On Safari - People

Our Game Drive truck

Once you are assigned your guide, you stay together for the game drives and bush walks and for breakfast and dinner – which means that you spend about 10 hours each day in each others company. However, it is a very mobile group which changes as people leave and arrive every day or so.

The young couple from Chicago – Maggie and Rohit – were pleasant company and seemed to enjoy every aspect of the experience – including their night in the tree house – just disappointed that they didn’t see any lions on the game drives. However I am always surprised by people who come on a safari without binoculars, or with a new camera that they haven't learned how to use. The Swedish couple were good company and we had some amusing discussions over dinner.

The other group included 4 Brits from Newcastle and another Swedish couple who were approaching the end of their 5-month round-the-world trip who were all very easy to get along with. However, on day two they were joined by a young American honeymoon couple from N Carolina. 

While pleasant enough and very polite, they did demonstrate some of the more annoying traits of their nationality. There never seemed to be a conversation anywhere in the camp where their voices were not the loudest and despite being around 30 years old and on only their second trip outside the US, they were keen to expound on their expertise of International travel.

I was a little concerned when the young woman started to lecture Linda on the subject of wines from South Africa – based on her visits to 3 wineries. Thankfully, no blood was spilled as Linda smiled gracefully and excused herself. Much more James Page than Jimmy C!

They also left to spend a night in the tree house but called out the guide and tracker to bring them back to camp at 1.30am because it had got a bit windy and the mosquito net was blowing around.

Luckily, we had very little other interaction with them, and when our American and Swedish friends departed we were joined by another pleasant younger Swedish couple and there were only four of us in the truck for the last two drives.