Your Summit Management tour hosts, Rob Lipman and Layne Shockley, welcomed 24 guests to our first South African expedition – with part of the group arriving a day early and the rest arriving on Saturday. A beautiful summer sky greeted our travelers with 90 Degree temperatures, as about half of the group elected to take the Joburg Hop On, Hop Off bus tour, while the other half relaxed at the spectacular, art-deco themed InterContinental Hotel in the leafy green suburb of Sandton.

The highlight of the day was our evening get-together reception, held high above the city on the 26th floor of the hotel. Guests introduced themselves and gave a quick explanation of why they chose our tour, and the overwhelming answer was that this is a “bucket list” destination. Some of the answers were more humorous – Layne’s mother, for example, said she really wanted to go to the Animal Kingdom at Disney World, but somehow she ended up in Africa instead.

Our group will be up and at ‘em tomorrow morning – after the fantastic breakfast served by the hotel, we head for the capital city of Pretoria, followed by lunch at the elegant Kream restaurant, and then a two-hour drive to Northwest Province where we’ll check into the spectacular Shepherd’s Tree Camp. Our first game drive begins in the late afternoon as we go in search of the Big Five. It’s sure to be a day to remember. More to follow…