Sub-Saharan Africa Trip

     For my most recent trip, I adventured areas of Africa south of the Saharan Desert.  It was a wonderful vacation!
     For the first section of my trip, I visited South Africa, where I stayed in a hotel on the Whale Coast.  I saw a few whales, but the highlight was when I went shark cage diving.  I came face to face with a huge great white shark!  On my whale watching tour, I got a chance to see not only whales, but the rest of the South African ocean big five.  This included more great white sharks, cape fur seals, African penguins, and multiple kinds of dolphins!  The dolphins were very friendly.  I later went to Cape Town to explore, finding many interesting locations.  I toured the Castle of Good Hope, the oldest building in South Africa, built in 1666.  I went to the top of Table Mountain in a cable car and took in the view of the city and peninsula.  On the slopes of the mountain lay the beautiful Kirstenbosch Gardens, where I got a chance to walk through their dinosaur exhibit.  To end my trip, I went to the Sabi Sands Reserve and got a chance to see the popular safari "Big Five," including lions, cape buffalo, African elephants, leopards, and a rhino with her baby!
     For the second section of my trip, I went offshore to the island of Madagascar.  I started by visiting Lemurs' Park in the Antananarivo Highlands, which has nine different species of lemurs in it. Two of these are nocturnal, so they were only visible in cages, but I was still able to see them up close.  The rest of the species were free range and could roam around the park, allowing us to get very near to them.  Next, I visited the Isle Sainte Marie, and took in the many attractions there.  I went scuba diving in the coral reef, and among the tropical fish and turtles, I swam near a sunken pirate ship!
With my mind on pirates, I decided to visit the pirate's cemetery of Sainte Pierre as well.  I ended my adventures on that isle by going to the Old Fort, built in 1753.  Next, I visited the region of Toliara, in which I visited the incredible sea museum, as well as some tombs of the Masikoro.  The tombs are painted with scenes from the military life of the deceased.  For my final stop, I visited the Kirindy Mitea National Park.  It is home to many species of all kinds of animals, but my favorites were the reptiles, of which there were fifty species.  I loved seeing the colorful chameleons!  I had a great time!