highplanesdrifters

There are a few more Critter pics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elephant skull. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lovely Birthday Song for another guest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

38 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

Catching up with your safari pictures. Wonderful! And the leopard sightings were incredible. Glad it wasn't too crowded. Hope the packing and the return to reality isn't too traumatic for you.

 

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

4 hours ago, Port Power said:

Of all the tales I have heard from friends or people I know, including my own safaris in Namibia and South Africa, you have seen more animals, and more people variety of animals, than us all.  Obviously you chose the correct safari park!  Thank you so much for sharing.

 

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. 

8 hours ago, shark b8 said:

 

It’s certainly worthy of a separate thread, but….comparisons to Seabourn, in a nutshell?

 

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.😁

 

 

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.

 

 

Happy family, playtime begins.

 

 

 

 

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.  

 

 

Now they get down to some serious playtime.

 

 

 

 

The signal is given. Time to move on.

 

 

 

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. 

 

 

 

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!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On 3/29/2024 at 12:39 PM, taxatty said:

The funniest video clip I ever saw was from a nature movie many years ago in an IMAX theater. Two lions mated, and within 3 seconds thereafter, the male lion rolled over on to the ground and started snoring loudly. Every adult woman in the theatre couldn't control themselves laughing.

 

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. 🤣

On 3/29/2024 at 11:22 AM, Port Power said:

Giraffes are my favourite African animal.  I love watching them.  I totally agree, @lincslady, they do look elegant.

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

Sensitive content. 

 

 

It lasts less than a minute or two. 

 

 

And like clockwork, 15 minutes later. She's a little less enthused this time.

 

 

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/

On 3/5/2024 at 2:43 PM, southerngoose said:

@Cheer Dad   Hi!  Thanks for the info about your trip.   I am going to Antarctica (but not on the bridge itinerary).   I am curious about your comment about penguin poop.   Is there a place where you can just hose your pants down to avoid bringing penguin poop to your room?   I'm really concerned about the smell.   They are cute creatures...but I'm not sure how much tolerance I'll have for the smell.   Ultimately, I decided that I had to try this and if I went and couldn't tolerate it, I always had the option to stay on the ship.   But I need to be sure there are ways to clean the poop without touching it.  🙂

 

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. 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

They all stood at attention keeping an eye on him.  Like beacons for all the other animals. 

 

 

 

What a guy.

 

 

On the way back to camp we got this sweet little show.

 

 

Um, maybe we should back up.

 

 

These lazy guys just sit there and open their mouths waiting for fish to swim over the dam.

 

 

Fortunately we do not need to catch our food.   Back to camp for breakfast and a nap.

 

 

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.

 

 

What a sunrise.

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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

 

 

 

They walked down the hill and passed a few feet from us. Oh my!

 

 

Show's not over. How about this preformance?  Cuteness factor off the charts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A.M. Drive

Started out nice and quiet.

 

A few waterbuck.

 

 

Owl

 

 

Yellow billed something. Sorry my brain can only remember so much.

 

 

Rumor of leopards and Tracks.

Which way did they go?

 

 

Chatter on the radio, two female leopards fighting.  Hold on tight.  We went flying through the bush.

 

The match up.

 

Upstart Xinkhova looking to take over some teritorterritory.

 

 

 

Three Rivers. The previous underdog, or should I say under cat.  She has survived against all odds. He mother was killed by a Lion when she was quite young. Fought her way to the top.

 

 

The territory.

 

 

Didn't get the fight on film. Xinkhova was chased off. Here she is headed away.

 

 

A little blood on her face.

 

 

Three Rivers showing off.

 

 

Marking territory.

 

The higher she gets her scent, the more dominant. 

 

 

Now she's masking her sent in dung.  Can't quite explain that one. 

 

 

And eating it.  Really can't explain that!

 

 

Quite the victor.

 

 

That was just part 1 of the a.m.

 

 

15 hours ago, southerngoose said:

If you book a cruise to Africa to do these safari excursions, is it possible to know if the excursion is available prior to signing up for the cruise?   I wouldn't want to book a cruise where everyone else goes on the excursion but me.  😞. 

