Perhaps the highlight of Yvette’s next trip to Kenya will be her first visit to the northern shores of the Swahili coast, specifically Malindi Bay and Kenya’s first Marine National Park, Watamu. Her plans include dolphin watching, snorkeling at Coral Gardens, a Dhow cruise along the Mida creek, and visiting the port city of Malindi, which has existed as a Swahili settlement since at least the 13th century.
Of course, no trip to Kenya feels complete without a safari in the “spotted” land of the Maasai people, Masai Mara, so called for the acacias and other trees that dot the landscape, where she will be staying in the Naboisho Conservancy which borders the Maasai Mara Reserve. Not a National Park, the 580-square-mile reserve is managed by the County Government of Narok and the local Maasai community.
The other National Park she will be visiting, is the one in Nairobi, the only city in the world featuring a national park within its boundaries. Besides exploring the park, she wants to stretch her legs in Karura Forest, and walk with local story tellers on a Nai Nami Street Tour. Her “deep dive” into the place of “Sweet Waters”, will take her from Kiambethu tea farm to Matbronze Kenya’s first bronze foundry. She needs to do some shopping at Safaria Silver and the Opportunity Factory. She can’t wait to taste the sourdough bread and artisanal cheese at Brown’s Food Company, hopes to dine at Cultiva, and have a cocktail at the Hero bar, which she’s been told is the best in Africa. Yes – it’s going to be hard work indeed…
Vanessa is beyond excited to be returning to South Africa once again, and this time, she will be exploring Cape Town, located at the southern tip of the country. She’s looking forward to re-visiting iconic landmarks like Table Mountain and Bo Kaap with some of our specialist guides, and staying at a selection of our favorite hotels in the city. Vanessa plans to enjoy our top restaurants picks in and around the city, as well as driving out to the Cape Winelands (perhaps in a sidecar). She’ll be splitting her nights there between Franschhoek and Stellenbosch while sampling the amazing art, food and wine offerings in the area.
After that, she’ll fly to Zimbabwe to spend a few days in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe’s largest national park, famous for its large elephant population and abundant wildlife. She’ll be checking in on various lodges, and will be staying at Somalisa Camp and Linkwasha Camp.
Hwange will be followed by a visit to Mana Pools National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that boasts some of the most stunning landscapes and excellent wildlife viewing from land and canoe! The dry season is when this area truly shines, and she’ll be waking up to the sound of hippos with a stay at Zambezi Expeditions and a newer property, we’re all keen to learn more about – Molori Mashamu.
Lastly, she will re-live her childhood vacation destination and explore Lake Kariba, one of the largest artificial lakes in the world, located on the Zambezi River. Kariba is part of Matusadona National Park, which is known for its rich diversity of wildlife, including elephants, lions, buffalo, and various species of antelope. Vanessa will stay at Fothergill Island – a lodge we’ve all been salivating about for a while! Stay tuned for her trip report when she comes back.
Anouk is heading to Johannesburg in May for three days of sightseeing before attending Indaba, one of Africa’s leading travel shows. In Johannesburg she’ll be meeting with specialist art guides and touring Soweto, Victoria yards, and some smaller local art galleries in Maboneng. The evenings will be spent eating out at some of AP’s top restaurant picks. If time permits, the plan is to go to the CBD, pick out some lovely shweshwe cloth and hopefully get an outfit tailored in time for the travel show. She will also scope out new hotels both close to the airport and in town, as many of our clients end up spending a night or two in this city that has so much to offer, and is often misunderstood.
Then it’s off to sunny Durban, where the real whirlwind begins—four days of back-to-back meetings with our partners on the ground from southern and East Africa. She will be scoping out exciting new travel offerings, lodges, tours and reconnecting with industry friends. She’s excited to share everything she learns with the team upon her return and use that knowledge to create even better safari itineraries for you!
Stay tuned for more of our travel plans later in the year as Susan will be off to northern Tanzania and Victoria will be mining Cape Town and the Kruger area for all the hidden gems. We will be sure to all share our trip reports when we return, and in the meantime, do contact us to plan your own adventure in Africa!!
