May 25th, 2025

First off thank you all for the comments on the blog site. They are much appreciated and as we have said before we use this more for us to remember our time than anything but always nice to know people are following along with us and all the effort is not just for us. Also nice staying in touch with our fellow travelers.

The day started early for us since we had the sunrise bird watching cruise which left at 7. The cruise left from a dock right next to our hotel so did not need long to get there. When we arrived the sun was just coming up.

Sunrise over the Zambezi river. The water was very calm and there were no other boats out yet. The boat we went out on was a wooden boat like the kind that David Livingston used for his explorations along the river.

The boat we used for our bird watching trip and the ship’s galley with coffee, tea and mimosas. They also had fruit, pastries, yogurt parfait, meats & cheeses.

We were met by our guide /Captain and there was only 1 other passenger. The first stop was to the hippos and it was the same place from the sunset dinner cruise. Along the cruise this morning we saw so many hippos that by the end of the tour we were like “it is just another hippo”. The funny thing is that when we were in Africa 25 years ago we saw everything but a hippo and now we have made up for it.

When you first see them with their noses and head sticking out just a little bit my first thought was crocodile.

We also got a nice view of the mist from Victoria Falls which is really what defines the falls.

Not smoke but the mist and with the water so smooth we got a great reflection.

Our guide started pointing out tons of birds. I tried to zoom in on some and then blow the picture up on the camera but some are blurry because we were pretty far away.

A Squacco Heron Hamada Ibis Malachite Kingfisher

Malachite Kingfisher in silhouette Wire Tailed Swallow Pied Kingfisher

To give you an idea of how far away we were from most of the birds I circled one of the birds in yellow on the picture on the left. That is a picture using the 400mm zoom on the Nikon and then I zoomed in more using there camera zoom function. The final image is the wire tailed swallow picture. Also my favorite bird of the morning was the White Fronted Bee Eater. There was a tree that was just covered in them.

We cruised around for 2 hours and we never ate anything because we were so busy watching for birds. When we docked we had an included breakfast at the hotel. Our pick-up for the airport was not until 11am so we had time to freshen up and pack and check out.

The airport in Victoria Falls was surprisingly nice and had multiple airport lounges where we could use our priority pass membership. Most airports we can’t find 1 lounge we can use and this small airport had 3, not the most modern venues but less crowded than the gates with free food & drinks.

The flight to our next destination was 1 hr 40 minutes. There are closer airports to Kruger but not sure of the timing so this is what was booked for us. Even though the flight was at 2pm they still served us a snack.

We got another stamp for our passports for reentering South Africa and our driver was waiting for us as we exited the baggage claim. We were both a bit surprised when the driver told us that the drive would take 2 hours and 40 minutes depending on traffic but since Sunday afternoon it should not be a problem. It was interesting looking out the window and seeing all the scenery. It is very green and tons of agricultural. Our driver explained that organges, avocados, bananas and macadamia nuts were a large part of the economy here. There were also large forests of gum trees which they harvest every 10 to 12 years.

The last 45 minutes of the ride we were on dirt roads with no civilization in site. Just a huge fence bordering Kruger National Park. The resort we are staying in borders Kruger and it is called Sabi Sabi and it is a private game reserve that has 4 lodges within its expansive property. We are at the Bush Lodge and there are no fences separating you from nature. You enter into Kruger a few miles from the lodge but the animals are free to roam the lodge property.

We arrived at 5:30 so too late for the evening game drive which goes out at 3:30 and returns at 6:30. We checked in and then we were escorted to our suite and shown around. It was also explained to us that after dark you were to call the front desk for an escort to come for dinner or the bar and to return to your room. During the day you were free to go out and about on your own but not at night.

The suite was much more than we expected.

The front door is in the center and you have 2 columns on each side with the animal rug in the middle. The columns separate the sitting area from the bedroom. They have nice shelves to store things on like our packs for going out. There is a coffee area right inside the doorway for coffee, tea or hot chocolate and also some snacks. My favorite is the giraffe coat rack to the right of the door. Trying to figure out a way to sneak that into my luggage.

The sitting area that has 2 couches and can be used for kids to sleep on if a family is staying here. There is also a large cabinet with a mini bar which is replenished daily. There is beer,2 white wines and 2 red wines, sodas, water and a lime and knife on a cutting board.

From the bedroom there is a hallway with a large cabinet for clothes and also the safe is here and another large shelf.

The bedroom with another desk and they had 2 safari hats on the bed for us.

The bathroom is huge and a large soaking tube with tons of bath salts and a large walk in shower. You also have your own private patio with an outside shower.

We called for an escort to take us back to the lobby where the bar and sitting and eating area is. We had a drink at the bar while waiting for everyone to return from safari. Lots of guests by the roaring fire in the fireplace. At 7pm you go outside to the dining area where they have a fire pit and 5 food stations. We grabbed one of the few tables for 2 since we were the newbies and did not know anyone yet. The chef tells everyone what dinner is and what is being served at what station. They have a game section where they have different game meats every night. They also have a dessert station, salad station and then a fish of the night station and lastly a barbecue station where they had roasted chicken and other more conventional meats and also side dishes.

The dinner area. We were at the table for 2 but the fire was appreciated because when the sun goes down it is cold.

A young man came over and introduced himself to us and said his name was “Last” and that he would be our waiter for our stay. So for every meal he would look for us and always serve us. He is still training and needs a little help with his English but he also tried to teach us some Zulu. Another person who came and introduced themselves was our ranger who will be on all our game drives while we are here. Her name is Chante and she is a young South African women who was raised in Canada.

Dinner was excellent and we were escorted back to our room and asked if we wanted a 6am wake-up knock or call. Game drives start at 6:30 and they serve some pastries and coffee and tea for those who want it starting at 6am.

Excited to do our first game drive but not the wake up time.