DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
wonderful landscape
Wonderful landscape, scenic, no very dangerous animals, not to much visitors,
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about South Africa by muchas641
Perfect National-Parks - and perfect Nature Reserve Parks
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unreconstructed urbanite gives the bush a chance
I travel to photograph city things: architecture, sculpture, graffitti . . . but on a cruise from Mauritius to Cape Town in January 2009 I thought that if I was ever going to see wildlife beyond the cats of Rome or the poodles of Park Avenue, now was the moment. It was beautiful and I enjoyed the 2-day, overnight experience. I have no basis, however, for comparing Phinda with other game preserves; one other guest complained loud and long that some park she had visited in Zimbabwe had a lot more critters - she seemed especially vexed by the dearth of giraffes at Phinda. I got out of it what I expected--a novice's introduction. The guides were rugged and handsome and the impromptu afternoon tea on a hilltop was a real touch of colonial nostalgia. What few photos I took are viewable at http://www.flickr.com/photos/virginiagent/sets/72157612306934389/, in the set labelled "A Beast in View," a line of verse from Dryden.
A virgin Park with fewer visitors and scenenic drives.
I first visited Meru National park in December 2007, The first thing that you notice as soon as you enter the National Park is that the landscape, vegetation and soil are very much different from all the other Parks in Kenya.
There are very few open rolling savannah plains you see in Masai Mara. The place is dotted with small hills and kopjes all over and finally you dont get any of the dreaded black cotton soil you find in other parks. The soil here is red in colour and so are the elephants who regularly spray themselves with the soil.
Meru National Park is a very virgin park, in that not many visitors visit the place for many reasons. The main reason I guess is the distance you have to travel, number of animals you get to see and the dreaded Tsetse Fly. But once you are in the Park you get to see all the Big Five of Kenya and much more.
The wildlife of Meru is very shy, in that they are not used to vehicles driving along the roads amongst them. As soon as they hear or see an approaching vehicle their basic instinct is to run into the bushed. This not only happens with the smaller animals but also the bigger Elephant's and Buffalo's. But on the other hand the little you get to see is totally different from the other wildlife watching experience in the other National Parks of Kenya.
You get to see Elephant Bull's whose tusks are so long that you dont get to see the bottom tips because the Bull himself cannot lift his head high up because of the weight. An old hunter tale comes to mind where a Hunter went hunting and tracked a certain Elephant for 7 days waiting to see the bottom tips of his Tusks before he could decide whether to go ahead or not.
Whilst out on a Game Drive you have to frive very slowly and keep looking out for wildlife as they are camouflaged very well and blend into there surroundings amazingly well. You get to see all the common Antelopes, herbivores including the Oryx and Grevy's Zebra which is listed as critically endangered by IUCN. Lion, Cheetah and Leopard are also commonly sighted in the Park.
Generally the experience is very different from any other National Park you visit in Kenya but the memories remain for a longer time.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Zulu Nyala Game Reserve by Steve Gray from York
A small fences reserve. A great first safari.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Put your camera down for a while and let your senses soak it in!
We enjoyed a very informative guide who was very accommodating of guest's preferences. The animals were awesome and provided great photo opportunities. The accommodations, food and service were fabulous. I highly recommend that you make the trip.
CA
Exceeded Our Expectations
My wife and I had always wanted to go on a safari in Africa. We had high expectations as we flew from Capetown to Mpumalanga to begin our adventure. Those expectaions were more than met during our stay at the Lions Sands River Lodge. Just on the drive from the gate to the lodge we got a taste of what was to come as we saw Impala, Bushbuck and a Kudu on the bushveld. Upon arrival we were greeted by the friendly and helpful staff and offered a welcome drink as we waited for our orientation talk. That talk had to be delayed as a herd of Elephants chose that time to pass by on the dry river bed in front of the deck. It was a magnificant sight and my wife was thrilled because elephants were what she had most wanted to see. Needless to say, it only got better from there. On our first game drive we came upon a pride of lions at dusk and were amazed at how close we were able to be to these beautiful creatures. During our stay we saw all of the "Big Five" as well as giraffe, zebra, warthogs, hippos, African wild dogs and many many more. We had nothing but memorable moments during our stay, but in addition to the welcome parade of elephant on the first day, a couple did stand out. We watched two hynea stalked a pack of African wild dogs. Observing the actions of the pack as they moved to protect their young was fascinating. And then there was my close encounter with a lioness. We had come across a pride of lions on one of the roads and stopped to watch as they passed our land rover. I was snapping picture after picture with my telephoto lens and as one lioness' head seemed to fill the viewfinder I took the camera away from my eye to find out that she was right beside the truck. I am sure I could have reached out and touched her. When I later looked at the photo, I saw that the fur on her face was red with blood from the morning kill. It was quite an experience. I would highly recommend the Sabi Sands Game Reserve to anyone who wants a great safari experience. The staff at the Lions Sands River Lodge were attentitive to our every need. The rangers and trackers are experienced and extremely knowledgeable and made sure we saw everything that was possible to see. The accomodations are spacious and comfortable and the food was great. Our time was much too short and we are hopeful we can return one day to this beautiful place.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about South Africa by Steve Gray from York
Thoroughly enjoyed South Africa. Awesome customer service. Very positive spirit.
CA
Review about South Africa by Neal D
The safari experience is great, but in South Africa you can combine it with the wonderful Cape area and enjoy so much more (beaches, wineries, etc.)
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good for being pampered while seeing the animals in all cycles of life and routing. Quite Amazing
Ulusaba has great attention to detail and care. From the arrival with a cocktail to the lodges which have free laundry, stocked mini-bar (all part of the cost of the lodge), welcome gift, etc. The rooms are large and very comfortable while still feeling part of the environment. Food, wine, etc well prepared though for lunch good use with a few more selections. The snack breaks while on the Drive are something! Love that in the early AM drives; waiting for me on the seat was a hot water bottle and thick blanket. Enjoyed the breakfast out on the Reserve as well as the outdooor BBQ -- giving you more of a outdoor enjoyment. Simply staying at the lodge itself is a great experience.
But of course its about the animals while here. Our guide and trekker were exceptional -- in their knowledge and skills. They tried to be sensitive to the things we wanted to see and if we wanted to stay and watch a particular scene longer; they always accomodated. They taught us about the behaviour, imitiated the sounds and described, as they were happening, the chase of kill.
Just driving around the reserve was gorgeous; somehow the light and smell were different and just more clear and crisp. We were fortunate to see all the Big 5 and 2 rather gnarly feeds -- what doesnt come across in documentary footage is the smell and smaller sounds of the crunching of bones when being eaten. Lions, hyenas, lepards, elephants, zebras, rhinos, buffalo, hippos, giraffes, diakers, monkeys...we really got to see it all and in wonderful life scenes.
To be able to view such incredible wildlife from the brids, trees, landscape to the various large animals in itself is a once in a lifetime experience. To have the caring staff, exceptional guides and the Diva-attentioned lodges simply made it truly incredible.
So many great memories: from watching the cheetah eat his daiker kill to then bring it up a tree for later feeding, almost dropping it from the precarious branch. And once safelty held, cllimb down. Or the Lion eating, while his 2 borthers would slowly inch for want of some only to have the big brother "growl" back a negative. This Try and Decline of the lions for food and being angrily denied by its brother was such an interesting thing to watch - that it wasnt simply watching a lion eating its feed. Or coming in my lodge after lunch only to have a leopard on the balcony, slowly walking by!
