highplanesdrifters

This was booked separately from the cruise line. I would recommend doing that. The cruise excursions are usually overnight quickies.

Hear hear. I spent days working on it. Will post about the process. @drron29 Sounds like you have done your leopard research. Londolozi is "THE' leopard place. More reports to come. We are in the Granite suites. Highly recommend. Learned that Granite and Tree House tend to get the more senior trackers. But I believe you can request. If so, grab Kirst and Lucky. 😃

Same here, I wish we had done it sooner.

Glad all are safe and SG went well!

Afternoon Drive Agenda A few male lions with their ladies. Wink wink. A spectacular afternoon with occasional sprinkles, which gave us a few rainbows. However, the lions had other plans and skipped over to the next reserve. No worries still lots to see. After all, we did see 4 of the "Big 5" this morning. Giant herds of Impalas and Wildebeast. They may be ubiquitous but I am thrilled to be amongst them. 20240325_162435.mp4 This guy practicing his dressage moves. Interspecies meet up. 20240325_162409.mp4 Shinny and sparkly after the rain. Hungry Hippos Oh my, another big boy! Did you know they are right and left tusked? No really, I'm serious, it's true. Really, I'm not kidding. 20240325_162910.mp4 Kirst our most excellent guide still looking at lion tracks. Which way did they go? Mongoose. Such a ***** face, quit the truck rumbling I've got a souffle in the oven. And the sweet spot, Gin tasting. Thank you Kirst and our tracker Lucky who spent most of the day on foot in the bush. Wow, what a day.

Meet Nkoveni. We spent the rest of the morning stalking her while she was stalking dinner. Dinner just a hundred yards away. Stalk 20240325_070240 1.mp4 Super stalk, will she pounce? 20240325_072303.mp4 So much going on as the lion pride is not far away. Could be dangerous. A lot of tension and pressure. Shes got 3 hidden kits to feed. Sadly, no luck for her yet. We went for a coffee break while she took a nap. Oh Hello! Imagine the sock bill. 20240325_084914.mp4 Heron Croc We returned to Nkoveni, she was still napping and then woke up with a big yawn. Maybe I don't want to pet her. Is she coming to say hello? 20240325_095412.mp4 Yikes, I could have given her a pet. 20240325_095446.mp4 We'll say goodby for today. Thanks for the amazing show. We've been out for over 4 hours. Time for a little breakfast. But wait.... Elephant break. And that was just the morning! 20240325_082514.mp4 20240325_101049.mp4

5 a.m wake up. Leopards on the agenda. Not sure if the Leopards got the memo. First up and always a fave Zebra. The boys having a bit of fun. 20240325_055724.mp4 An old Buffalo deserted by the herd. A little sad. Black backed Jackel. Those ears! A surprise pride of different lions. Heck ya. Might have been up to 20, with kits of all different sizes. Quite a scene change from yesterdays carnage. 20240325_064248.mp4 Look how close we get. Showing the love. 20240325_064134.mp4 20240325_064823.mp4 Now about those Leopards.....

Just wait!

Afternoon Game Drive We finished a quick orientation by 3:15 and they asked if we could be ready be 3:30. Quick change and off we went. We saw so much. Just the highlights for now. Me thinks they are pointing the way. 20240324_161428.mp4 Lion Pride Food Coma, Giraffe kill. Look at that belly. This kill will last them a few days. The panting helps with the Coma. 20240324_163046.mp4 20240324_163644.mp4 Hyenas coming around to take over the kill. They're a little too early and outnumbered. Crock surfing for fish. 20240324_183117.mp4 Sundowners! Not a bad Day One.

We got situated in our Capetown hotel around 9pm. Silversea put us up at Capital on Orange, nice hotel. I started thinking, what was I thinking? We're tired, we've just had the most amazing trip. We should have gone home and digested. But nooooo, I had to book a Safari! So let's go. We flew into Skukuza, the airport for Krueger National Park. My kind of baggage claim. Our driver met us to take us to Londolozi in Sabi Sands. Five minutes into the trip to Londolozi we see a Leopard. Not the best snap....but a Leopard five minutes from the airport. I was hooked. Along the way we were treated to a plethora of wildlife. Zebra, Giraffe, Antelope, Warthog, Hippos, the list goes on. We weren't even on a game drive yet. This was just zippy drive bys. 20240324_140438.mp4 I love me some Zebra. 20240324_141815.mp4 Next up, afternoon game drive.

I went through the same angst, so happy to help. Knowing what I now know, I'd go back again next year in a heartbeat. I hope you'll take us along. It will be fabulous.

Oh goody, more travel blogs to read, thanks. C2C - I wish you everything that we had. And that's a lot. Safari, cmon along!

Departure Day AKA, hurry up and wait day. We got stuck with the last charter flight at 5 p.m. Ugh. They kicked us off the ship at 10 a.m. for a Township tour of Swakopmund and a "lite" lunch. Airport drop at 3pm. Oh boy, a bus ride and banquet buffet. Perhaps I was a tad quick to judge given previous experiences. It was an interesting and lovely day. We visited the previously segregated suburbs of Swakopmund. Cultural traditions are strong and the area blends many classes. We were treated to song, dance, food and an explanation of the many cultures that merge. 20240323_111508.mp4 20240323_112621.mp4 Town scenes. 20240323_104743.mp4 I sure hope this company has a good method to keep their products separated. How about a lite lunch. It started with a delicious salad full of fresh berries, our first in 6 weeks. A few of the entrees. Sprinkbok Schnitzel Local fish Vege rice dish. A great spot on the warf with tasty food. 20240323_135126.mp4 A Flock of Flamingos on the way to the airport. All in all a lovely day. Except for all the guests who now fell the need to push and jump the queue more than before it was a rather civilized flight to Capetown and Check in. Off to Londolozi tomorrow, 8am pick up.

