The start of our Ultimate Africa Adventure!

This was a trip over two years in the planning.  Whenever we travel we always talk to people we meet about their previous travels and ask about their favorite trips.  Africa always seemed to come up in the conversation, so we just knew there would be an awesome trip awaiting us someday.

Africa was on our "Bucket List" and it would be a safari-type adventure!

Our friends, Linda and Dan, also had the desire to experience Africa, so we put our heads together and started researching for a trip.  We chose the Overseas Adventure Travel's (OAT)  Ultimate Africa itinerary.  This company is part of the Grand Circle company that we used for our wonderful European river cruise last summer.  OAT features small groups of 10-16 people and offers opportunities to experience the culture, interact with the local people, and be led by guides who are passionate about their homeland.  That would be perfect for us!

What time of the year should we go?  For Terry and I, it was a "must" to see Victoria Falls when there was still a good water flow.

For Linda and Dan, it was a "must" to be able to see lots of animals and birds.

We ended up choosing the end of June to middle of July as the time that would be good for all 4 of us.  At this time, it is winter and the start of the dry season in southern Africa.  Being at the end of the rainy season, there would still be lots of water flowing over Victoria Falls.  With it being winter, many of the trees would not have leaves, so spotting the animals in the bush would be much easier.

The temperature would be about 40 degrees for an overnight low and high of 70-80 degrees during the day.  And, with it being dry and cooler overnight, mosquitos and tse tse flies would be at a minimum.

We all booked the trip in February, 2016, as soon as the itinerary dates opened up for the summer of 2017.  Then all we had to do was sit back and wait for the adventure to begin on June 23, 2017.

Our trip begins by flying to Johannesburg, South Africa, and then to Thornybush Game Reserve as a pre-trip extension.  Then it is on to camps in Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, ending in Victoria Falls.

So come along and read about our adventure in Africa.  There are 6 more posts, each one highlighting what we saw and experienced at each of the various locations.

To continue reading, scroll up towards the top of this page and click in the right-hand column the entry entitled: Thornybush Waterside Lodge, South Africa