Buzz’s
comments on his tour of Southern Africa with Gate 1 March 2024
This was my third Gate 1 tour. There were 31 clients on this trip.
Fortunately, all of the clients promptly arrived for the bus departures. Twelve
folks left before Victoria Falls and ten extended another 2 days after. I have mixed feelings about recommending this
trip. The security issues were very time
consuming and annoying. The crime in
South Africa is very high and avoiding it is a major concern. I had my prescription glasses stolen while I
was sleeping on a flight from Cape Town to Durban. On the good side, the safaris were excellent. The stay in Johannesburg was a waste of time
as was the full day in the bus to get there.
The trip should be altered to fly directly to Victoria Falls from Kruger
but that would be an issue for those folks who did not book the Victoria Falls
extension. Taking a similar trip outside
of a tour group would be very dangerous and should not be attempted.
My notes to Gate 1 were:
No Wi-Fi on the buses.
Most of the hotel Wi-Fi’s were not secure so I could not access my
Comcast email.
Should warn people to bring luggage locks.
Should suggest that people bring binoculars
Should warn people to bring more cash since many ATMs or
the use of credit cards is not safe.
Should alert people about the exact amounts of the
Victoria Falls visa fee and how fussy the immigration agents are about the date
and condition of the bills they will accept.
Friday 08 March United 1122 Newark to Cape Town 8:35 PM to
Saturday March 9 6:00 PM. Very pleasant
business class lounge while awaiting my flight.
Pleasant 13.5 hour flight. On
final approach, I saw and was able to take pictures of the towering symbol of
the city - Table Mountain.
Sat 09 Mar Arrive in Cape Town; Transfer to the
hotel was well marked and in place as I left the customs area. Overnight at Southern
Sun Waterfront Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. Pleasant room with free Wi-Fi, a bolted safe,
a refrigerator, tub and a stall shower. Later I learned that Comcast had
blocked the IP address so I could not access my email.
Sun 10 Mar The buffet breakfast was very good. At the 1.5 hour orientation meeting with our
Tour Manager, Annie, we learned that rooms were frequently robbed for almost
everything except for locked suitcases, most ATMs were not safe and that many
places clone your credit card when you use them. We returned to our rooms to lock every in our
suitcases, empty our safes and take all our money, credit cards and passports
with us. Annie created a WhatsApp group to keep everyone informed and to share
pictures. We departed on a half-day Cape
Town city and Table Mountain tour. We stopped at a place to change money since
most places do not accept anything but local currency. The route lead to Kloof
Nek and Table Mountain. We ascend to the top by means of a cable car. We stopped at a local craft market. We strolled through the V & A Shopping
Mall before returning to the hotel. We had our opening night dinner at the
cruise ship terminal as part of the Gate 1 package Overnight at Southern Sun
Waterfront Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
We had our opening night dinner at the cruise ship terminal a short bus
ride away from the hotel as part of the Gate 1 package.
Mon 11 Mar Depart on a full day Cape
Peninsula Tour with lunch along the way. After a stop at the fishing village of
Hout Bay, continue to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. Then, following the
coastline along False Bay, return to Cape Town after lunch. On the way, visit
the penguin colonies at Boulders Beach, and the Kirstenbosch National Botanical
Gardens. Home Hosted Dinner in Cape Town
- This dinner will allow you to meet a local South African family and visit
their home. I selected the optional Traditional African Dinner Experience for
an evening of entertainment and traditional African gastronomy. We enjoyed an
exciting interactive djembe drumming session before dinner. Then, we savored a
14-course meal with dishes from several African nations, accompanied by live
performances. While dining, we witnessed an extraordinary Mali puppet show.
Overnight at Southern Sun Waterfront Cape Town, Southern Sun Sandton, South
Africa.
Tue 12 Mar I selected the optional
excursion to "Shark Alley"
to experience shark cage diving. This
was a Full Day excursion to "Shark Alley" mislabeled as great white
shark cage diving since the great shite sharks rarely are spotted and it is not
a dive – spectators watch from the boat when not standing in the cage dunking
their head under water to see the animals..
