It’s been said that a trip to Africa is life-changing and there’s a lot of truth in that.
Being engrossed in our own Western way of life is easy and while though not unreasonable, it certainly can be limiting.
TravelPulse Canada has been on the Kruger in Depth FAM tour with G Adventures for the last week. Out of the 3 FAMs offered this year to agents, (Borneo and Vietnam being the other 2), this 8 day trip was the most popular with agents, and received the most applications.
Ana Santa Maria Watson, GPS (Global Purpose Specialist) for G Adventures in Canada and a former travel agent, says it’s important for agents to be able to live the experience their clients will have, in order to better serve them.
“There is no better way I think, to know a product than to experience it,” Ana tells us after dinner one evening. “You can read a brochure, you can see pictures, you can watch YouTube videos, but nothing prepares you for this. That is part of my job and what I like to do – I want to make sure that travel agents have the tools to be able to sell.”
While we’ve been here, alot of readers and travel agents have contacted us or commented they too have a safari on their bucket list; it’s a place both they and their clients have dreamt of visiting.
Here’s some advice: Just Go with G.
The Kruger in Depth tour spans 8 days and as the name suggests covers Kruger National Park itself and the area around it, known as the Greater Kruger Area. The park itself is massive – it spans nearly 70 kms wide, 320km in length, covering nearly 20,000 square kilometres. This makes travelling quite tedious, with one day of driving nearly 12 hours, however that’s truly the only downside of the whole tour and in itself not a disadvantage. The bulk of the drive that day is through Kruger Park and is basically another safari. It’s where we witnessed the majestical moment of a herd of elephants crossing in front of us, a mere 20 feet away.
Animal viewing aside of course, one of the biggest advantages of this tour has to be its price point. Averaging around $1600 + airfare, it’s one of the more affordable safaris compared to others which can hover up to $20,000 per person, or even more.
Accommodations are very good; our arrival and departure nights were spent at the Airport Game Lodge which is basic, but homey. We were greeted by ostriches and impalas, with a few peacocks in the mix and rooms were comfortable. The food was delicious as was the wine: ur welcome dinner was a Braii – it can be compared to a traditional western BBQ (but don’t call it that!) prepared by chef Monique. Due to planned rotating power outages, we ate by candlelight which only made the experience more magical.
Glamping tents at Awelani Lodge
We also stayed two nights at Awelani Lodge, which has “glamping” style of tents and also chalets. Tents have their own bathrooms with shower and electricity and are a great way to really feel in touch with nature, while having some comforts of home. Chalets are more like individual villas, probably better for those who love being outside but with the comfort of AC, TV and standard walls.
While at Awelani, we did a 5km nature walk through the grounds and would recommend it for anyone who is interested in learning the history of the area. Our guide Mpo taught us about the different types of trees used traditionally for medicine and about the cave dwellers from 80,000 years ago. Walkability factor is easy with only a bit of climbing on rocks in the last stretch, it’s suitable for most people.
Our last lodge was the gorgeous Umbhaba Eco Lodge, located in Hazyview where we stayed for three nights. It’s more of a traditional, serene, upper scale resort. It’s quiet, beautifully decorated and the grounds are lush and relaxing, filled with beautiful bushes, waterfalls and ponds around every corner. It’s what you probably are envisioning a stay in South Africa would entail and your clients will love it.
We have so much more to break down for you about this trip – stay tuned for more articles on this incredible experience.