Africa

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Africa Destination Trip Reports

Trip Report – 5 Days in Mauritius

Day 1: We arrived at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, Mauritius on our flight from Mumbai fairly early in the morning. The airport is located in the south-east part of the island and located 50 km (about 1 hour drive) from the Hilton Mauritius resort. The resort is in the western part of the island in Flic-en-Flac neighbourhood. We had rented a car through Budget which allowed us to have the flexibility and convenience to drive around the island at our leisure. After checking in and having breakfast we hit the beach. For dinner we ate at the Ginger Thai …

Africa Destination Trip Reports

Trip Report: Day Trip to Chobe National Park, Botswana

One of the most popular excursions available from Victoria Falls is a day trip to Chobe National Park in Botswana. Plenty of tour companies offer this all-inclusive service of round-trip pickup/dropoff  in Victoria Falls,  drive to Botswana border where they hand it over to their contracted Botswana tour company that transport you round-trip to Chobe National Park. The game drives occur in 2 parts, one in a vehicle on land and then on boat. Between the 2 we stopped at a resort for lunch. We paid 170$ USD per person for the entire package (which included Park entrance fees). The …

Africa Destination Trip Reports

Trip Report: Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

We were staying in the Zimbabwe side of the Victoria falls town and took a cab (all rides $5) from our hotel to the park entrance. We paid for the entry fee with credit card. After entering the park, we looked at the map and realized that the view points were like an arc that extended along the ridge. There are 2-3 to the left of the entrance and the rest to the right. We spent about 4 hours in the park going from end to end. After our visit, I changed my clothes in the restrooms in the park …

Africa Destination Trip Reports

Trip Report: Victoria Falls, Zambia

We were staying on Zimbabwe side of Victoria Falls town. We took a cab from our resort to the border post (all cab rides $5). After passport stamping, we crossed the border to Zambia side. We walked across the Victoria Falls bridge (about 15 minutes walk) to the Victoria Falls Park entrance. Just a fair warning, there are a lot of touts on the way from the border post to the park and they will pester  you to buy knick-knacks but not that aggressive so it was not much of a concern for us. After paying the entrance fee we …

Africa Destination Trip Reports

Trip Report: Etosha National Park, Namibia – Day 3 & 4

Day 3: We started our day early by leaving Okaukuejo camp. Our plan was to drive eastbound in Etosha park and reach Namutoni camp by evening while stopping at Halali camp for lunch for a couple of hours. After reaching Halali camp for lunch, we stopped by the Halali waterhole and saw a huge herd of elephants come in. The rest of the drive to Namutoni camp was fairly uneventful besides seeing mostly herbivores. What we were mainly hoping to see was some big cats but this was not to be on this trip. Day 4: This was our last …

Africa Destination Trip Reports

Trip Report: Etosha National Park, Namibia – Day 1 & 2

Day 1: We had arrived in Windhoek the night before and stayed at Hilton Windhoek which is about 40 minutes from the airport. In the morning we started our 415 km drive to Etosha National Park. It took us around 5 hours with breaks. We entered the park through Anderson Gate as we were staying in Okaukuejo Camp for first 2 nights. Right after entering the park we drove towards Okondeka waterhole. After we entered the Okaukuejo Camp where we were staying the first 2 nights, we checked-in at the reception, paid our park fees for the entire stay. We …

Africa Destination Trip Reports

June 2024: Namibia and Victoria Falls Trip – Introduction

For our second vacation of 2024, we are going to Africa. We been to this continent thrice before, first time in 2016 for Egypt-Kenya Safari trip, then in 2018 for South Africa trip and finally in 2022 for Seychelles trip. This time we will be visiting the Etosha Park in Namibia for 3 nights and then 3 nights in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. I am also planning to go to Chobe National Park, Botswana for a day trip from Victoria Falls. The trip will have following reviews: Airline Review: Qatar Airways Business class from Seattle to Doha Airline Review: Qatar Airways …

Africa Destination Trip Reports

Trip Report – Praslin, Seychelles

Day 1 (Day 3 of Trip): We drove from our hotel (DoubleTree by Hilton Seychelles – Allamanda Resort and Spa) to the Cat Coco Ferry Terminal for our ferry to Praslin Island. The ferry takes about 1 hr 30 mins from Mahe to Praslin. I had heard that the seas are rough starting June and so we had already applied a motion sickness patch about an hour before leaving for the terminal. After arriving at the ferry terminal, we picked up our rental car (Capricorn Car Rental) and drove to the resort (Le Deuc de Praslin) where we were staying …

Africa Destination Trip Reports

Trip Report – Mahe, Seychelles

Day 1:  We arrived at Mahe International Airport from Addis Ababa around 2 PM. After picking up our rental car, we drove 15km south along the coast to Doubletree by Hilton Seychelles – Allamanda Resort and Spa. We stayed here for 2 nights before visiting Praslin Island. After checking in at the hotel and freshening up, we hit the beach. It was early evening by now and we did not get in the water although it was quite warm!! The hotel is a beachfront property with private beach access. We walked along the beach to nearby rocks which had a …

