Thought I would start a new thread so easy to find what we all might have to say during the Family Safari. Off to so Africa did not seem to do it.

My family is on its way. Brent,leigh anne, Charlotte, and Ben left this am. Going via Chicago to lhr. Brayden and I are at BA lounge waiting to board our flight to lhr
We all will meet up in am at lhr then fly to JNB Sunday night. Everybody is excited

Karen, if you or others want to combine this with earlier post you all know best. .

Please keep us posted as best you can Ralph. We are all excited for you, and need lots of details!

Waiting, waiting for more reports. I will never forget handing over my laptop to Anne Drennan, I think from Leopard Hills, and within about 5 minutes, she banged out the most wonderful blog with great humor, and telling everything we had done "up to now". Too bad Ralph, this time it is all up to you! if there is not an Anne with you!

An interim report. We all managed to meet up at the American arrivals lounge. That took a load off my mind to know we are all together. Some took showers and felt better after the long flight.
We got checked in ok at Virgin Atlantic , sadly no up grade to upper class for granpa. We are now all in the American admirals club. I have a life time membership from my working days. Nice all of us got in with no problem. I was a little concerned they would limit the number of family members.

The kids are having a great time , makes it all worth while.

So excited to hear more Ralph! I'll bet the kids will have outstanding trip. XXOO

Great to hear from you Ralph. Excited for you all. I am sure you all know how lucky you are to be doing such a great trip with family. Hope you will be able to post updates for us. Hope you have a wonderful time!!!!

Off to a GREAT start, can't wait to hear more....pleeeeeze!

Can't wait from pics of everyone!!!!!

We are on day four now. Today the rest of the group with Jim and Pam and Ralph’s family all arriving tomorrow we will probably have lunch together.

Tinga was great, the lodge is excellent and they had the best chef there I have ever experienced anywhere in the world. Lindyway was her name and I understand she used to be at Singita and is now at Tinga. Game was good we saw a lot but it was hard to get some sightings as the bush was very dense that made off road at times impossible. A road is being built so if we stay at Tinga we can drive on both Tinga and Lion Sands land. That will make everything perfect.

Madikwe Game Reserve. We came here a few years back on Roar 3 and we hit it at the time they had just “burned” the land and also they were experiencing a drought it was SO dusty. Going off road here is limited to the big five and also only in certain areas that will not damage the soil. I know some people find this frustrating after being used to “off road” safaris. It was not the best so I have not been back with anyone since.

However, we have experienced fantastic game on our first day - simply outstanding.

In one day we saw all of the following. The highlights are as follows all being high quality sightings.

A male and female ostrich (you cannot see these at any of the normal camps we go to) that were fantastic we were in about 12 feet of them at times. The male had red shins to show he was ready or was mating.

Excellent elephant, zebra, giraffe, herd of wildebeest, rhinos twice once with a tiny baby, three beautiful male kudus along with a lot of other antelope, but the highlight of the day, the lions and our special giraffe adventure.

Madikwe lions are HUGE. We are on the edge of the Kalahari dessert and these are Kalahari lions. We came to a lion kill of a red hartebeest and found a lioness with three one month old cubs. They were in a thicket so it was not very easy to see as those cubs were so small they were hiding them. We were within feet of the thicket so very close. We could see them suckling they were precious. Next to this area were two lionesses. So after viewing the cubs we drove over the two lionesses that were sitting down but awake. One started to wander off and the other lioness stayed in her spot. We stayed with the lioness that was sitting. Suddenly that sitting lion became very intense looking in the direction that the other lion had headed. I said “if an impala passed by we could see a kill”. I had no idea how right that was going to prove to be. We saw eagles circling over this area. We went to investigate to see the lioness dragging a male impala across the grass to a small thicket area where he “stashed” his kill. She did not eat it she was already full from the earlier kill. She stayed with it for while and was growling and still in the state of a “kill mode” is what the ranger told us. Then the lion went back to the rest of her pride.

Clay’s wife Brooke was a little apprehensive about the whole safari situation. She was in the front seat and closest to the action and she was really close to the sitting lion and was obviously nervous. Then when we were right on top of the lioness with her kill she was again the closest person. I think it was a bit much for her very first drive but she handled it well.

Later we were looking for a large herd of buffalo. We went down a tiny road and came to the end of the road. We heard the sound of a flat tire. At that time a large male giraffe popped his head out of the trees and looked at us. Then he move even closer. He was a stunning male in the prime of his life and very dark. We all piled out of the jeep so the ranger could change the tire. The giraffe disappeared and then very quickly came back and moved even closer, probably a distance of about 50 feet away. He stood there the entire time watching us intently he did not eat or move a muscle. I have never seen a giraffe stand still that long. The tire was repaired and we all climbed in and headed back down the road. As soon as we left, the giraffe left. During that time the ranger was changing the tire my daughter used the “bush bathroom”. My 11 year old grandson said “ the giraffe was so intent on watching because he was enjoying his first sighting of the rare female white bottomed Texan”. We all just cracked up - the family safari is starting out very special we are all having so much fun.

If Madikwe continues to provide this type of game drive for the next three days it may be something we should consider again, whether you can go off road all the time or not.

I am posting this AFTER our morning game drive that was unbelievable. Will get this posted while I can and then start writing up this mornings adventures.

Hopefully Ken can post some pictures at some time.

So today was VERY exciting. Yesterday evening the lodge found a large pride of 19 lions. So this morning we went out in that area to find the lions. On our way the call came in they found the lions with a large wildebeest kill. We saw some lovely giraffe on the way including a young female with a bouffant hair style on top of her horns. We hav never seen that much hair on a giraffe before. She was certainly “styling”

As we drove up we saw three young males hard at work on the kill with the appropriate amount of growling and crunching. Sitting off to the side were about five female lions. After getting some great photos of the kill (in perfect position and sunlight) one of the females stood up very focused and started to move. The other females followed. You could tell they were “on a mission” we tracked them through the bush knocking down trees as you off road. They were definitely after something and of course were still hungry not having had a chance at the recent kill yet. This was the first time the family had experienced crashing through the bush in pursuit of a big cat. They were all so excited. Unfortunately we lost them so we returned to the scene of the kill.

On arrival we saw some jackals coming closer. There were four of them. These are some of my favorite animals. They are so beautiful and hard to see anywhere else that we normally go. They started fighting over a scrap that was across the road from the lions it must have been where the kill took place.

Then one of the adolescent female lions came back and slowly and very quietly slipped in amongst the boys. Only a little resistance from one of the males and she was set.

