Travelscene Samford….Africa by Aileen Roates

I recently had the opportunity to visit Africa on an educational and after much thought (roughly 30 seconds) decided that it was an experience not to be missed. To be honest I had my reservations as I had often sold the destination but was concerned about safety issues and all those needles that I thought I would have to endure. Much to my surprise apart from the pain in my arm for a few days all those reservations soon disappeared once I arrived at our first stop which was Victoria falls located at the southern end of Zimbabwe. You arrive at a small Airport which is an experience in itself, from walking across the tarmac to the smiling faces of the people and the anticipation of what lay ahead. I was definitely not disappointed.

From there we travelled through the small town of Victoria Falls to our hotel for the night, The Victoria Falls Safari Lodge which is built high above the town overlooking an amazing savannah brimming with life. The restaurant overlooks the waterhole and you can sit and watch the animals come in to drink from elephants to zebras to buffalo and the list goes on. The next morning we went to the falls and marvelled at the immense power of water cascading over. We were there at the end of there wet season so we needed heavy rain coats as the spray from the water nearly drowned us, a very funny sight watching 10 people in large raincoats traipsing around the edge of the falls looking and feeling like drowned rats. Definitely an experience not to be missed.

After leaving Victoria Falls the next morning we travelled into Botswana to Chobe National Park where our accommodation for the next 2 nights was the Elephant Valley Lodge, a luxury tented camp nestled in the African Bush in the Lesoma Valley.

The lodge has a very active waterhole frequented by numerous species, including elephant, lion, buffalo, and leopard.  The luxury tents are spacious and well appointed which adds to the experience. The game drives are into the Chobe National Park which is about 20 minutes from the lodge and on our way there we encountered the most awesome sight. As we were driving along the road out of the bushes from either side came a herd of elephants, mothers, babies and big bulls. They just wandered out and across the road in front of the vehicle so of course we had to stop and wait. In the meantime another herd come out behind us and for a while they were just everywhere. It was breathtaking seeing them in the wild like this. We just sat and watched in awe. Something I will never forget.

What could possibly top this, well I was to be surprised once again. As from here we headed back through Johannesburg to our next destination close to the Kruger National Park in South Africa, Camp Jabulani.

Camp Jabulani is a sublime experience. Six luxurious suites afford the ultimate exclusivity including your own plunge pool on a private deck overlooking the bush teeming with animals.

Here we experienced the thrill of being on top of an elephant meandering through the African plains with the sun setting in the background passing giraffes, elephants,and zebras, finishing with sundowners (canapés and champagne and a sunset). On our way back to camp we witnessed 7 lions stalking a buffalo and spent the next hour watching in silence as the cubs played, the mother nursed and the father watched over his pride.

This is just part of my experience which is to long to share but the memories will last with me forever. An amazing experience, an amazing destination which everyone should visit at least once. I am available to talk about Africa and would love to share more of my trip.

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