highplanesdrifters

@mysty Oh my! Just off the Cloud and finally catching up. What a grand adventure you're having. Loving all the posts. I'm with you on the HHH. AC & GT!

@AussieBoyTX & @ethan1171 Just catching up also. Looks like an amazing trip, thanks for sharing. I dont keep a list, but if I did Whale Sharks would be the only thing on it right now.

Backpack, drybag, jacket, boots and beanie may or may not be provided. It all depends on the expedition and where it's going. Antarctica and some polar usually get jacket and drybag. "Others", it depends. Getting info about what is provided on "others" is a challenge.

Late to the party. Just catching up. Terry your trip looks fantastic. Thanks for taking us along and sharing all the stunning visuals and information.

Just checked out Dulini - looks pretty swanky upscale to me!

Thanks for the kudos. Please keep us posted on your decision. I mean that sincerely. Service by Airlink was quite good, although seats small, 2/1 config. Suggest getting seats on the 1 side. SZK airport small but very modern. People lovely. Something to consider when booking - how many people do they put in a truck and how many trucks allowed at a stop. On the border with another lodge we saw 9 people crammed into a smaller truck, ugh.

@drron29. I wish you all that we had. Londolozi is the first place I have been to in a long time that delivered a 6* experience. Everything was perfect. They provided all you might need without asking for it. Trucks have water, heavy rain ponchos and blankets. The food was 6*. Excellent boutique wines, many bespoke gins along with specialty tonics were all at the ready. I suggest doing the tour of their village. There are 260 staff, school, nice housing, wastewater treatment plant, amazing kitchens, wow. You have picked a good year to go, 2026 is their 100th anniversary. Can't wait for your report. Who knows we may bump into each other.😃

Sao Miguel - interesting. Lovie is requesting more land trips. Just catching up. Did you report on it somewhere? Retirements around the corner, yes? I've got lots booked through 2025, but nothing in 2026. Should I panic? 😂

We caught our breath at Clouds in Stellenbosh before the long haul home. Thanks everyone for coming along! It was one for the record books. VID-20240329-WA0000.mp4

There are a few more Critter pics. Elephant skull. 20240327_060429.mp4 Lovely Birthday Song for another guest. 20240326_083504.mp4 20240325_163136.mp4

Thanks JP. Reality, ugh....you know the drill. Cure, book another trip. 🤣

You are too kind. It certainly felt overwhelming and still does. Our guide started calling us the lucky charms. Between Antarctica, the C2C and Safari, we are still in the "did that just happen" phase.

I find Seabourn and Silversea very similar. The real comparison is in the ships and itinerary. Not a fan of Silversea or Seabourns larger ships. We have been 80% expedition lately and are spoiled. Quick match up. Seabourns new Venture and Pursuit win hands down against Silversea Cloud and Wind. They are a bit long in the tooth. I have not been on Silverseas relatively new Endeavor but friends liked it. Food and service on our last 3 Silversea expeditions have beat every other cruise we have been on hands down. Itinerary always wins for me. Link to my last trip report for more details.

Off we go on our last drive. Good Morning! Those 4:44 wake ups come awfully fast. But oh so worth it. We found our roaring male rather quickly. Sound on for the videos in this post for full effect. Handsome boy! A little territory marking to start the day. Announcing himself and calling to his brother. Apparently siblings who get along. They haven't read their parents will yet or cleaned out the house.😁 20240328_055405.mp4 Lady luck is with us today. We found his sleepy brother. Not far away. Along with his pride just waking up. Dad is roaring in the distance. Time for the pride to answer. What a wake up call. 20240328_064759.mp4 Happy family, playtime begins. 20240328_065728.mp4 Dad's here! He's a bit skittish around the females. Rightly so, they can gangb up on him when they're in the mood. Might as well mark the ground to show a little machoness. 20240328_070951.mp4 Now they get down to some serious playtime. 20240328_071937.mp4 The signal is given. Time to move on. 20240328_072523.mp4 Kirst our guide knew they would be thirsty and headed through the bush, positioned us perfectly for the next Act. She did this every day with every animal as if communicating with them telepathically. 20240328_073516.mp4 The thing that shocked me was how close we were to these Apex predators. Often within 15 feet. Never more than 3 trucks at a location and 6 in a vehicle, unless a family requested more. Animals walking right next to the truck was common. I did not pet them as they sauntered by. Oh I wanted to, hands were sat on. And it's time to move on. What a pleasure to spend the morning with this pride. We must head back to camp and pack. Augh!!!

Sounds just like our experience, only the opposite. I suggested that in the second video the lioness had a headache. Too funny in both cases. 🤣

I have to agree with you and @lincslady A shot just for you ladies.

Hey @shark b8, just jumped on board this thread. Fabulous! Late to the party just got off SS Cloud. Thanks for taking us along.