Living Desert Tour Part 2 Remember this guy, the water beetle? He is about to meet his demise. Meet the Chameleon. The guides feed them on a regular basis and they can recognize individuals. Who knew. 20240322_122650.mp4 They are also fond of having their tails scratched. 20240322_123532.mp4 A few refreshments at the beach the back to the ship. The usual vendors outside the port. Finished packing and suitcases out the door.

Thanks for the kind words. No kids on either leg. Just adults acting like children. We had a particularly high ratio. But it was made up by all the fantastic people we met. There were kid's on our previous Antarctic trip. I'd say 8-14 years old, a total of maybe 5. There were also older teenagers lurking about. They were all great kids, spoiled by Expedition Staff and well loved by all crew. I wouldn't hesitate to give yours the gift of that amazing place. Paris Morocco sounds fab. Did you post anywhere?

Walvis Bay, Namibia And now for something completely different. Always a shocker to roll into an industrial port. And then.....immigration. We were bussed to a small government building for a 45 minute wait in a crowded airless hallway. Ugh! Don't worry, it gets better. We did not have to go into this room, whew. Our charming view. Now for the good fun. Dorob National Park. The dark part on the dunes is magnatite. First snake. Horned Viper - I think. Our guide photographing him, yikes. Action shot. 20240322_113127_1.mp4 Our guides did not wear shoes. Yikes. Check out this translucent Palmeto Gecko. He's a poser. His tail will grow back in a few months. Catch and release. 20240322_115759_1.mp4 Our guide regularly jumped out of the truck searching for all these little critters. 20240322_120517_1.mp4 This time she found a water Beetle. Stay tuned for Part 2. 20240322_120603.mp4

Small five? I'm still trying to process what I just saw. TBH, I'll be happy to just relax for a few days. If more creatures happen to grace me with their presence it would be lovely.

We are all armchair travelers when we're not traveling. Thanks for the encouragement. 😁

@PaulaJK Thanks for your report. Did Silversea do anything for you? Did they at least find you a hotel or offer guidance? FCC? Thanks.

Wow! The Wind has been dealing with lots of weather in the last month. This is another level. Did it happen in Puerto Deseado?

It's not over yet. Still on ship for one day in Walvis Bay. Who wants to go on a little safari with us?

One of these days!

Sea days, sea days, glorious sea days. I was worried there would be too many on the C2C. Please can I have a few more. Unheard of calm seas for the entire crossing. Rarely more than 2 meter swell. 20240318_093834.mp4 What's this? No chair hogs? May be more rare than the calm seas or the Inaccessible Rail. Let's throw a party to celebrate all the amazing, kind, witty, and wonderful people we have met. You know who you are. A quiet sunset dinner. An example of the plethora of activities should you need entertainment.

@taxatty @cruisintime Avaian Flu I've talked to a few of the bird experts on board to try and get a sense of what has happened and the future for South Georgia and Antarctica. It is a challenge to predict exactly what will happen. I'll try and summarize. Avaian Flu seems to have a 2-3 year cycle. We are at the beginning of the cycle in Antarctica and beginning/middle in South Georgia. South Georgia There is hope that the King Penguin population will show some resistance. Seal pups in some areas were particularly hard hit. Fears about the Albatros persist. Much of Grytviken was closed including Shackleton's grave. The Post Office, museum and church were open, and a hike was offered. We had a zodiac cruise at Salisbury Plain which IMHO may have been better than a landing. At other sites there were multiple landings where we were surrounded by King Penguins and Seals, including hundreds of pups. Some site were closed and then re-opened once it was determined that Avian flu was not the cause of deaths. We were scheduled for 5 days in SG but left after 3 to outrun a storm. I did not feel like we missed out. Antarctica Two popular spots were closed. The Chilean Base and the British Post Office. They have gift shops. It is impossible to social distance with the critters there. I don't think you'll miss much by not going to them. As for the future there, it is anyone's guess. How and who will monitor the landing sites? How much resistance will be in the colonies there? There are many more sites in Antarctica vs SG. But there are also many more ships. It is hard to say given the unknown, but you are just as or more likely to miss landings due to weather, swell or hostile fur seals. I was worried that our trip would be overweighted with zodiac cruises. I found just the opposite. Except for missing out on a leg stretch the zodiac cruises offered a different perspective, the ability to see more, and sometimes were preferable. That being said, nothing compares to being part of the multi species interaction on land. Land vs Zodiac The Expedition team picks a landing spot based on how few critters are there. As the day progresses more and more of them gather around the spot out of curiosity and it becomes a happening attracting even more. King Penguins on icebergs with hundreds swimming about the berg and your zodiac. I hope this helps. Feel free to ask more questions.

Inaccessible Island, Tristan Archepelago We searched for the Inaccessible Island Rail. It is the smallest extant flightless bird in the world. The ultimate Holy Grail of the trip for the Birders. It is dark brown and only 5-6 inches. We bobbed far from shore as the swell was, well, swelly! It was not easy to spot. No one did. We got a few Rockhoppers and a pleasant ride before our upcoming 4 sea days. The Swell 20240317_101143.mp4 This is 'Where The Pig Fell Off'. Seriously, it's a real place name. Some brilliant government bureaucrat forced some Tristans to start a farm on the top of this volcano. They did not succeed. Nor did the pig. The Tristans returned to Tristan. The Rockhoppers and seals had BLTs.