We can’t believe how this year has flown. But it must be something to do with all the exceptional highlights along the way.

This includes the official launch of John Stevens’ anti-poaching initiative, Zambezi Elephant Fund (now a hard-working collaborative of brilliant partners and fantastic donors who are making a difference in the Zambezi Valley) and also a great year in safaris for John, which saw him travel with friends and clients to Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and Ethiopia, to name a few!

We’d like to fill you in on some of these exceptional journeys, because we believe they might inspire you to travel to some of Africa’s most astonishing destinations one day.

Take remarkable photographs in Mana Pools, Zimbabwe, interact with silverback gorillas in Rwanda, explore Ethiopia’s incredible landscapes by helicopter, follow the migration in Tanzania, see a successful rhino protection operation in place, track lions in the wild and cruise along the Zambezi River with the Victoria Falls thundering in the background…

This is just a glimpse of John Stevens Safaris’ Africa – join us as we look back over a good safari year.

The most celebrated national park in the world, the Serengeti in northern Tanzania, is a massive wilderness south of the Maasai Mara that houses the Great Wildebeest Migration from December through to March during calving season. The seemingly unending plains of the southern Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area are inhabited by enormous herds of wildebeest – between 1,5 and 3 million – and zebra – up to 1,5 million, making for a magnificent natural display.

The herds attract hundreds of big cats as the populations provide abundant prey and giant African crocodiles lie in wait, too, as the wildebeest cross rivers.
Ask us about how you, too, can see this most exciting natural phenomenon, definitely a bucket list item!

Mana Pools National Park in northern Zimbabwe is a wildlife wonderland on the Zambezi River. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Mana Pools has the highest concentration of game on the entire continent in the winter months, the best time to visit (June, July, August). Herds of elephant and buffalo as well as lion, hyena, kudu, impala, waterbuck, zebra, wild dog, leopard, jackal, the rare Nyala and other species are drawn to the permanent waters of the river.

Mana Pools is John Stevens’ favourite place in the world and he knows it intimately. Track lion or wild dogs on foot with him, sleep under the stars on a river sandbank or sit atop an anthill and watch over a teeming waterpool, amongst other activities.

Speak to us if you would like to experience one of the most thrilling safaris you’ll ever have…

Ethiopia offers the intrepid traveller an intoxicating blend of incredible scenery, fascinating history, colourful cultures and friendly people. John has been fortunate enough to visit Ethiopia several times with a long-time friend and client, who loves to push the boundaries of exploration.

Open up your world and take an expedition on your own private helicopter to the farthest reaches of this amazing country, far off the tourist trails. The vast salt pans in the lowest and hottest place in the world, the Danakil Depression, the walled city of Harar, the beautifully formed Bale Mountains, the peoples of the Omo Delta, the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela… there’s so much to discover. Please contact us if you are interested in an Ethiopian adventure.

The legendary Victoria Falls is among the biggest and most awe-inspiring on the planet.
Formed by the Zambezi River, more than 1.25 miles (2 kilometers) wide at the point where it cascades over the lip of a large basalt plateau and plunges as much as 354 feet (108 meters, the Falls will take your breath away.

Famed Scottish explorer David Livingstone named them the Victoria Falls after his Queen; its older, Kololo name, Mosi-oa Tunya, means "the smoke that thunders.”
Enjoy white water rafting, bungee jumping, high wire activities, scenic flights, river cruises, elephant rides and more in this spectacular setting. Many of our visitors begin or end their safari experience in Victoria Falls. Let us know if this interests you.

This has to be one of the most thrilling experiences you’ll ever have in the wild. Trekking through dense forests in search of the rare and precious mountain gorillas and then coming up close to these creatures is something you’ll remember forever.

John has recently visited Rwanda, which is called the land of the thousand hills. Almost half of the world’s surviving population of less than 700 gorillas lives here. Poaching, deforestation and human-borne diseases have caused the rapid decrease of the once abundant populations that lived in Rwanda and across the borders into Uganda and the DR Congo. For this reason, they are under the protection of full-time rangers; limited numbers of tourists are allowed to visit one gorilla group for just one hour at a time.

If you would like to meet a mountain gorilla, please contact us for more information.

One of our favourite lodges, Singita Pamushana, is the eco-tourism arm of a highly successful wildlife conservancy in the southern African region – Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve.

This 130, 000 acre reserve shares its southern boundary with Gonarezhou National Park in south-east Zimbabwe and its role is to help foster the sustainability of the wildlife and broader ecology in the area. A rhino relocation and research project has been operating successfully for 15 years now and it makes for fascinating reading…

By just visiting the lodge, you can make a positive impact – contact us if this appeals to you.

A lot can happen in a year and John has enjoyed each and every moment in his usual enthusiastic style, regaling us in the office with his wonderful stories, all told with evocative descriptions and much hand flinging! If you’d like to tell your own dream African safari stories, these are just some of the wonderful ideas you can choose from.