Everything was perfect, and the whole trip went seamlessly with everything completely organised. I really couldn’t have asked for better, from the wonderful accommodation to the drivers and guides, everyone made us feel so welcome.
The Fairmont Norfolk in Nairobi was lovely, as were both the safari lodges. I think my favourite lodge though was the Kicheche Mara North camp, as all the staff there were simply wonderful and so friendly and welcoming. We really felt at home and among family, and I love the whole ethos of the Kicheche Community Trust and the collaboration with the local people and the wildlife conservation work they do. We got so lucky also as I think we had the best guide possible there, George. It was just Susan and I in the jeep with him the whole time, he is such a lovely man with a good sense of fun and the 3 of us had lots of laughs, and his passion for the wildlife and the Mara was evident. He was just incredible at spotting animals from a huge distance away, and we were the first each time to find a cheetah, a lion pride and Edwin a great tusker elephant in his 50’s. We therefore had them to ourselves for 30 – 45 minutes each time after George found them, before the other jeeps all arrived after he’d let them know. The soul touching moment for me was when we came across Edwin the big tusker in the Mara, George was so happy as he hadn’t seen him for a while and he said that Edwin was his best friend. With my love of elephants I knew then I was with the right guide! 😊 We just sat there and Edwin went about his business browsing and was within about 3 metres of our jeep, happy for us to be in his company and very chilled and not bothered by us. We had him to ourselves for some time before others arrived, so close to us, and I just felt so privileged to be in his company and just so happy I started crying happy tears. It was just magical.
We were also very lucky with our guide at Amboseli, Gabriel, as he was also very knowledgeable and very good. We did a hot air balloon one morning in Amboseli with Kilimanjaro Balloon Safaris and we were so lucky with the weather, we had clear skies, no wind and a great view of Kilimanjaro, it was just amazing.
The Palm River Hotel at Victoria Falls was the best hotel, just beautiful and it was such a lovely way to end the trip and relax a bit there. The helicopter flight was also awesome. It is really hard to pick one thing that stood out because I loved everything, it really was the trip of a lifetime that I will remember forever. I understand why people say Africa touches your soul.
Everything you put together for us was of a high standard and I can’t think of anything that I would say needs to be improved upon.