There was so much happening it was one of the best sightings I have had. I have to rush and get off we are about to leave here and go to over to another camp.

After the last three game drives I am really pumped up about Madikwe, it has been fantastic

We have arrived at Madikwe Hills, Jim and Pam and their family and Ralph and his family have arrived. They are in their rooms now and we will have lunch at 2.00 pm. Once that is over we are OFF on our game drives. I hope the first game drive for the group is what we have been experiencing. Going to ask our Ranger to go back to this mornings kill to see if Hyenas, Jackels, and Vultures may be in residence.

Internet here is pretty good hopefully Ken will be able to post some pictures.

Thank you for the exciting reports, Ngaire! Really looking forward to photos, but your descriptions are great!

Adding our thanks too! Loving all the details of your adventures and can't wait for Ken's pictures!

Oh, to be back at Madikwe Hills again. What a wonderful place. So glad the safari rides have been going well. Can't wait for more reports!!

What a great time you're having. It sounds like everyone is having such a terrific adventure. I would love to see the expressions on the faces of the kids.

Like you now, I guess we got lucky when we were at Mateya....lots of good sightings at Madikwe Hills, saw the Big 5 the first day. BUT you are having so many unique experiences! WOW....can't wait to see Ken's pix. Keep up the great work and thanks for posting to us. I can't wait to hear more.

It cannot get any better than this!

Today after lunch we all set out on our game drives. Each family went together. After a few small sightings we arrived at a HUGE male lion that had just woken up and was starting to move. We followed him through the bush it was so much fun. He had a heavy dark mane, he was a truly magnificent lion. For those of you that went to Ukutula to the “walking with lions” this lion looked like REX the male lion we saw there.

This male was probably the most impressive lion I have ever seen. He finally plopped down next to another large lion with a very red mane also very impressive. All around were female lions as well. Lions were everywhere, and the other vehicles in our camp got to see them too.

Then our ranger said we are leaving now to see if the wild dogs cross over the river hunting. Of course hearing this I was immediately ready to abandon the lions. We arrived at the area the wild dogs have been crossing and found a film crew in place. They had preference for filming but we were first in line after the film crew left the area. Our ranger Sam stopped the car where he thought they would go once past the film crew. He had the exact right spot the dogs came and the first one passed so close to the car. Then came another and another the dogs kept coming. There were seventeen dogs in all with the alpha male leading and the alpha female right behind. A sight I thought I would never see I was quite awe struck. We followed them along a fence line as the ranger explained they run a large animal into the fence and it gets electrocuted and then they have their kill. After following for about 15 – 30 minutes we pulled out to let others have a chance.

When Jim and Pam and their family took their turn THEY SAW THE KILL! They had all their little grandchildren in the vehicle but I guess they all handled that sight okay. Next Ralph’s family came into the sighting so they all saw the wild dogs. We were able to go back in and see the dogs with the kill. A flurry of white tails with sentries posted looking all directions to watch for hyenas or other predators.

What an afternoon. The game here has been nothing short of spectacular. I told Pam, Jim and Ralph how good it had been and felt that this afternoon would be the same. We were not disappointed.

They have four cheetah brothers on the property right now so tomorrow we are “on the hunt” for cheetah. All our vehicles are heading out for the cheetah. What I like about Seasons in Africa camps is that they all really work together and try to be sure that if there is a group that everyone gets to see the key sightings.

Most of our group are on their first safari. Imagine that this all happened on their very first day. Jim and Pam were also charged by a little baby rhino and the adult rhinos paid no attention whatsoever.

Internet is pretty good so I hope Ken has a chance to post some pictures tomorrow. I am sure he has some good ones but the wild dogs were hard as they were moving fast and so was our vehicle.

Hopefully my next post will be about the cheetah.

Fast addition - we saw Cheetah - four males. No time now to write more but will tonight after this afternoons game drive.

Sightings sound fantastic--love to see wild dogs and cheetahs in the wild. Only seen them in captivity.

Can't wait to see some of Ken's photos. I have faith that he overcame any obstacles.

-------------------

Eugene

Photos From Family Safari - Madikwe Hills:

It sounds like you all have a fantastic first day at Madikwe Hills. How special for all the first timers.

Thanks for taking the time to share your safari stories with us. It's been almost 5 years since I was there.

Great photos, Ken. Love seeing the wild dogs!!!

See I knew that my faith in Ken's photo expertise was justified!

-------------------

Eugene

BRAVO ! You're having the best of all safari's possible with family and great sightings...It couldn't be any better.

Wonderful photos Ken !!

Terrific!! This is why we all keep going back :)

Awesome pics. Those wild dogs are pretty clever, sort of like the coyotes here. The coyotes will send out a female to try to lure away Sam, our German shepherd, from the calves so they can get one. Fortunately Sam is fixed, so has no interest in the female.

Wondering for a few seconds just how many legs could a cheetah have until I finally noticed the head of the other cheetah there in the shadow! Thanks for the pix Ken!

Wow, what a commentary Ngaire! I know you love your wild dogs! Ken, what magnificent photos! That lion is one beauty of a male, and well, I just love catching a picture of the "tears" coming down the cheetah's face!

Things continue to go well at Madikwe. This morning we all went looking for the cheetahs. It appeared they were being very elusive. So our vehicle decided to give that up and go to a brown hyena den in a different area, no luck there either. We had sightings of a Cape buffalo, elephants and two rhinos with a small baby rhino during the trip to the hyena den.

Then the news that the cheetah had been found. Fortunately we were in close proximity to the cheetahs. They had travelled a huge distance since their last sighting. It was about time to head back to the lodge but we voted to stay and go on standby for the cheetahs and forget about breakfast. The standby was long so we had to wait our turn but it was worth it to see the four male cheetahs. They are really beautiful cats.

When we got back to the lodge a troop of baboons visited the waterhole in front of the lodge to provide a little excitement at lunch. The two other vehicles left early for the game drive determined to find the cheetahs again. Success for those two vehicles as well, they found the cheetahs and were able to get in very close for a good sighting.

After the others left for their game drive a breeding herd of elephants visited the water hole in front of the camp. There was a really tiny baby and some small elephants as well. They were having a really good time at the waterhole.

The waterhole at Madikwe has been very busy. Impala, baboons, warthogs, elephants all paying us a visit. The bartender said the lion come between 6.00 am and 7.00 am. We may get up to see them tomorrow.

In the afternoon we decided to try three different hyena dens again. No luck yet but we will try again tomorrow. I love brown hyena and to see puppies outside a den would be the icing on the cake. You can only see this type of hyena at Madikwe they are not seen in the Sabi Sand area.

