game drive to look for those nocturnal animals—and we found a few more tonight: Scrub hare, civit cat, lion, and a few leopards.

    The leopard stalking their prey at night

    And let’s end with the story of the lion. He walked right beside the jeep, at night, as calm as ever. What an amazing animal!

    One more note I’d like to point out — our guides were outstanding. They’re highly trained for years before they become a guide. They are skilled in the animals and their behavior, in fact, they are highly skilled in all the floral and fauna of the area. They follow the rules of the park, value the safety of their clients, and the safety of the animals. They are environmental conscious and I saw them stop the vehicle to pick up trash more than once. To say they’re impressive is an understatement.

  • An afternoon game drive in Chobe National Park (July 7, 2024)

    An afternoon game drive in Chobe National Park (July 7, 2024)

    I am writing this a day late but we have been busy! On the afternoon of July 7th we did our second game drive in Chobe National Park. FYI- each drive has lasted 3-3.5 hours. While the morning game drives start out very cold (gloves, fleece, jackets, gators), they finish warm. The afternoon drives start warm (shorts, t-shirt), and they finish chilly!

    This afternoon we saw lots more elephants, birds, impala (which they call McDonald’s for the M on their rear, and also because they’re on every corner), and at the end…we caught sight of a leopard, which rounds out The Big 5.

    First a word about the elephants—the elephants are Kalahari elephants, the largest kind, and there are estimated to be 120,000 of them in Chobe. After seeing all the elephants around every corner, at the river, crossing the road, in the bush…I don’t doubt it! they are magnificent.

    Also, I cannot get over the sunsets here. The colors in the sky last forever. The oranges and reds—this would never get old!

    Between the game drives, we had a phenomenal conversation today from our Smithsonian expert, Robyn Keene-Young. She talked about the upcoming documentary they made for PBS on three big cats living together—lions, cheetah, and leopards. The documentary will come out this fall.

    That evening we had a BBQ dinner at Chobe Marina Lodge (more about the lodge later) and I fell asleep before my head hit the pillow!

    The stately male kudu
    The exquisite (and very dangerous) African Buffalo. The older males are particularly grumpy and can be very violent. There’s no diffusing their anger.
    Leopard! This rounds out the Big 5 for us
    Dinner time for the giraffes 🦒
    Sunset in Chobe
    Momma and baby at sunset
    Sigh…kind of takes your breath away!
    No editing, no filters
    Cheers to a day that will stay with us forever 🦁🐘🦛🦒🐆
  • The Perfect Day (Part 1)

    The Perfect Day (Part 1)

    Have you ever had one of those days that just is perfect from start to finish? That was today for me in Zimbabwe.

    Because it was so perfect, I’m going to split this post into three parts from the three distinct events that we did today.

    Let’s start with private game drive to The Stanley and Livingstone Private Game Reserve, on 4,000 hectares of land and home to the big 5, including the critically endangered black rhinoceros. These animals are poached for their horns, which have been used in Chinese medicine for years to cure a number of ailments. According to our guide there only around 5,000 left. Today, their horns are removed so the animals are not poached/killed, and grow back within two years.

    Our wake up call at 5:00 am. We were out in the jeep, bundled up, and ready to go by 5:30 am. It was a chilly start to the day but on our drive to the private game reserve we saw three shooting stars and knew it would be a memorable morning.

    First game drive of the trip

    Upon entering the reserve, we saw the most beautiful sunrise

    Sunrise on July 4, 2024 in Zimbabwe

    While on our way to find the rhinos, we ran into a small herd of elephants. It was quite the encounter. The guide stopped the Jeep and we stood motionless as the bulls crossed the road. A mother shook her head at us as a warning to stay back as she crossed with her baby. Then a teenager had a stare down with us before we proceeded on our way. Incredible experience where my heart skipped a few beats. It’s always the goal to stay a distance from the animals; however, in this case, they were right there!

    We then found the black rhinoceros. In fact, we found two of them! What a sight to see as they snapped the branches from the trees and ate the leaves along with it. They are quite noisy eaters! The black rhinos can also lift heir heads quite high, unlike the white rhinos who are ground grazers.

    Two Black Rhinos having their breakfast

    The morning continued with sightings of: giraffes, warthogs, the elusive Roan Antelope (our one guide said she may see one every 2-3 years!), zebras, kudus, impalas, and baboons. Here are a few pics/videos.

    The Roan Antelope
    Peek-a-boo Giraffe 🦒
    Such regal animals
    Baby warthog crossing
    The baboons! Once we were back at the lodge, our Smithsonian expert talked about the 8 months she and her husband lived with the baboons for a National Geographic documentary.
    Cheers to a fantastic morning!
    (This is like a fruity Baileys and quite delicious!)
    Time to head back for our next adventure!