Phyllis Neville

September 2024 Issue

by Edwina Hoyle
Photography (top right) by Cassidy Dunn Photography

Four words describe Phyllis Neville’s reaction to a recent safari trip to Kenya: “You just gotta go!” She’s traveled to places like Switzerland and Italy, but said nothing has compared to Africa, seeing amazing animals in their natural settings. Phyllis exclaimed, “I’ve seen elephants and giraffes in the zoo, of course, but seeing a herd of elephants in the savanna, or a zebra sitting right behind your cabin is fantastic!”

Phyllis is originally from San Antonio, Texas, and attended Texas Tech in Lubbock. She pledged her sorority in 1974 and has kept in touch with her sorority girlfriends ever since. “Over the years we would have reunions, and now, with our digital world, we stay in touch even more. One sorority friend is a Spanish teacher who has taken numerous trips to Spain with her students over the years. From that, she started organizing group trips based on offerings of EF Tours (educational tours and language programs abroad). This year she organized a trip to Africa, and I wanted to go.”

“We toured Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, and four national parks with safaris in each one,” Phyllis said. “Africa is so unique. You see animals up close, like elephants crossing the road right in front of you. It was an amazing adventure. The weather was mild and sunny all the time, but it wasn’t really hot. Late June is sort of like winter there, and it’s after the rainy season. There was no air conditioning anywhere, only fans and open windows. All the guides and drivers spoke English. The only instructions were: Don’t get out of the vehicle, and drink bottled water.” The group enjoyed great accommodations in lodges at each park. At one site the accommodations were beautiful platform tents.

“We ate some great food—lots of fresh fish and veggies. People are all smiling. You wonder what conditions they live in, but they’re all smiling and very hospitable,” Phyllis said.

There were 28 people traveling in the group and each Jeep held six people. The first stop was Aberdare National Park and the Mt. Kenya region, which is a massif or mountainous area. Great Rift Valley is an important center of ecological study with lakes and rocky escarpments. Phyllis said they were always on alert, looking for the Big Five: leopards; rhinos; cape buffalo; lions; and elephants. At Lake Naivasha, which is 6,200 feet above sea level, they did both a game walk and a game drive. Then they went to Lake Nakuru, a soda lake (extremely salty and alkaline) where fish can’t survive, but millions of flamingos abound there. Lake Nakuru is world-famous as one of the greatest bird spectacles on earth.

“We went through little towns all around Kenya, traveling to the Maasai Mara, a large national game reserve,” Phyllis said. They visited a Maasai village, where the tribe was dressed in their native garb. The Maasai’s symbolic red-and-blue clothing and colorful beaded jewelry are among the many traditions its people have maintained as they work to keep their culture alive. “The villagers danced and chanted. Ladies would grab us by the hand leading us, showing us their village, and giving us beads.”

Phyllis’ favorite experience was a magical hot air balloon ride. “There were several balloons with twelve of us in each basket. We lifted off as the sun was just starting to rise to the glow of the savanna. We dipped so low we were skimming the grasses. We saw lions and elephants from the air,” she recalled. “Imagine sailing through the air over one of the world’s best game reserves with prides of lions napping in the shade, giraffes wandering among leafy trees, swaying savanna grasses, and iconic acacia trees. When we landed, they drove us to another spot. Tables were set with white tablecloths. They served us breakfast with champagne!”

They also visited a school. “We carried backpacks filled with school supplies and toiletries. The children were so cute, all dressed in uniforms. They sang songs for us. We visited their classrooms and handed out the supplies we brought for them. They were so appreciative. There was no lighting in the classrooms and no toilets, only outhouses. Meeting the children was a great experience.”

The last park they visited was Amboseli National Park, an 150-square-mile game reserve that sits against the breathtaking backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro. It’s known for huge herds of elephants, leopards, lions, baboons, cheetahs, wild dogs, buffalo, kudus, hippos, rhinos, wildebeest, and ostriches.

Like Phyllis emphasized from the very beginning: “You just gotta go!”

 

Up Close:
• Phyllis and her husband, Paul, are 40-year residents of Hilton Head Island, and have raised two self-sufficient and independent daughters. They moved into a new home recently, where Phyllis enjoys creating a new backyard oasis.

• Phyllis is a faithful yoga practitioner, going four or five times a week to work on stretching and balance.

• Phyllis has always been an active member of the community. Over the years she has worked in development for Volunteers in Medicine, was a manager for the Church Mouse Thrift Shop, volunteered 25 years for the Girl Scouts, and served on the Board of Backpack Buddies.