We still had a great afternoon as we saw two lionesses with six cubs. The lions here are all so healthy and thriving it is nice to see. We also had a really close encounter with two elephants. One within feet of the front of our vehicle who stopped right in front of us and posed very nicely. Plus a larger cow very close at the back of our vehicle. Both elephants were very calm it was a wonderful experience to be that close. Plus of course zebra, giraffe, wildebeest and other assorted antelope and smaller animals.

The food has been good and we have a children's menu all sorted out now so everyone is happy.

One more day here I still have hopes of the rare sighting of brown hyena puppies.

Fingers crossed you get to see the brown hyenas today. You're having such a fantastic trip. What if you never want to come home?

Posting for Ralph:

What a morning! Our ranger told us the dogs were out this morning hunting. They had made a kill and were going back to the den. We heard they had gone so far to make their kill they were trying to cross the river at a different spot. When we reached the dogs it was just amazing. The night we saw them before they were focused on the hunt working as a pack. This time they were all over the place going back and forth trying to figure out how to cross. The younger dogs were playing and having a great time. Dogs were right at the vehicle and all around us. We spent a long time watching the action and then all of a sudden they joined together and started moving. We were of course off road and we stayed with the pack as they were moving through the bush. We were in the middle of the pack when a kudu jumped up and the dogs gave chase and we were right there with them, it was so incredibly exciting. The kudu managed to escape and the ranger said it was the young dogs who gave chase. The pack had already made a kill and wanted to get back to the den so they got no support from the rest of the pack. We were with the dogs the entire morning. I was in absolute heaven.

After lunch we did a site inspection on another property. This is a camp we will not use so mark off one possibility for a new camp. It took us over two hours so we made it back just in time for the afternoon game drive.

The afternoon was quiet at first and we had Brayden, Ralph's grandson with us. All our game drives have been so great I was disappointed this one was so quiet. The wind had picked up and that stops the game from moving around. We were on the hunt for a pair of mating lions where the male was bigger than the one we had already seen. That seemed hard to believe. We had fresh tracks and they knew the block the lions were in and several vehicles did a co-coordinated on foot search. No luck.

So we gave up and started looking for rhino as Brayden had not had a good rhino sighting. We found a crash of five rhino including a really big male and a baby. We followed them off road for a while it was a great sighting. Next we found a black backed jacket. I love these animals and they are very rare in the Sabi Sands area so this is the best chance to see them. He was just a few feet from out vehicle we got some good shots. Driving down the road we found a brown hyena that caused big excitement everyone wanted to see a brown hyena another animal you cannot find in Sabi Sands. We got a pretty good sighting but too much grass and a bit dark for good pictures but a good sighting nonetheless. We stayed with the hyena for about 10 minutes. Then coming back to the lodge we found a young male elephant that gave us a nice show right at the vehicle. So it turned out to be a very good drive.

We will try for the lions again tomorrow then it is a sad farewell to Madikwe Hills. It has been an incredible stay with tons of action at the waterhole off the deck. The kids have all bonded and everyone is very happy

I am writing these reports on an iPad as Ken is using the computer for his pictures. I find typing on an ipad very difficult and I am pretty tired after such a full day so forgive typos etc no time to do this any other way but a quick overview of the action..

We fly to Kings Camp tomorrow at 11.00 am. I heard the 6 year old is very upset she does not want to leave Madikwe Hills.

Sounds like such a great trip so far! I am so so happy you got so much time with the dogs Ngaire! Keep the posts coming ....

Just love hearing all about your trip....make sure everyone keeps their doors locked at Kings Camp so they won't have any uninvited visitors.

I love the reports and so happy you all are enjoying this remarkable adventure -

Can't wait to hear some news from Kings Camp (my favorite - at least so far!) Hope your game drives are the best yet and if you're really lucky they'll make you one of those hamburger and french fry lunches!

We had a great charter flight from Madikwe to Kings Camp it was very smooth. Every one was playing on their iPads including the youngest child who is 6 years old.

Our first afternoon game drive started slow. Then we saw a young male lion calling and heard another lion answering. We followed the lion off road and he joined up with a much larger male lion with an impressive dark mane for a 3 year old lion. The two lions plopped down to snooze, the usual sleeping lion sighting.

Suddenly they both raised their heads in almost perfect unison and looked intently in the same direction. Their body language changed and we saw a female lion that the ranger said was not related to the two males. They took off chasing the female too fast to follow. So we drove around to catch sight of them. We found a third young male laying down. The original two lions showed up and the rangers said it was going to get ugly a fight was about to take place. However the two younger males though not together seemed accepting towards each other. The larger male was off to the side. The ranger said the two younger males were related and that these three lions would probably form a coalition. It was a great lion sighting with lots of action. The game drive continued and we found a herd of 400 Cape Buffalo. We also had some giraffe and elephant sightings.

Dinner was great and the children now have their own table and the adults all play musical chairs at dinner. We have been coming in at 5.30 pm and eating about 6 .00 pm. I know it sounds early but we finish dinner so early and the kids are whipped by then and can get a good nights rest. The adults are also enjoying time after dinner to sit and visit

The next morning barely 5 minutes out from camp the tracker jumps off the vehicle for some leopard tracks. Clay said " I see a leopard in a tree" We race off road to find a beautiful 3 year old male in a tree with a fresh impala kill. To top off the sighting there was a hyena at the tree as well. The leopard is growling at the hyena. We were all in awe then the leopard repositioned his kill. It was amazing to watch they are so powerful. We spent a long time with the leopard while the other two vehicles came to see the leopard.

We pulled out to let another vehicle in and carried on with our game drive. Within about 5 minutes we saw a female leopard crossing the road and tracked her walking through the bush. This was some very difficult off road driving. We had to keep visual on the leopard until another vehicle joined to take over the sighting. Well that little adventure was too much for our vehicle, the clutch went out so we had to call to be rescued.

After our new land rover arrived we had a fantastic elephant encounters and finished up with the Kings Camp bush breakfast. I think their bus breakfast is the best of all the lodges. Fresh cooked eggs to order and they had some great side dishes including mushrooms and creamed spinach

We got back to camp and played some hearts. The kids braved the cold swimming pool. A herd of elephants paid a visit to the watering hole with some tiny babies. It was a lovely morning. We have been starting our game drives at 2.30 pm so pretty quickly after lunch we went out again and went to see if the leopard was still in the tree. A tawny eagle was on the carcass eating. Something i have never seen before. The leopard was on the ground a little distance away and then he went to the tree and climbed up always a fun thing to see the hyena came back as well.

