US
65+ years of age
I was seized by the reality of the Okavango Delta upon seeing a leopard in a tree with its kill.
We booked our southern Africa tour with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT), because we had an exceptional experience with them in Egypt and Jordan in the prior year. The African tour also proved to be as seamless, from one connection to the next. July proved to be the best month for the tour: clear skies; no mosquitoes; and temperate weather, albeit cool mornings.
Upon landing on the Okavango Delta dirt strip, on July 14, we were met by our guides and driven in open "jeeps" towards Dumelang Wilderness Tented Camp. En route, we saw red lechwe and white beaked vultures. Then, our driver, a keen tracker, drove up to a tree. Perched high in the yoke was a leopard calmly eating the remains of a fresh impala. I had to remind myself that I was face-to-face with a big untamed, wild cat. In real time. We sat there for several minutes taking spectacular pictures. Then the leopard slowly let herself down to the ground. To our delight, our guide/driver paralleled the leopard as she loped through the savannah, paying no attention to us. She then stopped and sat down. Next to her was a female cub, about two months old, according to the guide. We stopped, approximately 40 yards from the cats. Then, the cub got up and walked towards us - the cub was curious! Mama leopard stayed where she was, but stood, hyper vigilant, tail pointing to the sky. The cub walked up to our jeep, looked around, then went back to her mother. All this occurred before reaching our lodge.
The amenities of the tented cabin were splendid. Big, comfortable king-size bed protected by mosquito netting, ceiling fan, 12 volt electrical system for lighting, hot and cold running water, shower, sink and flush toilet, plus adequate storage for our gear. A hot water bottle was provided for warmth to ease the cool nighttime temperatures in bed (low tech, but worked well - and its refillable, if needed).
Breakfasts were warm and hearty. Lunch was provided on the afternoon game drives in the savannah, with plenty of snacking opportunities. The evening dinners were a feast, often at the gourmet level. The constant supply of goodies reminds one of a cruise ship.
Elephant, cape buffalo, impalas, lions, hippos, crocodiles and several bird species war in abundant supply. Every game drive revealed a changing array of animals.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic 5 Day Best of Kruger Park Safari - surpassed all expectations
Traveling with Wild Wings Safari was a fantastic experience! one I plan to repeat this year. The admin and communication during planning was excellent and from our collection at the airport by our guide Simon - it couldn't have been better. Simon was our guide , cook and driver - and while being very professional and a great cook, his experience and knowledge made this trip unforgettable. Simon made this a memorable trip I can't wait to repeat. This is an excellent option for anyone who wants a fantastic Kruger Park trip with someone else managing all the food, travel, accommodation and takes cares of all the arrangements.
FI
35-50 years of age
A hidden treasure in deepest Africa
Mahale is a special place. Very special.
The bad news first: it is hard to get there and it is expensive. It is also not well suited for people who cannot or are not comfortable with a fair bit of scrambling along steep and slippery paths.
But the good news is that you have never seen a place like it. First you have Lake Tanganyika, then a small strip of white sand, and then, steeply rising mountains covered with dense and lush rain forest.
The fabulous scenery alone would make Mahale special. But we have not introduced the main attraction yet. Mahale is home to the world's largest habituated chimp population - the M Group alone is about 60 chimps strong.
And don't understand the word habituated wrong; the Mahale chimps are not tame in any sense of the word: they are wild creatures but they just don't mind people. We are part of the scenery for them. We get the privilege of observing them from up close and learning about the chimps, and, in the process, about ourselves. It is impossible not to feel a close kinship with the chimps – and one does get the feeling that there is something of a similar recognition in them, as well.
A bit about the practicalities. We flew in from Dar es Salaam with a scheduled Air Precision flight to Kigali where a four-seater Cessna met us and flew us to a tiny airstrip a little outside of the park. There we were met by Greystoke Mahale (our camp) staff with boats. The weather being rather windy, the boat ride was a 45 minute thrill ride with plenty of water sprays and liver-banging jumps and bumps.
The camp itself consisted of 7 separate bandas built from driftwood and other recycled local materials. The bandas were quite private and very comfy. There was no electricity apart from small night lights powered by a generator. Our banda was perhaps 40 yards from the lake shore and had (as did all the others, I would imagine) an unobstructed view of the lake and the beach. The banda featured a porch, a very large and comfy bed, a dressing area, and an open air toilet and shower. The banda also had a small attic with lounge chairs that one could slumber in and watch the lake from.
Meals were mainly served in a central building that was a good-sized thatch and timber affair. Food was aplenty and easily on par with any other luxury bush lodge. The dinners were mainly memorable for the eclectic mixture of people and their tales from the bush (and urban jungles) from all over the world. Mahale being remote and expensive, there appear to be few bush dilettantes there - we had a lively mix of people from South Africa, Australia, UK, France, the US, and Finland (us being of northern persuasion).
The hosts at the time, Ed and Annabel, were a delight. Annabel was a UK-born ex radio journalist who had spent a long time making radio programmes in e.g. Uganda. She kept the camp running and had a vast practical knowledge about Sub-Saharan Africa. Ed was the son of a famous local artist who was an unending source of tales and anecdotes and wit - the sort of eccentric Englishman one migh have encountered in books about the bush.
