We just booked this tour for sept 2019
http://www.tauck.com/tours/africa-tours/botswana-safaris-bw-2018.aspx

Another dream come true

Didn't you express your displeasure about Tauck after your recent Tauck river cruise. Something about never again? <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

That was what I was thinking. Surprised you booked with Tauck again.

The beginning of our cruise did not start off well..but we got past that...and Steve softened especially when he looked at the itinerary of this tour.

I am an itinerary person....if a cruise or a tour...goes to the places i want to see...that's the one i book.

I have done it this way for many years....

I booked the tauck river cruise because of the itinerary...

I booked this African tour because of the itinerary.

We will be going on our first Tauck tour, to S. Africa, this October. We have heard good things about Tauck, from friends that have used them several times. I think we could have gotten a cheaper tour, however I prefer to try to "do it right". We will be going to Cape Town, to two safari parks, Johannesburg, Victoria falls and then leave from Johannesburg.

Would love to hear about it after! We did a trip with Wilderness to Botswana and Vic Falls in 2005 and spent a fair amount of money, but it was definitely worth it!! Enjoy!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Town_water_crisis

Luckily it looks like Cape Town has avoided “Day Zero” for 2019 which is the day water resevoir levels are so low they were going to shut off the water to the city. In 2017, it was looking as if it were going to happen in 2018, but they must have gotten some good rains.

Hard to imagine a city of 4.3 million people without running water. 💦

It has been a long time so I thought i would give an update. We are 77 days away from our departure. We have paid the balance.

We booked our flights with American and unfortunately it is going to take us 2 days to get to the royal Livingstone. So we leave September 4...fly STL to Chicago to London...spend the day in the admirals club and then fly to Johannesburg SA to Livingstone Zambia.

We arrive a day before the tour begins..

We have received our inoculations...hep A and B, Tetanus, Meningitis, pneumonia, yellow fever and typhoid. The insurance paid for all but the YF and Typhoid. We had to go to passport health and the cost was $875 for the both of us. YF is almost impossible to find and the American vaccine is not available at all so we got the French vaccine.

Shopping for appropriate safari clothing has been fun and challenging but i think i have everything we need.

We have purchased a new camera body for me..a canon T7I and a new lens for Steve a 100-400 IS L so between the 2 of us we should get some amazing shots.

We have prebooked an animal encounter for the morning of the day our tour begins at 4pm.

I will certainly keep you updated.

Enjoy your trip! We thoroughly enjoyed our Africa photo safari several years ago. I hope maybe to be able to go again some day..

Thank you...I am very excited. I hear that once you go to Africa...if it speaks to you...you cannot help but go back. We will see.

Africa is a special place. I do hope that we will be able to go back some day. Enjoy.

Carol...where did you go and what tour company did you use?

We used Wilderness Safaris. We went to Zambia, the River Club, then Savuti, Little Vumbura and finally Mombo, in Botswana. We posted several trip reports from the trip, which was around 2005.

It's gettin real...the paperwork arrived today

Enjoy!!! I hope to be able to return to Africa some day. It's a really special place.

this arrived today!!!

Enjoy!!! I do hope that we will be able to return to Africa some day..

Getting close, start packing! Looking forward to reading your report.

I need to spray our clothes with permathrin and then pack them....and i have to get another hep A&B shot. I can't believe it is almost here. We booked this almost 2 years ago.

I learned something today. Did not know what permethrin was, but I am most definitely NOT a camper! Looking forward to hearing about your trip.

I am not a camper either. But this is recommended by Tauck and other travelers on the Tauck forum.

The secret to reducing bugs bites is to spray your clothes...cover as much of your body as you can and use deet on exposed areas of the skin. So I bought BUFFS that go around your neck that you can pull up over your face to keep out dust and keep out bugs. We are taking long pants and socks, T shirts with long shirts over them and photographers vests and hats.

I REALLY do not want to get malaria!

We were in Botswana mostly when we went (at the beginning of June), and there really were no bugs. I guess it depends on time of year and area also.

We will also be in Botswana...for 6 days. I hope we are as lucky as you were and don't have a lot of bugs! We will also be in Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa but i Botswana is where we will be in tents.(luxury tents...but still tents)lol

Well, yes, theoretically all safari camps in Botswana are 'tents', which is what we had, but you'd never know it from inside. Like I said, I don't know if it was the time of year or what, but we had zero bugs of any nature..

We are going on a Tauck tour from Cape Town to Victoria Falls on 10/23. Are we going to receive a tote also? We had all of "the shots" last year when we went to the Amazon. However, We are going to get Tetanus shots, as a precaution. I still don't know what permethrin is but I'll look it up. Have fun, looking forward to your report..

Hi there! Good to see you here again. Just Vic Falls??

We arrive at Cape Town to stay at the Cape Grace Hotel, on the Harbor, for 3 nights. Then we go to Kruger national Park for two nights staying at one of the "Lion lodges". Then we go to the sari Sands Reserve staying for three nights. Then Johannesburg for 2 nights, staying at 54th. on Bath. Then to Victoria Falls staying at the Victoria Falls Hotel for 2 nights. Then to Johannesburg for our trip home.

There are daily "drives" at the various stops in Kruger and Sabi in jeep type vehicles to see wildlife in the area.

Sounds great! Please post a report upon your return.

Just noticed on your ticker for your tour in 6 days you are off. Have a wonderful and safe trip and I am sure we will hear about it all when you return.

No truer words !!! We return to Kenya in a few weeks . Organizing pictures for a trip report i will do from Feb last year about a safari trip to the masa mara then two weeks with our dear friends in Watamu ...

Not sure where to do the report ? Here or world wide forum ? Carol?

Hi. If it's Africa, please put it here.