Again we had some great elephant lots of giraffe and a big male rhino who was clearly in an excited state as evidenced by a fifth leg. We followed him for a while as he was marking his territory. It was a very exciting day topped off by another wonderful dinner.

We have truly had some amazing sightings we need some lion cubs now

One more day at Kings Camp then. It is off to Leopard Hills. Internet is not great not sure if Ken will be able to post pictures. And by the way Kathy we are having one the hamburger and fries lunches today.

Wow Wow Wow The kids must be enjoying this so much! I bet it is fun for the parents (and grandparents) to watch the kid's reactions. Great reports Ngaire, Keep 'em coming!

Photos From Family Safari - Madikwe Hills:


Clay, Connor, & Brooke.

Great pics as always, Ken! I am loving the giraffe pic!

Photos From Family Safari - Kings Camp.

Today i went out with the Webster's again and we were going to head straight to the male leopard that was in the tree with the impala kill. However we heard that the impala was gone from the tree and there was no leopard in sight.

It was quiet at first but we had some nice sightings. Four rhino was especially nice. Some real close elephants with a tiny baby. Great giraffe we have so many good giraffe sightings. We spent a lot of time looking for a leopard and her two 4 month old cubs. Also dropped off our tracker to follow up tracks for lions on foot. Just as we were about to go home when we got the call the mother leopard and her cubs had been sighted. We raced to the scene to find vultures in one tree and the mother leopard in another tree with her kill. The rangers told us to be quiet and then the cubs would come. Sure enough they came out of the bush and climbed into the tree. They took turns eating and checking in with mom. It was terrific. All our vehicles were at the sighting and we reluctantly left and went back for breakfast.

We played some cards and relaxed. Connor my grandson and RAlphs grandchildren started playing hearts and they are hooked on the game and having so much fun together. Connor shot the moon he was so proud of himself.

We had lunch in the boma and it was nicely set up with a make your own burger bar, salads, sausages and made to order stir fry. Then we were treated to the best song and dance group I have ever seen. They were terrific and full of energy.

The afternoon game drive started with going back to the mother leopard in the tree. However there was nothing left, no vultures, no impala ans no leopard. So either it had fallen and the hyena got it or the leopard moved it to the ground. All the rangers and trackers starting looking at all the clues on the ground to figure out what happened. They found the leopard under a bush with the kill she had moved it to the ground. It was not that easy to see her and the cubs were not around.

We left and went in search of a large herd of Cape Buffalo. Then we got a call that four male lions had been spotted. They were great. All about two to three years old. Sleeping getting up and walking around and then plopping down again. At one point one of the lions walked over and laid on the top of two other males. He got pushed off a bit but these three males were a pile of paws, manes and limbs.

On the way home we saw some hippos and a rhino sharpening his horns on the electrical wire posts. Quite a sight.

We only have one morning drive left here at Kings Camp. This has been the best stay I have ever had here. The game has been terrific with lots of lion and leopard. Great elephants, giraffe, Cape Buffalo, Rhino, and all the plains animals. The food was terrific too and so many great details attended to under the watchful eye of the Managers, Warren and Lisha a wonderful stay.

The kids are all best of friends all the adults are getting along extremely well. This has turned out even better than the three sets of grandparents even imagined.

The search for new camps has not been that successful for various reasons.

We will consider using Tinga as long as we can drive on the lion sands property. It is a lovely lodge with nice rooms, great chef and management and the right size. This should work great as a road over the river is being built that will connect the two properties making the superior land around Lion Sands quickly accessible. The bush around Tinga is too dense in most places.

The two camps in Madikwe were not as good as Madikwe Hills. The two properties in the Timbavati area did not work either. One was in an area where the bush was too dense for off roading for good sightings. Or you could make a very long drive to get to better land that would be a pain every game drive. The other was in an area with no leopard.

I will work on 2015 lodges when I get back and come up with the best combination I can with new lodges for the people who have been before mixed with lodges used before. There is no point in going to inferior lodges just because they are new.

I have seen over 70 camps now and no camp is perfect. Those that have a balance of game, bush environment, lodge facilities, good rangers and management are few and far between. The more camps you experience the more you see the issues and differences. Everyone loves their first camp but those that repeat begin to see the differences

Ken got some pictures up tonight and will post today's shots after this post

Just love reading this! Ken, once again, your pictures are terrific. Thank you both for taking the time to share with us!

Ken, great images as usual! I love those baby elephants!

More Photos From Family Safari - Kings Camp.

Love the little bird of happiness . Wonderful pictures, as usual.
Glad you all are having such a great trip--I'm sure having the grandkids makes it even more fun!

Love pix of 3 boys with dancer - those boys are so darn cute!!!

WOW - These photos are superb. Wonderful lifetime memories being made..

I'm loving all this, and enjoying my memories.

Madikwe was Roar2; our big problem with it was the brown, brown water in the bathrooms. Do they have that fixed now?

These are wonderful pictures!

The problems with Madikwe four years ago resulted from the fact they had not had rain for eight months.

It caused problems with the water. I had been there many times and only had that issue on that one trip I also went there after that trip without that problem

Also the lack of rain made the roads horibbly dusty and they had just done a ton of controlled burning in defense of a uncontrollable wild fire as everything was so dry.
That inhibited the off road driving as well. Also black ground was not particularly attractive.

The drought just messed with the situation completely but that particular trip was the only time I experienced any of those problems. It really ruined our stay there.

Brent & Mark before the morning game drive. They insisted on wearing shorts.

Absolutely terrific animal photos. Also great Boma pictures--with Ngaire and Ralph "cutting the sand" and the grandkids watching the male dancer.

---------------

Eugene

I am loving these reports and photos! You all are truly having a trip to remember!

These pictures are so fun to see....agree with Eugene, love seeing all the moves and the kids enjoying the dancers. The animals pix are spectacular.

Of all your many trips Ngaire & Ken, guessing this may be the #1 BEST (and Leopard a close 2nd of course )

Ngaire, I never minded the brown water at Madikwe that much, had experienced that on Regent a couple of times. The trick is to take a shower, and you can't see it, lol! It really is going to bring no harm.

