Rusty ruddy reds and searing space-sky blues
My family and I have just come back from a safari in Namibia. After years living next door to Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti we didn't expect to be overwhelmed by the wildlife, and the quantity of wildlife could not compare with those moist East African lava-rich soils. ...
“The Wet and the Dry” – Botswana and Namibia
Frank and Cristian Lopez-Balboa planned their fourth trip in a row with us. One of the main criteria for Cristian (a very serious photographer) was to look for amazing photographic opportunities and big male lions ….. which had somehow eluded us on the previous three safaris. The Okavango Delta was...
A giraffe smoking a pipe?
While game driving in Etosha national park, we saw a giraffe doing some rather strange neck movements, as if it were trying to reach higher into the sky. We also noticed something white that it seemed to have in its mouth, and which made it appear that it was smoking...
“The Land Of Giants”
On my recent safari in Tanzania with the Scholz family from Minnesota, we had the privilege of seeing two very large tuskers in the Ngorongoro Crater. Elephant with such large tusks are becoming increasingly difficult to find, and the sight of such a magnificent animal is sure to take your...
The Miracle of Birth
Many guests on safari have had their expectations of what they want to see on safari influenced by what they see on TV’s National Geographic and other wildlife channels. Because of these amazing wildlife documentaries, many people want to see large predators hunting and killing prey animals, but to see...
Mahale Magic
On a recent safari in Tanzania, I was guiding my good friend John Geigert and his family. Having been on safari with me several times before, we are always looking for new things to do. One of the things the Geigert family wanted to see were chimpanzees, so we decided...
Super Predator Interactions
In February while on safari with Bill Perkins and Evelyn Sandground, we had exceptional predator sightings... On our descent into Ngorongoro Crater, I decided to drive through Lerai forest to look for some of the Crater’s big tuskers. Instead the sight of three young lions trying to kill a big...
Walking with Legends – A trip back in time
Stephen and Adam Sills wanted to experience their safari the original way - on foot! The Dorobo Hunter Our trip started on the north-eastern edge of the Serengeti National Park, walking through remote wilderness occupied only by Maasai herdsmen, their cattle and wildlife. We were incredibly fortunate to have the...
Friendship and challenge to the top of Africa
When talking to people about climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, one of the first questions I am asked is if they are fit enough. In actual fact how you are able to acclimatise is a far more important factor, and unless you have been to high altitudes often, it is not possible...
Nine days hiking Africa’s highest mountain
Why do people climb Africa's highest mountain, the summit of which is at 19,340 feet / 5,895 metres asl (above mean sea level) and has half the available oxygen as any point at sea level? Firstly it is a journey on foot. This is significant, and is one of the...
Cheetahs in the Serengeti
Regular readers of our blog might find that the sightings mentioned in my article "Slim, Sleek, Slender and Spotted Sprinter" of March 2008 are either very rare or exaggerated. Well the cheetah sightings with Mathieson family that we enjoyed in December 2008 / January 2009 amounted to over 19 different...
Fly camp and village football
I was with Peter and Carol Mathieson and their four kids Katie, Daniel, Michael and Jack, from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania in the USA, and who were on safari with their family - grandma (given the honorary nickname of "bibi" - Swahili for grandma), cousins, uncles and aunts (some who live in...
