Steaming coffee was delivered to my room in the pre-dawn. I quickly got ready and made my way up to the dining area, ready for our early departure. We were staying at the luxurious Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, and today were driving down into the magnificent wildlife-packed caldera. My guests hadn’t ...
My younger daughter has been on safari several times. However, since she was two years old, when we moved to Spain, these experiences have been far apart. This time, two years since her last visit, I watch her become totally immersed in the activities of this African world, its smells, ...
In October I was on safari in Laikipia County in Kenya. This multi-use area covers about 9,500 km2 (3,700 mi2) and straddles the equator between Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Mountain range. Although most of Laikipia is at high altitude, it is fairly dry country and is generally more suitable ...
The Land-cruiser stopped so that we could watch a group of chattering banded mongooses rushing across the track. Every now and then one would stand on his hind legs and look around in case there was danger. While there one of us noticed a water monitor lizard lounging over an acacia branch above us. He seemed to have an ideal spot to enjoy a cool breeze, and we wouldn’t have noticed him if we hadn’t been parked underneath him. Then something flashed past the front of the Land-Cruiser, and a second later we heard the squealing of a distraught mongoose.
I am back in Ruaha national park in central Tanzania. The last time I was here was a couple of years ago. I am not sure why I like this park so much, aside from the stunning amount of wildlife I usually see here. Perhaps it is something to do ...
As we drove slowly towards our camp in the Moru kopjes area of the Serengeti we passed a herd of zebra that were moving north. Then suddenly they bolted to the side, stopped and gazed into the apparently benign grasslands. I told the guests that they must have smelled a ...
Another season of poor rainfall, and the Serengeti Plains were dry and already a tawny brown colour. Herds of Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles grazed the plains punctuated by the odd small herd of zebra. This was quite a contrast having just been down in the Ngorongoro Crater, where green grass ...
A safari is always exciting and the sightings that you have are always amazing, but once in a while you have a safari where the sightings are off the charts. One recent such safari took place in The Serengeti National Park… We departed Arusha late morning, delaying our arrival into ...
The wildebeest migration was in full swing, with animals moving every couple of days because the lack of rain was forcing them to look for grazing and water. This amount of herbivores together provide a glut of food for predators, who hunt both day and night. As it was the ...
We left camp at dawn for an early morning game drive in an area of woodland near the edge of the vast Serengeti Plain. Next we spotted a young striped hyaena moving away from us in the grass. He had been disturbed by a passing vehicle. He stopped about a ...
As we arrived at the exclusive Kiba Point Lodge in the Selous Game Reserve (Tanzania), waiters greeted us with fresh towels and a frosty glass of passion juice. The lodge emanates space, even though it is tucked in the shady trees of a riverine forest. All the structures are built ...
The last great wilderness areas in warm climes are in Africa. Most of these areas have only been dramatically effected by man in the last 100 years. As a result we are lucky today to be able to see an astounding number of animals while on safari. Some species do ...