I think my more unpleasant memories of this camp had nothing to do with water or the accommodations or food. OTOH, Accommodations, food, service, the whole ambiance of the whole place was wonderful. It was all about the hard clay soil, and driving in bumpy vehicles (Toyota) on those roads that were not nearly as forgiving or as comfortable as Range Rovers (the British Brand), like we had elsewhere. Just sayin', this is what I remember. dunno, my younger daughter with me ( her first trip) never registered a complaint, and took every game drive there was. I am just getting way too picky. Your experience makes me want to go back. But I think Kings Camp is the ideal I am looking to forward bookings one of these days. Never been there, but so many good reports not only from you, but from other lct who posted here in the past.

Short story, Africa safari ranks up there as two of my most wonderful experiences ever, and I am so enjoying each and every picture and narrative you all are sharing. Loved seeing the picture of those 3 young boys so much!!!! And of course, all the adults, cutting the sand.

Ngaire, I think you have gathered the most generous grandparents on the planet (you included) for these children, they will absolutely remember this forever. They are all truly blessed.

I wrote two whole posts on my iPad they disappeared. So I will try to remember all that has happened since then. I may write and post and come back to continue so they won't be lost again

Last morning at Kings Camp. As we were loading the vehicle Leisha said there are wild dogs. I could not believe I would get to see them again. Off we raced to find the dogs they were very close to camp. We followed them for quite some and watched them work together. They would fan out on each side of the road then come together to mark their territory and then dO the same thing again. Definitely in hunting mode. Finally we had to pull out to let in other vehicles. They were not successful with a kill that morning. So much happens if I do not record it each night I cannot remember all that happened.

I know we had some more elephants and some ground hornbills that are huge birds with a red head. We also found a huge herd of Cape Buffalo they were all around us in a river Bed. We git a great shot of Ralphs family with the buffalo in the background It was a great last drive.

One last breakfast and a sad farewell this has been the best visit to Kings Camp i have ever had. Last time we came they had only one sickly lion. This time lion and leopard were all over the place. This is nature and why things are different each time you come.

The flight to Leopard Hills took 10 minutes. CLay was trained as a pilot with an aviation degree but no jobs in that field when he graduated. When he started university to take that degree they were hiring for the commercial commuters on graduating. So he went in another direction and has not flown for years. The pilot let him sit in the co pilot spot and he loved it. Said he had forgotten how much he loved flying a plane. An expensive hobby hopefully this will not fire up a desire to fly again an expensive hobby

We arrived at Leopard Hills. Greeted by Duncan, John, Raymond and all the same bar staff Sam was there and gave me a big hug. Like coming home and a perfect day not the rain that greeted us last time. Next post will be our UNIQUE first drive at Leopard Hills. No time now but stay tuned for the next episode. Something that I have not experienced before wish I had Anne to write it up. Writing is not one of my talents.

Photo of Peter from Madikwe Safari Lodge:


Peter & Ngaire. Peter was a ranger at Madikwe Hills and is now the manager of Madikwe Safari Lodge - Lepala.

I see Ken just posted this picture. It was so fun to see him again and he remberec us all from Roar III.

Eugene, Duncan says hello to you and Gail. He recalled several things on the game drives we took with him as our ranger and was reminding me of some of our adventures.

Okay got to sign off now

This is such great reading! I am loving every word and every photo...can't wait for the next post!

Wonderful reports, and Ngaire, I think you are a fine writer. Please please do not let Clay take up flying again. I have lost so many friends to small plane crashes, over 10 people who were good friends. I just don't like it (and George used to fly, but I made him stop).

SAFARI the acronym stands for Simply Awesome Family Adventure Roaringly Incredible. I feel this experience lives up to that acronym.

We left camp on a search for lion cubs a key sighting that we had not experienced yet. On the way we saw great hippo out of the water and a few other animals. Our mission was the lion cubs. They found the tracks and we found adult members of the pride but the cubs had obviously been hidden somewhere. Our ranger decided to cross the river to see if the cubs were on the other side. We crossed and went up and down the river bank no cubs to be found. It was getting late and we had given up when it came across the radio, the lion cubs have come out. Of course we were now on the wrong side of the river and a long way from the crossing place. We could see the cubs playing on the other side of the river it was an idyllic scene.

We raced down to a spot where we were told by the ranger from this part of the reserve it was safe to cross. All was going well but about 10 feet from the bank we stopped. This has happened to me before and another vehicle hooks up a tow line and pulls you out. No big deal. So I was not worried at all. Clay’s wife Brooke was a little nervous about this and I told her not to worry it would all be fine. We saw the Webster’s but they just waved, laughed at us and left. Our ranger explained we needed a Toyota Land Cruiser to get us out as a Land Rover would not be able to pull us out.

The Toyota arrived and our tracker got into the water and hooked up the tow line. The operation started and we simply spun our tires and got in deeper. A further three attempts rendered the same results. Not sure why we took all this so well but we were all enjoying the moment until we heard these words “sorry you need to get out of the vehicle and wade to shore”. Whoops!! Not what I had expected. Brooke handled this far better than I would have expected and said “lets take our shoes”. Did we listen to the voice of intelligent thought? Of course not, I thought about wearing them in the river but these were my only shoes. Of course I believed once on the bank the car would come right out and all would be well. They made the people in the Land Cruiser get out as well. The water was not cold and it was very shallow with a sandy a bottom no problem wading out. But once on the bank we had to move back from the vehicles for safety. That was hard with the sand and the grass that was a bit prickly. Brooke put on her shoes and was in fine shape but “unintelligent experienced ones” were having some difficulty. This sounds terrible I know but we were all laughing.

So now the attempt to pull us out starts again --- the vehicle did not budge. Oh my, what now! At this time the Turners turned up. Laughing at us, taking pictures enjoying seeing us all with our pants rolled up and bare feet. The Turner’s got out of their vehicle and when Jim heard that we waded out of the river he just cracked up laughing. The rangers hooked up the Turner’s Land Rover to the Land Cruiser and then to our stranded vehicle. After about three attempts our vehicle was returned to dry land. We all piled in and put back on our socks and shoes happy to be back in our comfort zone.

Too late to view the lion cubs we started home. Almost immediately we found a lion on the road. At that moment Clay’s phone rang. We all jumped and could not believe there was phone service this deep in the bush. He answered the phone and it was his insurance company. He said “well I am in South Africa right now” can I call you when I get back. He should have said “well I am in South Africa right now, was just rescued from a river and am looking at a lion right now, can I call you back later". By this time we were all in absolute hysterics. I know reading this it may sound scary but it was truly a great adventure and even Brooke who was very nervous on arrival came through with flying colors. She is a “tough seasoned safari gal now”. At no time were we in any danger it was just an inconvenience but a story I can now tell for a long time.

Safari experiences are so unique there is NO way to explain how all this feels when you are here. Everyone has had an incredible time it is sad to think there is only one day left.