We picked up a bagged breakfast before our 4:30 AM departure from our
hotel and headed east to the coastal fishing town of Gansbaai. Upon arrival,
the crew of your expedition boat served a light breakfast, reviewed the day's
activities, safety etiquette and provided insight to the likely marine
predators to appear. Then we headed out into the open waters between Geyser
Rock and Dyer Islander where the cage was deployed. Outfitted with a 5mm
wetsuit, lifejacket and snorkeling mask, we climbed through the top of the cage
secured to the boat. There were 3 shifts entering the cage to watch the
animals. Visibility was about 30 feet and we stayed in the cage about 30
minutes. I was comfortable in the wet
suit. We saw 3 species of sharks with
the animals frequently passing less than 5 feet from me in the cage, One shark stuck his nose into the cage about
6 inches from me – his mouth did not fit through the opening. We returned to the port diverting to see
penguins swimming where we were greeted with a hot bowl of soup and bread. The
marine biologist recapped the adventure before our return to Cape Town. I selected the optional home cooked three
course meal with wine typical to South Africa. It gave me the chance to
experience local culture in a relaxed and comfortable environment with
fascinating conversation about the way of life in South Africa, while also
exchanging views as well as experiences with our hosts before returning to the
hotel. Overnight at Southern Sun
Waterfront Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Wed 13 Mar We had a 3:30 AM transfer to
the airport for the 6:25 AM two hour flight to Durban on Cem Air. Unfortunately, I lost my glasses on
the airplane and never able to find them.
Upon arrival, we had a 3 hour bus ride to a game viewing cruise that
took us on the St. Lucia Estuary, home to Nile crocodiles, hippopotami, sea
turtles, and sharks. The weather was very bad and we only saw hippos. After the cruise, we had a two hour bus ride.
We enjoyed an excellent dinner at the hotel as part of the Gate 1 package. Overnight at Anew Hotel Hluhluwe
& Safaris, Hluhluwe, pleasant hotel with a bolted safe, stall shower, a
refrigerator, and free Wi-Fi but still no access to my Comcast email.
Thu 14 Mar We picked up a bag lunch and
after an early morning coffee, traveled to the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve,
situated in northern KwaZulu-Natal, which is famous for its conservation of
black and white rhinos Up-close I saw
several white rhino, three lions, many wart hogs, many impala, a few monkeys, a
cape water buffalo and many colorful
birds.. At a distance, I saw an elephant
and some zebra. We had a minimal hot breakfast
halfway through our visit to the game reserve.
We continued to the border of the Kingdom of eSwatini, an independent
kingdom within the borders of South Africa. During the trip, I saw a couple of
giraffes and several monkeys. We stopped
at a handicraft market before arriving at our hotel in the early evening. Overnight at Mountain
Inn, Mbabane, eSwatini. Nice hotel
with very large rooms, free Wi-Fi, a refrigerator, a stall shower and a bolted
safe. I did have to walk outside in the
rain to get to my room and to and from dinner.
The buffet dinner was good and reasonably priced. The night safari was
an add-on and was excellent. Great
sightings of elephants, lions, hyenas, zebras and a lomback.
Fri 15 Mar After a reasonable breakfast
buffet, we visited the Ngwenya glass factory, where we watched from a balcony
glass blowers create a range of African animals and tableware made from
recycled glass. After a 3 hour bus ride, we crossed the South African border
and visited Matsamo Cultural Village where we learned more about the Swati
traditions and customs. We enjoyed traditional Swati cuisine along with dance
and song performances. Later, we continued to the hotel in time for dinner
During the 3 hour drive to the hotel I saw a Gnu. Overnight at Kruger Gate Hotel. The room was nice
but my safe would not lock and the replacement was not bolted. The room has a refrigerator, stall shower and
free Wi-Fi but still no access to my Comcast email. At the hotel, I saw a monkey up close and an
elephant far off in the distance. Dinner
was very good and was included in the Gate 1 package. We went on a night safari
departing at 8:30 PM an add on to the gate 1 package .While I was on the night safari the hotel
replaced the defective safe and bolted a new safe.
Sat 16 Mar We picked up a bag breakfast
and after an early morning coffee for a 5:15 AM departure from the hotel. Then,
we traveled on to Kruger National Park for a full day, open-vehicle game drive.
I saw too many animals to list (see the pictures), This is a birder’s paradise.
After stopping at a rest camp for a very good buffet lunch, continue the game
drive before returning to the hotel. Buffet dinner at the hotel that was part
of the Gate 1 package. Overnight at
Kruger Gate Hotel.