 

This was booked separately from the cruise line.  I would recommend doing that. The cruise excursions are usually overnight quickies.

23 hours ago, Fletcher said:

More care and research needs to be done for a safari than almost every other type of vacation.  You can be lucky or you can make some very expensive mistakes.  

 

Hear hear.  I spent days working on it.   Will post about the process. 

 

@drron29

Sounds like you have done your leopard research.  Londolozi is "THE' leopard place.  More reports to come.  We are in the Granite suites. Highly recommend. Learned that Granite and Tree House tend to get the more senior trackers.  But I believe you can request. If so, grab Kirst and Lucky. 😃

8 hours ago, mchell810 said:

Stunning photos!  A safari has always been on my list; looks like I'll need to take a break from cruising to make this happen sooner. 

 

Same here, I wish we had done it sooner.

15 hours ago, Mocamps said:

Yes, we were on it and it did happen in Puerto Deseado. It took some time to sort out the repair and inspection but all seems to be well now. It did mean that we missed Camarones, Puerto Madryn and a tango night in Buenos Air. However we had awesome weather in South Georgia and a great time in the Falklands so still loved the cruise. Just the last week was a bit boring!

Glad all are safe and SG went well!

Afternoon Drive Agenda

A few male lions with their ladies.

Wink wink.

 

A spectacular afternoon with occasional sprinkles, which gave us a few rainbows. However, the lions had other plans and skipped over to the next reserve.

 

No worries still lots to see. After all, we did see 4 of the "Big 5" this morning.

 

Giant herds of Impalas and Wildebeast. They may be ubiquitous but I am thrilled to be amongst them.

 

 

 

 

This guy practicing his dressage moves.

 

 

Interspecies meet up.

 

 

 

Shinny and sparkly after the rain.

 

 

Hungry Hippos

 

 

Oh my, another big boy!  Did you know they are right and left tusked?  No really, I'm serious, it's true. Really, I'm not kidding.

 

 

 

Kirst our most excellent guide still looking at lion tracks. Which way did they go?

 

 

 

Mongoose. Such a ***** face, quit the truck rumbling I've got a souffle in the oven.

 

 

 

And the sweet spot, Gin tasting.

 

 

 

Thank you Kirst and our tracker Lucky who spent most of the day on foot in the bush. Wow, what a day.

 

 

Meet Nkoveni.  

We spent the rest of the morning stalking her while she was stalking dinner.

 

 

 

 

Dinner just a hundred yards away.

 

 

Stalk 

 

Super stalk, will she pounce?

 

 

 So much going on as the lion pride is not far away. Could be dangerous. A lot of tension and pressure. Shes got 3 hidden kits to feed. Sadly, no luck for her yet. 

 

We went for a coffee break while she took a nap.

 

 

Oh Hello!

 

 

Imagine the sock bill.

 

 

 

Heron

 

 

Croc

 

 

We returned to Nkoveni, she was still napping and then woke up with a big yawn.  Maybe I don't want to pet her.

 

 

Is she coming to say hello?

 

 

Yikes, I could have given her a pet.

 

 

We'll say goodby for today. Thanks for the amazing show.  We've been out for over 4 hours. Time for a little breakfast.

 

 

 But wait....

 

Elephant break.

 

 

 

 

And that was just the morning!

 

 

 

5 a.m wake up.

 

Leopards on the agenda.  Not sure if the Leopards got the memo.

 

First up and always a fave Zebra.

The boys having a bit of fun.

 

 

 

An old Buffalo deserted by the herd. A little sad.

 

 

 

Black backed Jackel.  Those ears!

 

 

 

A surprise pride of different lions. Heck ya.  Might have been up to 20, with kits of all different sizes. Quite a scene change from yesterdays carnage.

 

 

 

Look how close we get.

 

 

Showing the love.

 

 

 

 

 

Now about those Leopards.....

 

 

 

 

 

13 hours ago, LandlockedLolli said:

Wowza. Just when you think it can’t get any better!

 

Just wait!