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I started planning a trip in early 2020 to travel in May 2020 – and you know what happened then. Finally, May 16th 2023 we coordinated our schedules and set off on the resurrected trip to Africa. We being myself and my 2 kids in their 20’s. We were gone 19 days and from every perspective the trip was an amazing success – the itinerary, the execution and services, the places we went, where we stayed, what we did, our experiences, the weather, traveling with my kids (and them with me!) – all was amazing.

The trip was a revelation in certain respects, but in others it felt right and familiar. The movie that had been going off in my head about the trip was the experience we had, if not better. At one point we asked each other what we liked best so far. We could not answer! EVERYTHING was best in the moment we experienced it. It was a beautiful trip especially because it was a combination of learning and leisure, activeness and participation, glamping and journeying; all these things are what I love most about being out and about in the world. This is travel, this is life affirming – for me. I loved traveling with my kids too, we all enjoyed the shared experience and will have shared memories for a lifetime. I also love traveling solo – I don’t let anything stop me from being on the road, suitcase in tow. What I experienced on this trip is a microcosm of life itself; the vast expanses of space, the night sky, the crashing ocean, the bush and savannah, the wildlife, the people, the majesty, the laws of the jungle, beauty and struggles, even tragedy. There is wildlife elsewhere, we have coyotes, possums, raccoons, skunks, mountain lions, lynx in Southern California. But what you see in Africa is somehow different, unfenced and wild and big and roaming; a lion pride with 18 lions moving at their own unhurried pace, masses of elephants around a watering hole, a field of wildebeests and zebra’s, giraffe’s, cape buffalo, Kudu, impala, hippo, jackals, massive spiderwebs reflecting in the morning dew on our 6am game drives, finishing our evening game drives with a study of the night sky and looking for the Southern Cross, glamping at the safari camps, toast on a grill over an open fire, pork in cream with onions and wine followed by chocolate mouse.

The vast expanses of Africa, are familiar to a certain degree coming from the Western USA, but it’s different yet again. The thundering sound of Victoria Falls, how wet you get from the spray! The bush in the Timbavati (a private game reserve in South Africa sharing an unfenced border with Kruger National Park) of our first Safari Camp was scrubbier, tighter, the dirt more hard packed and reddish. In Zimbabwe and Hwange National Park, location of our second safari camp Bomani, the bush was grassier, more open and savannah like, the dirt sandy and almost white. The sunrises and sunsets were magnificent everywhere, we did not mind our early wake up at 5:30am for the morning drives, the payoff was so splendid in wildlife, camaraderie with our field guide and tracker and other camp quests when present. We quickly came to cherish the game drive traditions of coffee stop in the bush on the morning drive with a big breakfast after back at camp, G&T stop on the evening drive followed by drinks around the campfire and gorgeous dinner. Cape Town was lovely, our guest house at the foot of table mountain was a gem, the breakfast luxurious. We hiked Platenklip Gorge trail to the top of Table Mountain (2300 elevation gain in less than 2 miles – not easy!) with incredible views back onto Cape Town en route and from the top, we surfed at Muisenburg, we drove down to the Cape of Good Hope, we saw the Cape penguins at Boulder’s Beach, we drove winding coastal roads and experienced Africa’s “Big Sur” coastline – our days were rich and full every day.

Our journey was also fun for me for the flying there and back and within Africa. Because I am a bit of an AV geek and travel hacker and used points and miles for the long haul segments, I curated all of this with care as this is part of a travel experience for me! After our stop in Amsterdam, the 12 days in Africa were organized by a Safari company I hired and they were magnificent, including the departure from Bomani camp in Zimbabwe, 40 miles from the nearest paved road, we arrived partially by car over rough roads did the last 80km by rail, then departed by light aircraft from a turf runway with a loan windsock back to Victoria Falls…  Amazing itinerary flawlessly executed. I’ll end here and let my handful of pictures share our journey. If you are at all inclined to travel – don’t hesitate and just go. Anywhere really, road trip to National Parks, on a ship, in a plane to a remote or urban destination, to any continent – it’s all good and is awesome, inspiring, life affirming.  Happy Travels!