View from Granite lodge dinning to Sand river. Although we did not see any, Elephants and Hippos are commonly sighted. Londolozi is truly 6*. Best food we've had in ages. Service is perfection. Typical breakfast. There are plenty of healthy options. But not today.😁 After Breakfast, a laze in our dip pool. Followed by a nap. Giant plated lizzard came for a visit. Scared the heck out of me. We usually skip lunch, or something very light. It's 3:30. Alrighty, time to suit up and afternoon safari. Our drive out of the lodge. 20240327_154519.mp4 Agenda. There's been a Lion hook up. We're off to see the tryst. Monkey in the road. Why don't giraffes get more street cred? I just love them. 20240327_163011.mp4 Look at the pom poms on this little guy's head. He's about 3 months old. Mahogany And here's the happy couple. They mate for 4 days straight every 15 minutes. Yes you read that right, 24/7. A little territory marking. 20240327_173321.mp4 Sensitive content. 20240327_174045.mp4 It lasts less than a minute or two. And like clockwork, 15 minutes later. She's a little less enthused this time. 20240327_175030.mp4 After that interesting but almost mundane show, time for our last sundowners. Gin and Marula Tonic. Wave clouds.

This trip report below should give you an idea of what landings will be like. The ground is often unsuitable for extended hikes. Rocks and ice being the norm. Occasionally you might get something as long as a half mile on pebbeled ground, but that is rare. I rent boots slightly larger then needed and bring inserts (Dr. Schol) as stabilizers along with several thickness of socks. Smart wool are my favorites. Surprisingly comfortable to tromp around in once you fine tune fit with socks and inserts. Most wear their Bogs for zodiac cruises. I also bring waterproof Hokas, and sometimes wear them for zodiac cruises depending on the splash and swell. I bought Bogs for our first trip but now rent. Not worth the packing hassle. Treking poles very helpful. I usually take just one ashore. Hope this helps. https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2992255-antarctica-cape-to-cape-on-cloud-2-21-24/#comments

We saw no puffins and did not see any Polar Bears until we went deep into the Polar ice cap. Our weather wasn't the best, very foggy. Landings were very limited in space due to inability to see the Polar predators. Expedition Staff had not seen the sun for two weeks prior to our arrival. We had a decent whale show. A mini haul out of walrus, but viewed from a distance. Otherwise not much in the wildlife camp. Scenery limited due to weather. Svalbar trip report begins after Oslo. https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2870804-venture-svalbard-greenland-iceland-aug-7-21-as-live-as-we-can-be/

We were there late in the season, so lots of Guano. Never really had a problem. But there were some mud issues. A quick hose down in the mud room did the trick. I also cuffed my pants so that they didn't touch the ground much. You can also swish around in the ocean water before getting on the zodiacs.

Back on track to find the male lion. River crossing first. 20240327_063531.mp4 Then find the Wildebeast. Find them, we'll find the lion. What is he smelling? What are they looking at? Where the heck is he? We've been scouring the bush all morning! And ta da.....they're running from something. 20240327_071522.mp4 They all stood at attention keeping an eye on him. Like beacons for all the other animals. What a guy. 20240327_071752.mp4 On the way back to camp we got this sweet little show. Um, maybe we should back up. 20240327_085703.mp4 These lazy guys just sit there and open their mouths waiting for fish to swim over the dam. 20240327_084819.mp4 Fortunately we do not need to catch our food. Back to camp for breakfast and a nap. 20240327_074220.mp4

Morning drive in search of a male lions. Well these guys don't want to miss their flight. They slept on the airstrip. Time to get up! Chow is on the table at the end of the airstrip. Pick up the pace. 20240327_060017.mp4 What a sunrise. 20240327_060429.mp4 Hippo Wildebeast hookup. Eagle, pretty sweet. Now, about that Lion.....

Afternoon Drive It's Rhino time! Dung Beetle He rolls this ball of dung, finds a lady, then fills it with eggs. They hatch and live off the ball. Cool. We need to cross the river. 20240326_154202.mp4 On the catwalk posing. A quick spin by a Leopard spot. He's got his kill stored up in the tree. Whoa! Look at him, those eyes. Those teeth. And.....food Coma. Back to Rhino time. This is a Rhino Midden. Alpha male defecate there. Other males defecate nearby to say...."we're cool, just passing by". If he defecates in the Midden, It's game on. We bushwacked for 30 minutes. Turned a corner and presto. Looking at us like, ha ha here were are on the road. Followed them into the bush. We were soon surrounded by 6 teenage males running in all directions messing with each other. Very chaotic. And then they decided to focus on us. Yikes. Quite a memorable moment. 20240326_170139.mp4 Mama and baby not far from the teenage hangout. Vulture Well deserved Sundowners. Spun by to say hi. Still guarding his dinner.

We are still on the morning drive. If the Leopard show wasn't enough, we bumped into the elephant herd. All different sizes of little ones. Serious grazing 20240326_074609.mp4 They walked down the hill and passed a few feet from us. Oh my! 20240326_075504.mp4 Show's not over. How about this preformance? Cuteness factor off the charts. 20240326_075339.mp4