We got to the lodge around 4pm, completely wet from the sweat and thirsty.. The welcome drink was great (and very needed)
The lodge was very nice but there were few ground rules.
1. do not flush toilet paper in the toilet. there is a bin for that
2. electricity is only available for few hours everyday. 5-6am, 12-4pm and 6 to 10pm.
3. do not drink the water from the faucet.
4. If you want to use hot water, wait for 5+ min until it warms up.
Unfortunately, by the time we got to the lodge, there was no electricity in the room.
That was fine with one small exception. Bathroom had no windows and so it was rather dark without electricity. Luckily there was always a flashlight to help navigate around the bathroom.
In any case, about 45 min after we arrived and settled, we had a night hike around the lodge to meet the wild life that lives in the rainforest.
it was already getting dark. And all of the nocturnal animals have began to come out to hunt. It's almost like the movie Pandora except fewer flurecent lights.
Our hike finished around 6pm and we had an hour or so to prepare for our dinner.
We sat at the table with our guide Plinio and had a 3 course meal.
After the meal it was pretty much straight to bed as everyone was very tired.
Tomorrow we were going to the lake to look for Giant Otters.
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.