My Husband’s trip to South Africa

         Last September my husband and seven of his friends loaded their luggage bags and set out for their long awaited hunting trip to South Africa. It was a grueling 2 day travel from Corpus Christi Texas to the Limpopo province in the Republic of South Africa. The layovers seemed a little longer than they had anticipated, but in the end it was something to remember.

        The trip started with a drive from Corpus Christi to San Antonio. Once there, they flew to Chicago O’Hare with a layover of 2 hours giving them plenty of time to chat about their itinerary and making sure   that everything was going as scheduled. Next, they took a short flight to Dulles International where they really kicked back, had a few drinks and chatted about there trip during their final layover before taking the direct flight into Johannesburg. 

        They landed in South Africa during the late afternoon but had not quite made it to their destination yet. It took one hour to go through customs and another four hour drive to the farm where they’d be lodging for the rest of their trip; their 10 day Safari had officially begun!

     Before they set off to bed in their individual thatched chalets that first evening they were able to enjoy a few drinks, discuss their trip, stretch out their legs and enjoy the crisp cool night next to the warm glow of the campfire. By the next morning they were raring to go. Every morning would start with breakfast in the dining room of the main lodge. After breakfast everyone would break up into individual hunting parties with PH’s (Professional Hunters). The hunting parties usually consisted of a PH, a tracker and two hunters/two guests or hunter and observer (usually the wife or other). After each morning hunt, they would make their way back to the lounge chairs in the main court yard as they waited to be called for lunch. Following that would be a long nap before heading back out for an afternoon hunt. When the afternoon hunts were over, they’d come in and shower for dinner. They would meet in the main court yard for a drink or two and swap stories about the hunting adventures each of them had. It was then off to dinner which was described by one of the guests as being in an Emeril live show. Every night was something different through settings and meals. The food was a BAM experience every time.

   Towards the end of the trip all of the ladies got together and went to Sun City (South Africa’s version of Las Vegas) which is a resort town a few hours away filled with casinos, shopping outlets and restaurants. They enjoyed a day at the spa, took an elephant ride through the park and stopped for lunch and a bit of window shopping before heading back to the chalets. The last evening there, they were able to sit and watch the sunset before packing for their long return home the following morning.

         Flying home wasn’t nearly as long as it took to get there but they still had to endure layovers and flight changes in order to get home. It was an amazing trip and my husband cannot wait to return sometime in the late summer of 2009. He is also planning on taking our son CJ on a trip to South Africa before he graduates from high school.

         For those interested in viewing more pictures of my husband’s trip and some of the trophies collected, click here. If you would like to experience a trip like this yourself or have questions go to Safari Taxidermy and click on his contact page.