The guides Raphael and were a fabulous bunch of guys. Young Tanzanian guys mainly in their 20's. They were expert, fun, inquisitive, and relaxed. They led us through the forest after the chimps (with able assistance from the park staff), took us on snorkelling trips, fished with us, played soccer with us, and even painted with us.
We staid a full week at Mahale and felt it was not one second too long. While chimp observation is the obvious main attraction of Mahale, Greystoke is also magical in many other respects and should be high on the list of anyone wishing to see some of the best things Africa has to offer in a lovely setting and amidst plenty of bush comfort.
FI
35-50 years of age
Review about Katavi National Park by Jussi Mononen
You don't truly understand the words "remote" and "vast" until you visit Katavi. We were the only visitors in a 10.000 square kilometer wilderness for several days and got a fantastic taste of primeval Africa.
under20 years of age
A wonderful, intimate safari experience
I stayed in Mokala National Park during an ant-collecting field trip with three entomologists, so I was not there as a tourist and cannot comment on the catering and guide services. However, we really enjoyed the few days we had there, since the hut we stayed in was comfortable, the weather was sunny and the place was throbbing with life. A variety of lovely birds visited us at the hut, including Crimson-breasted shrikes, Common scimitarbills and Black cuckoos (which are usually difficult to find, let alone see close-up). We encountered many mammals as well, including giraffes, herds of antelope and warthogs.
On the whole, I would highly recommend Mokala for a holiday. Since it straddles the boundary between the Karoo and savanna biomes, it is also a fascinating area to study if you are seriously interested in wildlife.
Discover the chimps!
Mahale Mountains NP is not your average african safari destination: it is remote, wild, and does not bear the usual african wildlife. The main purpose for us to go to Mahale was to see the Lake Tanganyka, and to meet with the chimps. We were not disappointed. Landscape were totally amazing and different, with beautiful beaches along the lake and steep hills just behind.
And we got to see chimps all three days we went into the bush. When looking at a chimp, you are not merely looking at a wild animal. You feel that they are looking back, that something more than just animal instinct is happening inside their brains. Amazing experience!
We did get to see also some hippos, swimming in the lake (in clean water for a change...), and with a little luck we could have seen crocodiles swimming the lake as well. We also spotted baboons on a regular basis, and a few wild boars.
Go, you will not be disappointed!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Professional operators and staff
I was fortunate to have discovered Safari tours for a trip to the Ngorongoro crater. Perfect experience and excellent driver and guide who had three decades of experience of the animals. The tour operators arranged excellent accommodation and it was impossible to to fault the entire experience in any way
Fantastic add-on if you're going to Kakamega
Saiwa Swamp is the best small park in Kenya in my opinion. We hired a car and drove around East Africa in 2009 and this park was definitely one of our favourites. If you are going to Kakamega, another great park, you should seriously think about a few days at Saiwa aswell. It's quiet because of it's location, we only saw two other tourists in the park. You can camp in the park, we stayed at a guesthouse a few miles away. Both are good options.
The park is, as the name suggests, just a swamp with paths around it. You drive in, park up, and walk around. You can easily walk the whole park in half a day, but if I was going again I would camp overnight.
The best thing about the park is the wildlife - it is totally different to any other major park in Kenya. Sitatunga and otters are easy to see. There are lots of mongooses and plenty of monkeys. We saw colobus and a few others. I'm not a birder but there are lots of birds - swamps are generally good for birds are they not?
Entrance fee is very cheap by Kenyan standards aswell. Go now.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fabulous photography course in Botswana
I cannot recommend Pangolin Photo Safaris highly enough. I have done various courses over the years, but not only does it make so much more sense doing the course on location, (rather than in a classroom), Guts is a simply fabulous teacher and didn't over complicate things. He explained everything in a very clear way and this is the first time that I can honestly say that I've learnt how to use my camera on manual and one month on. I can still remember! The location in Chobe is superb as you get into the National Park before everyone else and the game viewing is superb, not to mention the birdlife. The boat is fully kitted out and perfect for swinging your camera around 360 degrees, plus the unimog is great, being up high, with various places to put your camera. I am simply thrilled with my photographs and can't wait to go back and do another course. This is one of the best courses that I have done in a long time!
US
20-35 years of age
Great life experience, but very cold at night!
I went with a group of college students and camped for one night at Khutse Game Reserve. The trip was organized by Africa Insight; they drove us there, provided tents, blankets, and food, and in the daylight took us around the reserve. Everything went very smoothly, and we spent several hours driving around the reserve. The highlight was being able to see a bunch of lions who were hanging around a giraffe they had killed the day before. Our trip leader was great- he was funny, knowledgeable and had a good sense of the place, and he was also very good/careful about approaching the animals (e.g. lions). Camping was a unique experience in itself. There was an outdoor bathroom/shower area. It was EXTREMELY cold at night, though. Make sure if you go around June/July, you pack lots and lots of layers! My feet were numb the whole next day, it was kind of alarming. Otherwise it was definitely a unique experience! Glad to have had it.