Africa Destination Trip Reports

May’ 22: Seychelles Trip – Introduction

After about a year from our last international trip (2021 Greece Trip), we went on a quick 7 day vacation to Seychelles. I had been planning on visiting this beautiful island on the Indian Ocean for a while and finally was able to make it happen this year. Seychelles does not require any visas for US passport holders. All visitors however are required to obtain a Travel Authorization before departure. We applied for the travel authorization online about 5 days before the trip and were approved within 2 hours. They require to upload all flight tickets, hotel bookings, passport cover …

Africa Destination Trip Reports

September 2018 – Cape Town and Hermanus Trip Report

We arrived in Cape Town from Johannesburg quite late at night and the difference in temperature was quite palpable. It was quite chilly and drizzling rain. We took our rental car and drove to our hotel in the V&A Waterfront neighborhood. By the time we reached our hotel it was about 1 AM. Day 1: We had planned to go to Table Mountain in the morning but it was rainy and overcast and we could see from our hotel that the visibility from Table Mountain was going to be very poor and so we altered our plans. After breakfast we …

Africa Destination Trip Reports

September 2018 – 7 Day Safari Trip Report in Kruger National Park, South Africa

We have been wanting to visit South Africa for a while, especially after we got hooked on safari following our wonderful trip in Masai Mara Reserve in Kenya in 2016. After a year-long planning we were on our way to South Africa. This time instead of a guided private tour we were going to self-drive in Kruger National Park (mentioned as KNP from now on) as well as stay at much more modest park accommodations. The booking window for KNP opens about 11 months out and I was able to call in and secure 2 rooms at each of our rest …

Africa Destination Trip Reports

September 2018: South Africa Trip Introduction

I have been wanting to visit South Africa (especially for safari at Kruger National Park) for a while after my first safari visit at Kenya Masai Mara National Park. I decided to combine my parents yearly USA visit with it so we fly out from US to South Africa and then do some safari and also visit Cape Town. After the trip, my parents flew back to India and we came back to USA. I will be posting the following trip reports and reviews in the coming days. Airline Review: Cathay Pacific Business Class – Los Angeles to Hong Kong …

Africa Destination Trip Reports

January 2016: Masai Mara Game Reserve – Safari Trip Report

For our 3 day – 2 night Masai Mara safari trip, we chose Natural World Kenya Safaris. There are a large number of safari operators in Masai Mara and we researched around for a while. We chose this operator based on outstanding reviews on Tripadvisor as well as fairly transparent pricing on their website. The safari representative we were corresponding with (Mr. Humphrey) was very responsive via email. Another option we liked about this operator was that you could make safari payments online with credit card. After arriving at the Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, we were met by Mr. …

Africa Destination Trip Reports

January 2016: Luxor Trip Report – Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple, Valley of the Kings, Queen Hatshepsut Temple, Colossi of Memnon

Day 1:  We took the Hilton courtesy shuttle from the hotel to the entrance of the Karnak Temple. It gets hot pretty early in the day and so the earlier you go, the more comfortable the visit will be. After paying 80 EGP entrance fee, we were inside the complex. At the front entrance of the actual Karnak Temple lies the Avenue of Sphinx’s. A row of sphinx’s with head of a ram and body of a lion line the walkway to the entrance of the temple. After crossing the first pylon (entrance door), you are greeted with a courtyard with rows …

Africa Destination Trip Reports

January 2016: Cairo Trip Report – Cairo Museum, Memphis, Saqqara, Giza Pyramids, The Sphinx, Islamic Cairo and Coptic Cairo

We arrived at Cairo International Airport just past midnight. Immigration and customs was a breeze and pretty soon we were outside the terminal building. We were staying at the Ramses Hilton on the banks of Nile (close to Egyptian Antiquities Museum). I had researched various airport transfer options and based on Tripadvisor forum recommendations, I had opted for Cairo Airport Shuttle. The company operates 24/7 out of the airport and usually has the vehicles parked in the car lot outside the terminal. After confirming my prepaid booking, we were on our way to the hotel. Day 1: After waking up …

Africa Asia Destination Trip Reports

Dec’15 – Jan’16: India, Egypt and Kenya Trip – Introduction

Its that time of the year !! Time to go to India and see my family again. Last year, on our trip to India, me and my wife along with my parents did a short South-East Asia trip visiting Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Phuket and Bali. This time we wanted to check off two items from our bucket list – Pyramids and African Safari. Yes, we have plans to go to Egypt (Cairo and Luxor) as well as Masai Mara Reserve close to Nairobi. I know that some folks might think its too risky and maybe even reckless to be visiting Egypt (especially …