This morning I joined the Webster’s and we went in search of a second group of lion cubs that were a little bit older. We had to cross the river again so of course we were all giving this ranger a hard time. The lion cubs were found and we went deep off road to get to them. These cubs were older about 7 months and cute as could be. One had found a plastic bottle and he was carrying that around and playing with it. There were seven cubs all together. We sat there by ourselves for quite some time watching. There were two female lion mothers with them. We left to let the rest of my family into the sighting.

On the way back we saw a leopard it was close to the road but very difficult to maneuver in to get a close look but we made it! We also saw a tree full of baboons. It looked like a baboon Christmas tree and the baboons were the ornaments. It was a neat sight.

We decided the grandparents or the wallets (as we are now called since we paid for everything for our families) should have a game drive together. So we mixed up the families and Jim, Pam, Ralph, Ken and I all went out together. We had John as our ranger who many of you may remember. We had a lovely adult afternoon, we went to a hyena den but the puppies were not coming out much into the open, but at least we saw them. A giraffe was born here about three weeks ago and one of the rangers and his guests saw the birth. We were lucky enough to see that baby giraffe. It was not an easy sighting she was in the trees but we could make out how small she was in comparison to her mother. We saw some elephants but the last two sightings were the highlight. A kill had taken place and we saw a male lion sleeping that the rangers did not recognize. We could not get to the kill but what was amazing were the vultures. These are really magnificent birds and there were so many of them. Flying over head and landing in many of the trees it was a great sight. We spent a ton of time just watching the vultures. Then the final sighting was also something I had not seen before. When the female hippo is ready to mate she pushes her backside way out of the water and wags her tail with gusto. The male hippo responds with the normal grunting sounds that hippos make. Then the disappear under the water. The mate in the water. We saw this behavior three times it was something to watch never seen that before.

At dinner Jim, Pam and Ralph gave me a gift for putting the safari together. They had commissioned a local sculptor to make a wild dog out of leadwood. It had taken months to complete and it was truly an incredible piece of art. I was overwhelmed and really quite speechless. They have pictures they will give me of the progress of the work from start to finish. I have already figured out where to put it in my house in front of a picture that Ken took at Madikwe Hills of some wild dogs near a river. At dinner tonight I just kept looking at this piece in awe of the workmanship and detail in this sculpture. I also cannot tell you how touched I was that they had done this for me. The biggest reward of going into this business has been the people I have met and the lifelong friends that we have made. That is quite frankly priceless!!

Tomorrow is our last full day at Leopard Hills. After the morning game drive seventeen are going to Elephant Whispers, and three are going to play golf. Just Pam, Ralph, Ken and I will be left in camp. A nice quiet afternoon.

The families have really bonded. I think there is a budding romance between my grandson Connor and Ralph's granddaughter Charlotte. They are together all the time. Of course they are only eleven.

This trip has exceeded my expectations in every way. The bonding of the families, and the exceptional game particularly at Madikwe and Kings Camp far better than I had expected. The food was also fantastic with Kings Camp taking the prize for food. Very mixed reviews on which camp was the best and that is good because it means they were all good. The "wallets" are very pleased

This will be quick and to the point because I lost an earlier post

Our safari schedule is the BEST. Really want to use this schedule in future. 7:30 am start for game drive in am. Do not miss a thing at that time. Afternoon game drive out at 2:30 pm. Back around 5:30 pm. Dinner no later than 6:30 pm. PERFECT !!!!!

We have not missed a thing

Camps are really good. Have not been to kings camp before and really liked it. Would go back again in a heart beat.

I forgot to mention we did a photo shot of pictures of our family yesterday afternoon and looked at the pictures today. Some were really great John took them for us. Great memories. Of course all the adult kids are asking the wallets to plan the next triple family trip. Once you start something you know how it goes.

Also we had the SNAKE GUY come and I always love his presentation. He does such a great job of educating and making people more comfortable with snakes. The kids were totally engaged both the young and older kids. He bought three poisonous snakes including a cobra. One he let crawl all over him. Everyone loved it.

This morning Clay, Brooke, Connor and Cindy took the morning off and did not go on a game drive. Clay did not to risk being late back from the game drive to leave to play golf. Jim and Clay are playing. Clay is a golf fanatic and is thrilled to play in South Africa.

We took Brayden and Ken, Ngaire, Mark and Taylor went in search of the lion cubs. Our ranger was Raymond and he is a great tracker. Only our vehicle was on the hunt. He figured out just where the mother had left the cubs from the tracks. It was a very thick bush area along a river bed. He kept driving back and forth this area and then success we spotted the cubs. They are so cute but skittish as they should be when mom is away.

They kept disappearing into the bush and we kept finding them again. We wanted to stay as if the mother came back the reunion is always terrific and cubs are relaxed. However time got away from us and we needed to get back for breakfast and for the group to head out to Elephant Whispers.

On the way we stopped to view the hippos out of the water. We saw a tiny baby only three weeks old SO adorable.

The troops all left for their activities and Ralph (now Uncle Ralph as far as my grandson Connor is concerned) Pam, Ken and I are all in the library working on our IPads it is a nice relaxing day. Ken is working on some pictures hopefully he will get some posted today.

We are having a fantastic trip. Loving the new schedule. Usually by this time we are feeling exhaustive but not on this trip. We are out at 7 to 7:30. Back at 9:30. Out again at 2:30. Home by 5:30 or 6 depending on sightings and dinner no later than 6:30 in bed by 9. Hate that it is almost over. Baby lion cubs, wild dog kill( the kids first sighting). We have seen it all and more. Really a great family bonding trip plus for Jim and me who have no brother and sisters we now have a great extended family with the webster's and hutarya's. Ken's pictures are really only giving you a small taste. On to 2014!

Photos From Leopard Hills:


The Wild Dog Presentation.


Snake School.


Baboons in the tree like Christmas ornaments.


Dwarf Mongoose.


Young Spotted Hyena.




Vultures waiting for the Lions to leave their kill.


The Webster Family on a game drive.


Some of the Webster & Turner kids on a game drive.

Not sure if I can get people into this new routine but I have absolutely loved it. We did it initially for the younger kids but we all found it so much better. Talking with the rangers several said it was a smart way to go. The early morning was just the tradition as in the summer it gets so hot you must go out at daylight as you cannot stay out when the sun comes up. The time of year we go this is not an issue. There is really no pressing need to go so early.

