Week 1: South Africa, Botswana, Zambia

From watching the sun rise over the Kalahari to catching a glimpse of a leopard stalking its prey, it's hard to believe we've only been in Africa a week. To say it has been a fantastic time would be an understatement. We started in Johannesburg before traveling overland to Thornybush Private Game Reserve, Kruger National Park, Elephant Sands, and Chobe National Park. We are now in Zambia just by Victoria Falls, getting ready for a sunset cruise over the Zambezi river.

To say the least, it has been quite an experience -- camping each night under the stars, having some beers by the fire, meeting some good people from all over the world, eating local foods such as kudu and impala. And then there's the sights -- we have seen all of the Big 5 (lion, elephant, leopard, rhino, and buffalo) as well as a ton of giraffe, zebra, monkeys, antelope, etc. Unbelievable seeing them in their natural environment. Giraffe appear to be the most curious about us, often following us with their eyes until we are out of sight, but we've come face to face (within 3 feet) of a pride of lions and a bunch of elephants as well. I have taken a ton of photos but since it is hard to post them all at the moment, here is a sample, taken at night of a lion just a few feet from away!

Anyways, next up is bungee jumping at Victoria Falls (3rd highest jump in the world at 360+ feet), hand gliding over the falls, and then heading down to Cape Town for a few days. Will try to write more in a week or so. Hope you all are well!