Dear Stephen

Thank you for putting “the trip of a life time” together for John and me.  Sub-Saharan Africa is an amazing place and more folks should try to get there to see a glimpse of it. 

Your recommendation to go to Lesotho was dead-on for us.  Everyone was very nice, the room was beautiful, and the owner, Mick, and his management most accommodating.  I highly recommend the one day pony trek and the hike to see the Bushmen cave paintings.  We even saw horse racing in the village of Malealea….fabulous!!

The safari was everything I had hoped for, and more!!  Beginning with the single prop flight from Maun, Botswana to our first camp….I felt like I was in a National Geographic documentary.  Again, the people made the entire adventure so much more meaningful.  I hope to stay in touch with them for a long time.  The animals are truly amazing to observe in their natural habitat…why is it lions do not look as BIG or as THREATENING in the zoo? 

I had no idea I would see so many babies…giraffes, elephants, hippos, even a Leopard cub….truly amazing!!  And the sounds….wow!!  I will never forget the sounds!!  Not to mention the many visitors to our camps…monkeys, baboons, a leopard, a hyena, even a scorpion…though not at our tent.  The guides were so knowledgeable about animals, birds, insects; flora, even the night heavens…and the trackers were so good at spotting all kinds of creatures!!  What an experience to have “sundowners” with zebras!!!

The food was tremendous, our accommodations fabulous, did I mention how wonderful the people were?  I would recommend the Kwando group to anyone!!! Wish we had stayed with them at Vic Falls.

Speaking of Victoria Falls,  AMAZING!!!!!  When my mother saw our pictures, she said “this certainly makes Niagara Falls look puny in comparison, doesn’t it?”  I had no idea the falls were so wide…absolutely gorgeous and a beautiful sight to behold on Christmas Eve.  White water rafting on the Zambezi River on Christmas day is certainly not for the faint hearted, but what a great way to celebrate Christ’s birth!!  Putting in at the base of the falls was beautiful and the scenery remained so through out the day.  Would recommend this trip to any experienced class V rater with REALLY GOOD LEGS to handle the climb down and out…we older folks did suffer the next couple of days, but it was well worth it.

And then, to visit Mozambique!!  Oh, it was so beautiful and peaceful!!  Just what we wanted before flying back to the states!!  We went snorkeling, dune hiking, and did a whole lot of nothing right on our own beach…even saw a Lion fish and  a Grouper by our dock!!  And the stars……I thought I would never see so many stars as we did on the California coast south of Mendocino, until Mozambique!!!  Unbelievable to stand on the beach and see a black velvet blanket frosted with stars!   Our room was beautiful, the food was excellent, the staff charming and the management efficient, knowledgeable, and very friendly.

Given how much we saw over a 15 day trip, I appreciate your efforts of coordinating the flights, hotels, safari, and white water excursions.  It was an amazing trip and I really do appreciate your efforts.  We will certainly recommend you to others who are interested in this trip.

Again, thanks for everything…it was wonderful.

Heidi and John Jan 07