One ranger said let all the vehicles in the reserve go out and follow tracks and find the game. Then we can go out and see the sightings. Our wake up call was at 6.45 and we left no later than 7.30 am. The sun is up and it is not as cold. We sure missed nothing with this schedule. Then the earlier afternoon departure and the earlier dinner worked too. Having sometime to chill down at night was wonderful. As Pam said it can get so tiring but because we got more sleep we all feel so much better. I think in most cases the drives after dark are not good. It gets really cold you see little and if you run into elephants at night you can be stuck on the road for ages.

Something to seriously consider for the future. We also cut out afternoon tea as we went out earlier.

Okay off to lunch the "wallets" have ordered kingklip and prawns for lunch. Kingklip is a yummy South African fish.

WOW What fascinating and entertaining reports! Thank you so much for taking the time to post! Love it! And the photos!

I love the idea of the new schedule for all the reasons you mentioned....it gets our vote for 2015 ZEBRA.

Great family photos. Enjoy Leopard Hills. We'll all be sad when your trip ends, it's been so enjoyable for us too.

Wonderful photos as always. The mouth on that hippo...oh my!

More Leopard Hills Photos:


Our Family in the Bush.


We found the Cubs again.


Check out the baby Hippo laying down on the ground.

Spectacular animals and what a wonderful family photo - just beautiful! Must be those new game drives times that have everyone looking so happy and well-rested I will be so sorry to see your safari come to an end - so happy you were so willing to share so much of it with all of us!

We have loved following your family safari and as Kathy said, we'll be sorry to see it come to an end. Thanks to Ngaire for all her great descriptions and to Ken for wonderful photos.

We also love the new timetable. Maybe we can use that in the future. You certainly didn't see any fewer animals and it sounds a lot more relaxing and less tiring.

Maybe I'm just getting older, but those later starting times seem so civilized! Come back, late breakfast, time for cards, light lunch, etc...sounds fantastic.

I'm a little jealous of the fantastic trip you are having with your families.

The "younguns" really know how to keep the adults young at heart.

Pat, you're not getting older just more experienced!

What a wonderful family picture! The new schedule works much better with my body clock! I'm so happy that the families had such a wonderful safari experience and I suspect such a wonderful family memory.

One item we all forget to mention. The weather has been fantastic. The mornings are not as cold as expected nor the late afternoons early evenings and the middle of the day has been simply outstanding. Sad to see this adventure drawing to and end. Tomorrow is walk with the lions and play time with the lion cubs. Should be a great end to this once in a life time experience.

I can not wait to share this experience in 2015 with June. Something really special to look forward to I am sure.

We have arrived at sun city hotel. Internet is very slow and requires payment so do not expect much for a day or two. We do walk with lions on Friday. Flight was very smooth but did take 1 1/2 hours.

It is a hoot to see Ngaire worry over her wild dog. They have it all bubble wrapped and will carry it home. Ngaire does not want risk any thing happening to it.

So sad for your fabulous trip to end. I know what a fun time you'll have at Walk With The Lions, another highlight. What a trip of a lifetime you all have had !! We love Ngaire's wild dog and we know she'll always treasure it.

Safe travels back to reality....

I have a great idea, I think we need to have another LCT get together at Nagire's house so we can all see her Wild Dog............

Great idea, Arlene!!!

Looks like you all had a wonderful trip.
The 'walk with lions' will be the cherry on top!
It was for us & will be for you!

Enjoy!
Doug

Yeah! And we can call it BOW WOW!

Ngaire, I just got the chance to catch up with all your reports. What a fantastic experience you have had for your family vacation! You are so kind to allow us all to travel with you vicariously.

And Ken, as always your photos are breathtaking!

PERFECT!! Love it!

Love that...count us in for Bow Wow !

It would be great fun! Bow Wow could stand for Bringing Our World Wanderers Out West. It's a sweet idea for a gathering, But, Bow Wow probably stands for Bet Our Wishes Were Overly Wishful.

We left Leopard Hills and said goodbye to our safari adventure. One group picture was taken I will see if Ken can post it before we leave. Our last game drive we finished up with the 8 three month old lion cubs, what a way to end. It has been an absolutely incredible trip that exceeded all our expectations.

The lion experience everyone enjoyed. Those that walked were thrilled. They planned it so the kids could stay with the smallest cubs for the hour that the others walked. That was wonderful normally you get about 10 minutes with the cubs. I was so pleased with how much they worked with our group.

We had one person who became ill so Ken stayed behind, went to a pharmacy and then came straight to Sterling Manor a hotel where my family and Jim and Pam were staying one night after the lions. This allowed our "sickie" to rest as he was facing the flight home that night. All the Websters, and other Turners were flying home the same night as the lion encounter.

The point being Ken was not there to take any pictures I should have thought of this and taken his camera. Ralph took pictures.

We ended up at McDonalds for lunch for the kids after the lions. What a nightmare that was. NO FRIES, can you imagine a McDonalds with no fries. Kids were not happy campers. The service was so slow we could have had a nicer sit down lunch. The adults struggled through a bad lunch but the tummies were full so that was all that mattered. As we were leaving there must have been 100+ kids all in school uniforms that arrived. That gave us a good laugh, 100 kids, slow service and no fries. Glad we were out of there.

The place we stayed in Hartbeesport was wonderful. Beautiful House with great spacious and comfortable rooms with lots of public space. All looking out to the beautiful lake with green mountains in the background and white yachts bobbing on the water. We played cards in the afternoon and then went to Squires for dinner. The kids treated for this meal and it was more food than we could handle. Incredible huge plates of food and South Africa is so reasonable. A full rack of ribs $9 and the beef filet $13.50.

Problem was my grandson Connor was so sad. He really connected with Ralph's grandchildren. Charlotte and Ben. He was crying when they left, could not play cards long and at dinner started crying again. Guess he was remembering his "kids table" where they ate every meal together. The chatter at that table never stopped. He cried very quietly on Mom's lap. I have not seen him cry since he was tiny. He also adored his Uncle Ralph as he now calls Ralph. Hopefully these kids will all get together again.

Off to my final breakfast eggs benedict served with a lake view. Then off to the airport for the long flight home.

We , all six, are in the American flagship lounge. Flight was from my view better than flight to JNB I think I slept more. We got checked in at American with no problems and used fast track for security as we were first or business. It is now 8:20 am. Been here for a bit. Our flight is not until 3:15. We are going via JFK in New York so do not get home until 1am.
Missing all our safari family already.
Great trip but we all are a bit exhausted at this point. Will be good to be home

Ps ti jim and Pam. We got to JNB by 5:00pm so Brian should have had plenty of time to fix the plane tics

Sent from my iPad 2

Posting for Ralph:

Love that final picture. It really shows how close you can be to those lions on the walk. Karen thanks for posting that for Ralph and Ralph thanks for standing in for Ken.

