Raffle winners 2013 Carey Urban and her aunt Jacky. New York, New York USA & Ohio

Posted on Dec 4, 2013 in Karen's blog | 0 comments

My stay at Hippo Haven was a wonderful experience! Karen is a font of information about the flora and fauna of Zimbabwe and the Save Valley, so walks in the bush are always interesting and usually provide a few good surprises each day. It’s amazing how much Karen can teach you about turds and footprints!

My aunt and I were the raffle winners in 2013, so the entire trip felt like an enormous gift. We saw SO MANY ELEPHANTS!!! We also saw a wild lioness on our first night at Hippo Haven, as well as zebras, wildebeast, kudus, impalas, waterbucks, a pack of wild painted dogs, a badger and of course… HIPPOS!!!!! Karen went the extra mile to make sure my aunt Jackie got to see her foster hippo son Chubby, even though he had moved on to a different pool farther way from the homestead and was not easy to spot.

Jacky and the vervets

I also got a chance to climb a giant baobab tree (didn’t make it to the top, but it was worth the effort). And spending afternoons just lounging around watching the bamboos and monkeys play was good for the soul.

There were so many special moments, and Karen and Jean-Roger are delightful hosts.

THANK YOU THANK YOU for an amazing adventure! ~Carey