Karen, who is usually based in the office, has ventured off to South Africa with Tour Director Mark and his group of intrepid travellers! We've asked Karen to keep us posted along the journey, they arrived on Monday 5th March, here's the story so far…
" As we started our route from Johannesburg to Kapama Lodge we passed through agricultural land and working mines. This part of the journey is very flat, you can see fields of crops for miles and miles. We stopped for a coffee at the most amazing fuel station I've ever seen. At the back of the station was a viewing platform where we could see rhino, ostrich and antelope going about their daily business. What a fantastic welcome and a great taste of what we will be seeing!
We waved goodbye to the rhinos and continued through more agricultural lands. On the way we learned about the local plant life, birds and different crops. We passed through little towns and areas of livestock climbing to around 7,000 feet above sea level.
As we started the decent we could see a drastic change in the landscape. From flat agricultural land to more hilly areas. Along the route we saw monkeys, baboons and falcons all roaming freely, integrating with the local people.
The fields we passed were filled with so many different crops, soy, macadamia, maize, sweet corn, prickly pear, wheat, sugar beans, pomegraneate and citrus plants to name but a few.
We arrived at what will be our home for the next two nights late afternoon. Wow is all I can say - Kapama Lodge is everything I imagined and more. Such a great feeling of being integrated with the outside world from the comfort of your room. The open plan design provides a great view, even from the bath!
There was just time for a quick coffee and change of outfit before we headed out on our first game drive. We were introduced to our friendly team of drivers who will also guide us through the journey. It wasn't long before we saw our first animal - a beautiful antelope gently grazing. During the drive we saw a hippo, a warthog, impalas and giraffes, alongside elephants and lions with their cubs - what a treat!
After such a busy day we retuned to the lodge & had a wonderful buffet dinner. Its an early night for us tonight as our alarms are set for 5am! Another day in paradise awaits us tomorrow…"