Ken and I, Cindy and Mark are now in Heathrow terminal 5. We all crashed on the flight from JNB to LHR so feel pretty good for coach flight back to DFW. Clay, Brooke, Connor and Taylor are all in the terminal 3. I am anxiously waiting to hear if "skippy" my wild dog carving made it through security. Clay is carrying it for me. I did not want to check it. We named him Skippy as the wild dogs we saw at Madikwe there was one dog that was injured. This dog skipped along on three legs so we named him skippy.

Then back to work. As soon as I catch up I will start work on the 2015 safari. Hopefully in a couple of weeks those confirmed will hear at least some preliminary information from me.

Have loved all reports of this trip. So perfect. And the pictures are the best. Now if by some slim chance I make the 2015 cut, life would be grand. If not, I'll patiently wait for 2016. I walked with the tigers in Thailand this year. Next comes the lions!
Thanks to all who took us along.

Welcome home! Thanks for taking time from your family vacation to post reports and pictures. What a fascinating adventure!

I agree with Priscilla's comments - I so enjoyed the pictures and reports of activity! Thank you all XXOO

Home with all our luggage. Last ones home after a trip of a lifetime. Thanks for following along

Glad to hear everyone is home safely. It was a wonderful adventure just reading all of the posts. I'm sure it is a trip that all family members will remember for a lifetime!

Skippy my wild dog has to have surgery!

His tail came off but a surgical procedure know as "quality wood glue" will fix him right up and he will be good as new. Clay has volunteered to do the surgical procedure.

Bugging everyone I can about 2015 details hopefully something soon.

Ngaire, while you are "bugging everyone", is the lion walk an option in 2015? Truly looked like an awesome experience.
Oh and welcome home! Best wishes for Skippy's speedy and complete recovery
-----------------------------
Helen

Oh poor little Skippy. Hopefully he'll have a quick recovery with Dr. Clay's steady hand and loving bedside manner.

Helen, Walk With The Lions is a fun, almost a sureal experience. Definitely sign up for it if it's offered. We also spent the afternoon at Hartbeespoort Elephant Sanctuary which is great....I was kissed by an elephant!

Thanks, Marcie I will be first in line to sign up for both if available.
--------------
Helen

Skippy is the perfect pet - you don't have to feed it or clean up after him - or is it a her?


And it's environment friendly - live dog waste is blamed for 20 to 30 percent of pollution in all US waterways.


I have a pet Mexican jumping bean - Pedro - no fuss no mess!

The Ukutula Lion experience.

I have been twice now and to put it honestly not my favorite thing. Whereas others just LOVE it. In 2012 I took a group and it was a split decision. 50% thought it was worth it and 50% did not think so. My sister in law LOVED it and is going back and wants to stay in the lodging there for more time with the lions. Different strokes for different folks.

It is a BIG hassle to do it really and more expense. A long day from Johannesburg about a 2 to 3 hour ride out and back in one day is tough. It requires an extra overnight for sure.

We had a two charter planes for the 24 of us to facilitate this but it still added a lot of expense and time for a two hour program.

If you come in early to do this or stay over to do it then anyone can do it independently but I do not think I want to do another "group" to Ukutula.

Ngaire:

I agree. The best way to do 'Walk w/ the lions' is to do it on your own pre or post.
While it is great fun to do it with travel friends, logistics are just easier.

My 2 cents.

Doug

I would echo that doing the Ukutula "walk with the lions" as a pre or post JNB visit is the way to go. I did this on my own in 2011 and was part of the family group this year. We did it for the kids and I am pleased we did, however it was costly and very time consuming. My experience in 2011 was different than the experience this year and from talking to Ngaire her experience last year was different than this year and my earlier experience.
It is impossible to predict how much time Ukutula will allow one to have with the lion cubs. It could be as little as 15 minutes or so. That is not much time for the investment of ones time to do that.

We too did it on our own post safari and it was a wonderful experience. We hired a driver who picked us up from Fed Air and drove us directly to the lodge. We ate dinner and stayed overnight at the lodge. The following morning we were awakened by the roar of a lion. We ate breakfast and did all the lion activities in the morning refreshed and without any rush. The cats were much livelier in the morning too.

After lunch at Ukutula, a driver picked us up and we went to the elephant sanctuary that afternoon. After a few hours there, we were driven to JNB for our 7:30pm BA flight home. I think staying over night at the Ukutula WWL lodge made all the difference (though the accommodations were Motel 6ish but just fine for our purpose)

I like Marcie's approach. I guess we have some time to think about it but if you have the contact info for the driver you used, Marcie, I would appreciate it.
-----------------------
Helen

There is also a WONDERFUL BOUTIQUE hotel we used halfway between Ukutula and JNB airport. Stirling Manor it was delightful at the lake. That may also work for you I can recommend that without any hesitation.

I second that. Lovely place with nice staff and lovely views. good place to unwind.

CITY HOPPER is reasonable and used to taking people to Ukutula. STirling Manor also said they use CIty Hopper the transport wont be hard to arrange.

Helen, I too used City Hopper. I emailed them a head of time hopper@telkomsa.net They also have a web site www.cityhoppers.co.za.
I didn't have to put down a deposit, I printed out the confirmation and they were there waiting for us at the Federal Air terminal..

Thanks, Ladies! Something to think about for the next year. It is so helpful to know what things CAN be done so I only have to think about which things we have the time to do during my limited vacay time!
---------------------------
Helen

Finally Ken put up some pictures on SMUGMUG this morning. More interesting for those that were along on the trip but I have been asked when some will be posted so here they are.

http://ngaire.smugmug.com/AFRICA/Africa-Tours/Family-Safari/32061861_Zc5FMK

Sorry no idea why that wont post the link it usually does

OMG, I've never seen more beautiful pictures in my life. These are amazing Ken !! One just more beautiful than the next.

I agree Marcie - they are wonderful. Thanks so much Ngaire and Ken for taking the time to share them with us.

Very, very nice pictures!!!

Thanks for posting.

Doug

What a treat for us to see these awesome photos! Just WOW!!!

Wonderful photos. Never thought I'd rave about one with a "kill," but the one with the two heads (predator and prey) is amazing. Sure has us salivating for Africa 2015.

------------------

Eugene

It's been 5 years since I was on safari, but still have a great time looking through photos. It sure does make me want to return. Someday......