Hey Carol and Eric- will you ever return to Africa, and if yes where would you go assuming other than Botswana, SA, and Zambia?
What countries are a good 2nd trip choice?

Edward--we would like to go back to Africa, yes. If and when I go back, I might actually go to a camp in the country of South Africa. We didn't go to any camps in SA--can't think of the spelling, Londolosse, or something like that?? I think I might also like to go to Jack's Camp also, which I'm not sure what country that is in--Namibia, maybe?? And I have heard a lot of great things about the migration in Tanzania, I think, and would also like to go the crater, which again, can't remember what country that is. I haven't been keeping up with Africa stuff recently, so my memory isn't what it used to be. Eric may feel differently, and it costs a LOT of money, but I would go back to Mombo, in a second.. We went to see ANIMALS, and while the entire experience was more deluxe by far than anywhere else, the animal experience at Mombo was even greater than we expected..

Yes we would go back. Several places would be on the possible list. But also would be the time of year. We went the 1st of June basically, so you have a completely different look at feel if you would go in say August/September time period. Even if you went to the same places it would be a different trip just because of the time of year.

But South Africa would definately be real high on the list.

We are currently in the throws of planning a trip to Tanzania and possibly Kenya in August of 2007 to coincide with the Great Migration. Any suggestions?
Stan

Stan--we have not been there, so don't really have much info on it. You might contact Bert du Plessis at Fish Eagle Safaris--TTOL sponsor--and get his imput on it!!!

Egypt is also in Africa. There's much more to Africa than just animals....really. Ethiopia has those and ancient Christian relics. Libya has Roman ruins that never get visited.

Mali has the largest mud structure in the world a mosque at Djenne and the outpost of Timboctou. Morocco, Ghana etc etc...

Jast saying.

~Stiv

Stiv--agreed, sorry. I would love to visit Egypt someday but I am somewhat apprehensive to do so. We almost booked a cruise for this fall in Eastern Europe and one of the main reasons was that it stopped in Egypt for two days. I felt that was safer than booking a trip on our own, and if there were recent threats, the cruise line wouldn't go. We decided it was too much money right now. I do want to do that some day..

Carol I'm not trying to stir up anything...honest <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Devil.gif" alt="" />

It's just for all the times I've been to Africa the animals have been incidental. They're everywhere. I just never went on formal safari because it was WAY TOO much $$$$$.

I've always found there are only a couple of limiting factors to travel in Africa

1.Time
1A.Time
2.Money

That being said I've been to Egypt half a dozen times now and while it is crazy and the touts incessant, seeing the pyramids, Luxor, Philea, Abu Simbal NEVER gets old.

Oh and Cairo is a madhouse and dirty (Strangely why I love it) but it is a hoot. The Cairo museum is worth a day or two in and of itself.

The most danger I've ever felt in Egypt is in a car being driven. Then again that's everywhere.

~Stiv

No, I understand different people have different priorities. Ask my husband, I am an animal NUT. And the experience of seeing lions, and elephants and giraffe and even the ugly warthog (who strangely enough, became my FAVORITE animal in Africa.. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />) in the wild just was the most amazing experience of my life! I guess it probably says something about me that I care a lot more about seeing animals than I do about seeing what man has made..... That said, I definitely plan to see the pyramids some day, that's for sure!!

If I can jump in here, we visited Inyati Game lodge in the Sabi Sand area next to Krugar Park in '95; it was the most stunning trip we've ever had. it was tacked onto a 10 trade mission to South Africa in which we flew in everything from Beechcrafts to 747 and visited 5 cities and one tea plantation. So after 10 days immersed in intense political and economic issues, we were looking forward to a bit of relaxation and adventure.

Inyati Lodge was quite lushly furnished, had extremely knowledgable native guides, and was exquisitely respectful of the animals and the land. We toured 2x a day and also had flora and fauna walks. The meals were delicious and the ambience beautifully relaxing on the banks of the river. In just 3 days, we saw 4 of the 5 Big Game (tracked a leopard but never spotted it). Saw many more animals incluing hyenas giraffes, crocs, hippos, giraffe, zebra, warthos etc. Saw a zebra kill by a pride of lions (sad but a fact of life). There is a pool. On the way back to the airport, we stopped to pick up one couple from the very $$$$$ Sabi Sabi Lodge and overheard that they felt lucky that they saw elephants and a rhino!

Going back is not in our immediate plans but I do plan to do so, and would highly recommend it to anyone.

Heads up ya'll.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5399314.stm

How tragic! The people were walking with a guard, not sure exactly what happened. I don't know, for me, I was more scared of elephants than anything else I saw--except for rhinos. We never got very close to the rhinos, on purpose, as they are apparently very mean. But the elephants really scared me. I never saw one when I wasn't in a jeep, but they scared me, as they are so huge! After a week or so in the bush, the big cats didn't really scare me that much in the jeep, but the elephants always scared me....

Terrible story; the folks at Inyati were very clear about respecting the might as well as the majesty of these big beasts.

This story makes me so grateful again for our guide; Robert went for a flora and fauna walk one morning while I swam in the pool; he came back with the most incredible video...a young male elephant coming out of the bush and trumpeting with flaring ears; the guide is heard saying firmly "stand fast" and the double rifle click as he loads up ready to fire. The elephant stops, then retreats but comes back twice again, each time retreating a little further before he finally leaves. When I got through shaking (and remember, I was only watching the video after the fact!), I asked him how he could just stand there and shoot the video. He said he was already filming some flowers and just kept shooting; "after all, it doesn't look scary when the view is the size of a postage stamp"! It was only when we returned home, and hooked up the camera to our TV did the reality hit home.

BTW, you better believe we tipped that guide really well!!

Judy--wow that is scary! Our first introduction to the bush was a herd of maybe 20 elephants, standing in the road, as we were coming from the airstrip to our first camp. They weren't too inclined to move, and the guide had to pound on the side of our jeep to get them to move along... The guide wasn't too worried but my respect and fear of elephants was very healthy for the whole trip!!

I hear you!

Fortunately our introduction to elephants came on an earlier tour to an elephant park in southern So Africa (forget the name right now) where we saw lots of babies with parents and they were pretty calm. The guide at Inyati explained that it is those older teen-aged elephants that are the most problematic, because they have left their herd and are out on their own...so they can be pretty threatening while they are on their own and before they have settled down ...I think anyone who has raised teenagers can identify!

Yeah sad stuff. I've ridden elephants in India, Nepal and Thailand and also at my relatives sanctuary in Arkansas and all the while on thier backs you hope they're not having a bad day.

My cousins elephant sanctuary:
http://www.elephantsanctuary.org/default2.asp

My cousin has told me in no uncertain terms that elephants are the most dangerous because they are the most intelligent. Most other game animals are a danger because they are unpredictable.

That being said the main point of that article to me was that folks who worry about the dangers of going to a country because of terrorism or crime will think nothing of walking or riding amongst wild beasts.

Best,
Stiv

You are right, injuries or death on safari are very unusual, but the animals are WILD and those who do not treat them with the utmost respect will pay the price..