Out and About on our First Safari Day

Oh my gosh, we're going on SAFARI!!!!! (If only we can get out of this airport!) Luanda Airport is not winning any efficiency awards.

The first day of safari after our arrival was all about discovery…. Just kind of figuring out what this was all about.  We were constantly being surprised by the scenery and all the superlatives I can’t think of to describe it, the experience itself (kind of pinching ourselves and giggling that we really ARE on safari), and enjoying the over-the-top fancy-pantness of the place we were staying. Here's our view!

Paul lounging outside our tent - we were snacking on watermelon dipped in gin as a welcome aperitif. Refreshing and delicious.

The extra touches that the And Beyond staff put into things was really impressive. We received little good night messages with roses every night at Bataleur, and we were woken by coffee delivered to our tent in the mornings. With us being just a little under the weather, they also brought hot water and salt for us to gargle. The And Beyond lodges have the best service I've ever experienced.

I'll need to do a blog just on the design of the And Beyond lodges… they were all breathtaking, creative, tasteful, and something I would love to call home

Here is the main camp tent. We were able to lounge about after safari each evening, and enjoy meeting other guests and hearing about their experiences too.

This was the view from the plane as we flew into Kichwa Tembo Airstrip. We ended up driving all over this area. It was so vast.

We spent the afternoon of the first day finding lions, giraffes, zebras, coyotes, and cape buffalo. Eric, our guide kept us out until the dusk of dusk; we were probably the last to leave the park our camp was just 10 minute’s drive outside of camp, so we had the luxury of staying late. On our way home ran into a hippo in the rain right in our path where we had to cross through a little stream in the truck.

The trucks themselves are pretty fantastic. Paul and I spent a good couple of days after we got back researching the practicality of owning a safari truck. I think we need to have a home in the Masai Mara for it to actually have any practicality at all, but they sure are rugged and chic in a rustic way.  I can just imagine rolling up to Starbucks on a Saturday morning in my forest green 8-seater Land Cruiser or Range Rover with open sides and a double diesel tank. Super fixe. (Super “cool” in Portuguese – Fixe sounds like Feesh).

 

Eric, our first driver was very knowledgable about the animals; he was great with Nico, and was really a good teacher for all of us.

One of my first zebras… at some point along the trip you start to become a little numb to the exotic factor associated with the animals. It's only because of the sheer volume of animals that can be seen. I still look at the pictures though and love the way they look.

Our poor General cape buffalo… he was such a lonely beast eating grass by the riverside.

Our first lioness. We were so amazed to see her up close and yawning like crazy… rough day hunting and eating, I guess.

We could hear the elephants trumpeting as they walked across the plane. The demonstrate such a tight bond to one another, never leaving anyone too far behind, and making sure the young are between the adults.  

If this was my backyard, I would never tire from the view. The colors of the grass and trees together are striking.

We got back to the lodge and were welcomed to a very warm scene including four tables set for the guests at the lodge. There are only about 10 tents that housed two people each, and the Bataleur Camp did an excellent job of keeping everyone’s space from each other so that you really felt like the only guests in the whole place if you wanted to. Alternatively, you could also engage with other guests in the comfy sitting areas.  Rose petals covered the table, and we enjoyed our first evening in the Masai Mara.

Again, I need to blog about the decor. I really do want to retire here…. and Munich….