Port Elizabeth, South Africa

April 6, 2024 - Another truly amazing day on safari! Port Elizabeth has changed its name to Gqeberha, which is very difficult for us to pronounce since you need to do it with a clicking sound. Although they changed the name several years ago most of the road signs have not changed. Today we boarded our bus and we had a 90 minute drive to Kariega Private Game Reserve. Along the way our guide told us all about the industries just outside the port, and how they are seeking new companies to come to this area as they have two ports in the harbors of Gqeberha - one of which is the deepest water port in South Africa. We also saw & learned about their salt flats, the coastal dune fields and the many farmlands along the way, it was truly beautiful landscapes even with the rain.

As we arrived at Kariega Private game reserve, and drove up to the gate the first thing we saw were 7-8 giraffes standing there as if to greet us. As we arrived at the reception area we were offered a beverage just before we boarded our jeeps. Each jeep was open topped and held 9-10 passengers, 3 rows of 3 in stadium seats. Ann Marie was in the back row middle seat on one jeep and Cathy was in the front seat next to the driver in another jeep. We were each given a plastic rain poncho as it started to rain a little as we started our drive, but stopped in less than 5 minutes and was dry for the remainder of the safai. Our drivers gave us all the rules during our Safari for our safety and the safety of the animals and asked us if any of us were concerned about animals coming close to the vehicle and then we were off for ort 3 hour adventure.

We immediately started spotting native wildlife around every corner such as Kudu, Eland, Cape Buffalo, Baboon monkey, Nyla, Zebra, Impala, Warthog, White Rhino and many more. Highlights for us were the Rhinos which Ann Marie saw 6 of them lying on the jeep path right in front of them. We were so close to the sleeping lions we could have reached out and touched them (if we were crazy enough to do that). Lions apparently sleep 16-18 hours a day - especially after they have eater their prey - which based on the way they were sleeping and how they were breathing was evident they had done in the early hours of the morning. The only time we were permitted to get out of the jeep was to look at the Hippopotamuses in the water in a ravine below us. Our guides were great at getting us as close to the wildlife as they could for pictures, but as always it was just better to put the camera down and just enjoy the experience. It was so peaceful when we just sat there in one place to watch the animals, learning from our guides their names and habits and how co-exist. The reserve is 114,000 acres and we certainly did not get to see it all, especially the elephants as they were another 2 hour drive away, but we had such a great experience in Richard’s Bay seeing elephants and today was truly special seeing and experiencing all that we did on the safari.

After the safari we arrived at the Lodge where we had a wonderful buffet lunch of locally prepared foods — freshly made bread, homemade soup to start and so much more. The staff serving the food then preformed for us a traditional song and dance. By the time we left the lodge to get in the jeeps to head back to our buses, the rain started in earnest — so we were a bit wet on the ride back but that was a very small price to pay for a truly amazing day.

And, yes we had a wonderful day, but one of the highlights was the fact that many of the crew also were able to go on a safari. Thanks to a lot of work done by Bebe, the HR officer on board the ship, a specific safari just for staff was arranged — and many of them took advantage. As we left for our tour, we could see them sitting in Manfredi’s restaurant excitedly waiting to go. And when we returned to the ship, you could hear many of them talking about their day, and the animals they saw. We were so happy to see them get to truly enjoy themselves and to experience just a little bit of adventure — something we’ve been able to do in every port.

Cape Town, South Africa

Richard’s Bay, South Africa