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In this issue, we cover some of the African destinations we are visiting with clients this year. Whilst we’re in New Zealand at the moment, enjoying the incredibly different landscapes and attractions there, our hearts remain behind in the beautiful bush of Africa with her amazing wildlife and friendly people.
Enjoy this small journey with us... hopefully you’ll fall in love, too, if you haven’t already - and start planning your African Safari with us, which could be the beginning of your great life adventure!
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We visit Kenya this year, which really is the quintessential African Safari destination and not without good cause.
Many of you will be familiar with this East African country made famous by films such as Out of Africa. Here you’ll enjoy a gracious colonial-style safari, with all the luxury and elegance that modern-day travellers can expect. Kenya is known for the unrivalled Masai Mara and Tanzania renowned for the Serengeti, each abundant with wildlife and endless stretches of beautiful rolling plains. But this year, we’re heading to Samburu...
The Samburu National Reserve was one of two areas in which conservationists George and Joy Adamson raised Elsa the Lioness, made famous in the best selling book and movie, Born Free. But this area is also celebrated for its slightly quirky variations of familiar animals. These include the reticulated giraffes, with their remarkable red polygon coat patterns, the Grevy’s zebra - an endangered species that is also the world’s largest wild equine, and the gerenuk, an impala-like creature with an unusually long neck. Visitors can also look out for over 350 species of bird here, including the vulturine guinea fowl, the black-capped social weaver and the tawny eagle.
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The attractions of Botswana are many, but perhaps most notable are the Kalahari Desert and the Okavango Delta within it.
Guided Safaris Africa is also heading to this region in 2011; we look forward to showing our clients the stunningly beautiful red sands of the Kalahari Desert, home of the San Bushmen and the largest continuous stretch of sand in the world.
The Kalahari is not a “true” desert as it is teeming with unexpected life. Herds of springbok, gemsbok, and blue wildebeest, to name a few, survive the dry and desolate conditions by adapting to the environment.
The Okavango, on the other hand, is a labyrinth of lagoons, lakes and hidden channels covering an area of over 17,000 square km, which makes it the largest inland delta in the world. Situated in the parched Kalahari sands, it is a magnet for the wildlife who depend on the permanent waters of this unique feature.
A combination of both the Kalahari and the Okavango make Botswana’s offering an unusual one. Botswana images by Mike Myers
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In June, and again in August and September, we head off to one of the most beautiful game reserves in Africa – Mana Pools, situated in a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern Zimbabwe.
Our daughter, Sarah and her husband, Milo, run a luxury tented camp here on the banks of the Zambezi and we’re preparing to host four private groups, with John as the guide. Clients are in for a real treat – pampering, guided walks, fishing, lazing on the day bed, campfire stories and sundowners on the sandy riverbanks. Mana, being on a flood plain, is home to big game such as elephant, lion and hippo and is plentiful in colourful birdlife, too.
Hwange, also in Zimbabwe, is acknowledged as one of Africa’s greatest homes of vast herds of elephant, buffalo and zebra, plus giraffe and many predators and birds. From desert sand to sparse woodland, grassy plains and granite outcrops, the park has an amazing diversity of landscapes, which ensures the same in animal sightings. Many say that to travel through Hwange is to see the interior of Africa as it once must have been more than 150 years ago. Our camp of choice here is situated in the eastern corner of the park and is built overlooking a waterhole and pan and set amongst the splendid teak trees this area is famous for.
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Africa offers a wonderful opportunity to discover an adventurous side you
may not even know exists! There’s something about the wide blue skies and
big open spaces that opens up hearts and allows possibility in.
Guided Safaris Africa will craft the perfect adventure for you; each of our
itineraries is custom-made and designed to offer relaxation, excitement and
many memory-making moments.
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We can’t wait to welcome you to Africa.
Best wishes from John and Nicci
Ex Africa - Semper aliquid nova.
Out of Africa - Always something new.
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