35-50 years of age
Game Viewing on demand
When we arrived at the airstrip in the Selous and met our guide for the weekend, he asked, "what do you hope to see while you are in the Selous?" Being a veteran game park visitor, I aimed high...my response...wild dogs. He laughed and said, "we don't see those very often." We sent off for the camp, intending to do a bit of game viewing en route.
About halfway through the trip to the camp, we saw some vultures circling and thought we would follow them to see if there was anything interesting. Soon we came across a pack of 4 adult wild dogs who had just finished eating their share of an impala they had brought down. They were engaging in all their post feast rituals (wild dog aficionados will know what I mean), while a nearby hyena took over the carcass, continuing to force the vultures to wait their turn. We watched this game-scape play itself out for a while- the hyena got fed up fending off the large birds alone and eventually tore off a hunk of carcass for himself, and left the bulk of it behind for the vultures to fight over. I am not sure how long we sat there- could have been a few minutes, could have been all afternoon- we were mesmerized. When the dogs were gone and the hyena was gone, it seemed time for us to move on as well. Our guide then, with a grin on his face, said, “okay, I found some wild dogs for you, what would you like to see next.” Without skipping a beat, I responded, “mating lions.” He laughed, and off we went.
We probably drove only another 5-10 minutes when we came upon a pride of lions- 3 adult females, each with cubs; a total of 7 cubs, of varying ages. Wow, this safari was only getting better. For quite a while, we watched these cubs frolic and play, as their mothers dozed, but it was getting late and lunch was waiting, so we pushed on to the lodge.
As we approached the lodge, not more that 300 meters from the gate, we came across the mating lions. It was spectacular. We watched them for nearly an hour, forgetting all about lunch. The remarkable anthropomorphic behavior- she nudges him, “come on dear”, he grunts, gets up, walks around her, mounts, nuzzles her in the ear, she complains, he gets off and flops on the other side of her, in a state of exhaustion and she rolls over on her back, as if to say, “if I put my legs up in the air like this, I think I am more likely to get pregnant.” It was fascinating!
And all of this was just on our way to the lodge!
US
under20 years of age
An all-around African experience.
Landing on a dirt airstrip is a great way to land into this beautiful reserve. Immediately you are greeted by your personal guide, who takes you first thing on a game drive to your lodge, or in my case, the Manze Lake Camp. My experience went as follows: we told our guide that we wanted to see wild dogs. 20 minutes later, they were there laying in front of us. The lodge itself was excellent, you have a personal chalet, the food was served family style and tasted great. The next day we told our tour guide that we wanted to see mating lions. Again, 10 minutes later, they were there in front of us. This whole idea of seeing anything you want, sums up Selous Game Reserve. It is a magical place with great wildlife, food, and hospitality. If I could suggest one thing, it would be to go in the month of june, july, august, when it is colder there, any other time is very hot.
35-50 years of age
Review about Tanzania by ETS
The undeveloped nature of the African Bush in Tanzania gives you the feeling of really being in the wild.
US
under20 years of age
Review about Tanzania by aserlemitsos
Tanzania has numerous national parks and game reserve that have some of the greatest wildlife in the world. Other than the famous Serengeti, Arusha, and Ngorogoro Crater, Tanzania has places like Selous Game Reserve, Ruaha National Park, and Mikumi National Park that offer game viewing that is just as spectacular but also offer a little more privacy with the animals.
A completely unique, unrivalled experience!
The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP) is a long way from civilisation, but the trip is definitely worth it.
We stayed for approx. 10 days and in that time we saw a stunning selection of animals and birds, ranging from cheetahs, leopards and lions to springbok, wildebeest and tiny field mice.
The weather during our stay was just about right. Being winter in the desert, it did get cold at night (about -6 degrees Celsius), but temperatures reached 25-30 C during the day.
We stayed only in the three main camps of Twee Rivieren, Mata Mata and Nossob. The accommodation was comfortable, well equipped and clean. However, remember that the shops only have the bare essentials, so it is advised to take all supplies with you.
Of course, the highlights of the trip are always what you see not necessarily where you stay. Suffice it to say that you never know what is around the corner, but you can almost guarantee that every day will produce at least one stunning sighting - be it a cheetah kill, hyenas tending to their cubs, honey badgers foraging or bat-eared foxed frolicking in the dusk light.
The other sight that must be experienced is the African night sky. With no light pollution, the high altitude and clean air, the view of our universe is unbelievable. Look up at night and you will see satellites, falling stars and with some help from binoculars even some planets such as Saturn.
I can only recommend the KTP. I will definitely be returning in the future, hopefully many more times.
Review about South Africa by matreze
South Africa is simply the best place in the world for viewing wildlife in luxury while still being close to civilisation.
US
20-35 years of age
I would do it again
Wildlife, scenery, weather, accommodations, food, transport, our guide - all amazing. The guides knew where all the animals like to hang out. I was only here for 4 days, so I only saw a small portion of this reserve, and I would love to go back and spend more time on my own. I worry about the noise and pollution impact of so many diesel engines, the high number of tourists in the area, the seemingly high number of dirt roads, and water consumption due to tourism in a savanna setting that seems quite arid. The hotel we stayed at was very well maintained, the staff were wonderful, and the food was tasty. I loved the architecture, and thought it contributed to the "bush feel". I appreciated the commitment to electricity conservation and the fact that solar water heating was used. It was unfortunate that our drives happened in the mid-day when lighting is not very conducive to photography. I generally do not like being on organized tours - I prefer the freedom that going alone provides - but it was worth it to have a guide here since I wasn't well educated about the wildlife and it was my first time to Africa. I hope to visit this reserve again, as well as others in the region, and would like to do a walking safari. Our group's focus was on The Big Five and other large mammals so I didn't feel comfortable rating birding. I did see a number of pretty cool birds just by chance! Four days wasn't enough...I want to spend 4 months out here!
Review about Hwange National Park by Boaz Rottem
A great ' Bush ' experience. I saw many Lions and lots of Elephants.
US
20-35 years of age
Review about Kenya by kim
Lots of wildlife. Gorgeous setting. High tourism and resort presence diminish bush vibe. Focused on mammals so will not rate birding.
Stunning! A great place to get close to the wild!
Zimbabwe offered a great opportunity to get very close to wildlife. Most of all I was amazed by the huge numbers of wild elephants roaming very near my Jeep. this offered a wonderful chance to observe these majestic animals and take great photographs of them. Victoria falls are absolutely stunning!