Sun 17 Mar We departed after a good buffet
breakfast at 7:45 AM. We stopped to
admire at the Mac Mac waterfall but it was rainy and slippery so many of us
chose not to descend to the viewing area.
We stopped for lunch before proceeding in the afternoon to Johannesburg.
We stopped at a family-run curio shop before arriving at the hotel Overnight at
Southern Sun Sandton,
Johannesburg. Many of the rooms our
group had in this hotel had significant issues, which our Tour Manager worked
hard to resolve. The rooms were nice
with a stall shower, refrigerator (mine was not working), a safe (some bolted
and some not fortunately mine was) and free Wi-Fi but still no access to my
Comcast email.
Mon 18 Mar We
after a reasonable buffet breakfast, departed on a half-day tour of Soweto at
8:30 AM. We sent most of the morning at Constitution Hill, home of an old
prison that housed both Gandhi and Mandela before he was sent to Robbin
Island. Now it is the site of the
Constitutional[RCR1] Court.
We drove by the former residence of Bishop Desmond Tutu and visited
previously Nelson Mandela's former home.
Unfortunately, since it was Monday most of the other museums were
closed. We stopped at a park to hear Mama Antonette to describe hear firsthand
account of the loss of her brother on the June 16, 1976 demonstration. We had a shopping stop before returning the
hotel. We capped off the day with the
farewell dinner, Overnight at Southern
Sun Sandton, Johannesburg.
Tue 19 Mar After a reasonable buffet
breakfast, we transfer to the airport 8:00 AM for our morning flight on FastJet to Victoria Falls, named a UNESCO World
Heritage Site. We continue to the hotel before embarking on a sundowner cruise
on the Zambezi River, where we viewed hippos, alligators, interesting birds and
a beautiful sunset. The cruise offered
free drinks and good food. Our tour manager provided us with citronella to
avoid mosquitoes since this is a malaria area, I took the advice of a Doctor
from South Africa that I meet on a cruise in November 2023 and did not take any
malaria medication, This was also the
recommendation of our Tour Manager. The
clients on this trip that did had some unpleasant side effects. I did treat my clothes with Sawyer Permethrin
Fabric Treatment and brought more mosquito repellant. Overnight at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge,
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The rooms were
nice with a stall shower, refrigerator, a bolted safe, mosquito netting over
the bed, and free Wi-Fi and happily, I was able to access my Comcast email. The hotel had a nice restaurant and a great
viewing area of a water hole that animal frequently visited. Unlike South Africa there is no crime here
and we could leave our toiletries and medicines out without locking them in a
suitcase each time we left our rooms.
Wed 20 Mar I selected an optional full day
trip to Chobe
for another full day of large animal encounters. We departed after a nice buffet breakfast at
7:15 AM. At Chobe, we spent the morning
on a river cruise with sittings of hundreds of elephants, a cape buffalo, many
hippos some baboons and many interesting birds.
After a very nice lunch buffet, we went on a safari sighting a lioness,
hundreds of elephants, baboons, giraffes, hippos, and some deer/antelope. We returned to the hotel at 6:00 PM and I had
a great dinner at the hotel. Overnight
at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
Thu 21 Mar At 6:00 AM, we took a two hour
guided tour of the Victoria Falls, one of the "Seven Natural Wonders of
the World". Then returned to the hotel for breakfast. Flight from Victoria Falls to Johannesburg on
FastJet. Overnight at Intercontinental
Hotels Johannesburg
O.R.Tambo Airport. It was a short walk from the exit of the
customs area to the hotel. Nice room
with free internet, a bolted safe a tub, a scale and a stall shower. The refrigerator was a full stocked as a mini
bar. This was by far the best hotel on
this trip. I had a very good dinner
here. Unfortunately, I could not access
my Comcast email here.
Fri 22 Mar Great breakfast was included
with my room. Late checkout was 2:00 PM.
Check in for my flight did not start until 6 PM. There was a comfortable place for me to wait
after room check out until it was time to check into my flight. Check in counters are not fixed. After proceeding to the third floor for
international departures, I needed to view the monitors to find where to check
in. Nice South Africa Airlines business
class lounge was available to all UA passengers, but no access to my Comcast
email. United 187 JNB to EWR 10 PM to
Saturday March 23 8 AM
Sat 23 Mar Amtrack 143 EWR-PHL 10:09 AM to
11:18 AM.
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pictures from the trip.
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