Our last days in South Africa were spent at the Kapama Lodge. This lodge is huge compared to the others we stayed in. We had a wonderful suite with an outside wooden deck with chairs and an outside shower stall. It was totally private and a very good place for Richard to see birds and take pictures. The main lodge is very modern and open. The dining area is buffet style and can hold hundreds of people. Our assigned driver was Brett and he sat with you for your meals. The game drives in the morning and late afternoons were similar, but there was a couple of special highlights to this location.
First, we arranged for a visit to a Cheetah Rehab Center called Hoedspruit Center. Here they have many cheetahs who have been orphaned or injured. All of them are rehabed to go back into the wild. They take you on a short drive through the gates and explain how they make sure the cheetahs are kept from being "humanized." They also had a few other animals there that were being "saved" like a tiger who was in a circus and was mistreated. He now has a home there for life! The best part here was seeing the Wild Dogs of Africa! These dogs are very scarce, on the endangered list, and need protection. We had been hoping to see them in the wild this entire trip, but did not see any. Here they had a small pack and they were all resting under a large tree during the mid-day sun. At least we did see some and take a few pictures.
Secondly, we saw the most magnificent male lion in the prime of his life here at Kapama. Our driver was able to get us very close to him and his family. There were about three females and eight young lions of various ages all around him. They were lounging in a dry river bed when we approached. We had to go off road using the 4 X 4 to get over and around bushes and trees. Once stopped to view this scene, we noticed that he gradually moved from the back of the pride to the front where he laid down as a kind of protector of his family. He watched us, as we watched him....He was beautiful! His mane was large and fluffy and dark underneath. Our driver told us he was around 7 years old, in the prime of his life. He had no scars or wounds and looked as if he was posing for the Hollywood Lion you see in films. He yawned a few times which gave you a good look at his teeth and how sharp and big they were!
Our trip to the southern part of Africa was complete after Kapama and we headed home.
We do enjoy these safari adventures and know we will go back. We did take one year off going to India instead to see a Tiger in the wild before they are all gone. That was quite an experience also.
So, here we are now ready to begin our 2011 African Adventure. The count down is three days until we take off from Orlando. Our flights go from Orlando to JFK and there we pick up Swiss Air to fly to Zurich and change planes to Nairobi. The traveling time takes two days and we won't really arrive in Africa until late on April 2nd.
Before we leave, I will give you a summary of our itinerary so you can have an overview of our travels to come. We are now packing and getting the house in order for our cats.
More to come.....the anticipation of our adventure is a great feeling....I love this!
Ellen
First, we arranged for a visit to a Cheetah Rehab Center called Hoedspruit Center. Here they have many cheetahs who have been orphaned or injured. All of them are rehabed to go back into the wild. They take you on a short drive through the gates and explain how they make sure the cheetahs are kept from being "humanized." They also had a few other animals there that were being "saved" like a tiger who was in a circus and was mistreated. He now has a home there for life! The best part here was seeing the Wild Dogs of Africa! These dogs are very scarce, on the endangered list, and need protection. We had been hoping to see them in the wild this entire trip, but did not see any. Here they had a small pack and they were all resting under a large tree during the mid-day sun. At least we did see some and take a few pictures.
Secondly, we saw the most magnificent male lion in the prime of his life here at Kapama. Our driver was able to get us very close to him and his family. There were about three females and eight young lions of various ages all around him. They were lounging in a dry river bed when we approached. We had to go off road using the 4 X 4 to get over and around bushes and trees. Once stopped to view this scene, we noticed that he gradually moved from the back of the pride to the front where he laid down as a kind of protector of his family. He watched us, as we watched him....He was beautiful! His mane was large and fluffy and dark underneath. Our driver told us he was around 7 years old, in the prime of his life. He had no scars or wounds and looked as if he was posing for the Hollywood Lion you see in films. He yawned a few times which gave you a good look at his teeth and how sharp and big they were!
Our trip to the southern part of Africa was complete after Kapama and we headed home.
We do enjoy these safari adventures and know we will go back. We did take one year off going to India instead to see a Tiger in the wild before they are all gone. That was quite an experience also.
So, here we are now ready to begin our 2011 African Adventure. The count down is three days until we take off from Orlando. Our flights go from Orlando to JFK and there we pick up Swiss Air to fly to Zurich and change planes to Nairobi. The traveling time takes two days and we won't really arrive in Africa until late on April 2nd.
Before we leave, I will give you a summary of our itinerary so you can have an overview of our travels to come. We are now packing and getting the house in order for our cats.
More to come.....the anticipation of our adventure is a great feeling....I love this!
Ellen
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