BOTSWANA, NAMIBIA, ZAMBIA, ZIMBABWE, MAURITIUS
As our BA flight makes it’s way north over Africa I felt it was the best time to do my reflection post. I always like to talk about my expectations when travelling and I had high hopes but nothing like what I had from South Africa.
BOTSWANA IS JUST ANOTHER LEVEL
I had been told plenty of positive things about Botswana and often heard it was the best place to go on a Safari. It took us less than 24hrs to realise this!
FAMILY
I was joined by my sister Victoria and my mum and dad. Victoria isn’t known for her love of travel and although my parents like a holiday, the likes of Botswana, Namibia etc would have never been on their radar. They are more than happy with a trip to a small village 1 hour north of their home so its also nice to take them to places they wouldn’t have otherwise been wanting to go to.
LOCALS
We didn’t spend much time in the cities or towns so there was many interactions with locals who weren’t here to work in the tourist industry. I Victoria Falls I tried to get around but if I am honest there wasn’t much there other than the hotels and waterfalls.
NIGHT VISITOR
It had been 10 years since my last (and first) safari experience which was in South Africa and although we left largely disappointed we knew it was down to bad luck. However I was promised a different experience in Botswana and that is exactly what we got. After getting ourselves checked in we had the pleasure of hosting an elephant in the middle of the night who decided to completely scare the sh*t out of me and my sister.
KILLS
The following day was the start of the safaris and we were given a treat when a pack of endangered wild dogs made a kill just 2 minutes walk from our sundowners! The next few days seen us enjoy a boat safari and some lions after they decided to come out of the marsh lands where their kill was. Myself and Dad then made the trip to Kwando Splash where we were spoilt even more by getting real close to some more lions and then enjoying dinner out at a watering hole!
VICTORIA FALLS
Vic Falls was next on the agenda and there was certainly no room to relax. A broken nose, rib and saving a girls life should show you how dangerous the White water rapids are here and then to finish the day off a zipline across the stunning gorge! The highlight of the trip was the Devils Pool before I had my 4th bungee and a 45minute microlight around the falls. Then it was off to Namibia onboard the Zambezi Queen for 3 days of chilling out.
Mauritius is quintessential beach paradise but there wasn’t much hanging around the pool. Golf, a cooking class, climbing Le Morne and a day on a catamaran summed up that week in one of the best hotels I have ever stayed at!
FINAL THOUGHTS
Travelling alone has it benefits and a lot of the time there is just no other option – who else wants to visit Burkina Faso or Niger?! But I love nothing more than having the opportunity to take the family somewhere different. Of course I have to pick and choose these countries carefully but with the experiences that Botswana and Mauritius gave it doesn’t mean as much without having someone else to share it with.
Its no surprise that they don’t get away as often as I do, partly because travelling to these far flung countries don’t interest them. Every year we try and do one special family holiday a year and I actually think I look forward to those more than my own.
NEXT UP
The Central Asia Series, Click to read episode one
SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
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This post is part of the Southern Africa Series, click to explore For day 1, click here
