NL
50-65 years of age
Review about Mapungubwe National Park by Trudi
In Munaty Lodge it was very special to walk between giraffes and zebra's! And wonderfull Baobabs!!!
NL
50-65 years of age
Review about Waterberg Biosphere Reserve by Trudi
In Kololo Game Reserve we could walk between the koedoes and giraffes!!!
The friendliest place I have ever been
The wildlife in Lake Mburo National Park is slightly limited, with no signs of the big five (although there were talks of bringing back the giraffes, as conditions were thought to be very good for them now). Howeever, this did not limit the experience of thew safari. We knew from the beginning what animals we could expect to see, and they were out and about continuously. We came very close to the animals, and the were curious yet healthily cautios when we were present. It did not feel like they were too used to people, and we rarely met another group while on our game drive.
The scenery was beautiful, and so inspiring! Our breakfast at the lakeside cafè was of decent quality at best, but it was amazing to see all the animals, birds and to enjoy the lake view while having our breakfast. Our accomodation was parted; two people stayed at the spectacular and luxurious Mihingo Lounge. The other two stayed more or less in the bush, in a one-room house with toilets outdoors. We ran into animals on our way to the bathroom! Fascinating, and slightly scary. Food at Mihingo Lounge was excellent, food at the lakeside restaurant was decent. We had a teenager from the park collecting us from the restaurant at nighttime on a boda boda. It was a thrill to ride through the park at nighttime.
The safari included a boatttrip, which was great for birding, and a walking safari. The latter was the safari highlight; a two hour walk on the green steps, surrounded by buffalos, topis, waterbucks and a bucnh of other animals I cannot rememeber right now. Our guide was fantastic. A friendly, intelligent young man with a heart for nature. And a great storyteller he was too!
As for Uganda, it was marvellous. I have not been there for the last time.
BR
35-50 years of age
The Adventure of a Wildlife
In Africa, for driving a car from one place to another, you must travel a lot. The paths are long and roads are poorly maintained, then the journey by car, from Tete, on Mozambique, to the Luangwa National Park, on Zambia, was absurdly tiresome, entitled to an electrical fault in the rental car. So, we had to distribute the contents of the damaged car, including people, for the other remaining cars. Lucky we were in a very large group.
Safaris in the Luangwa National Park were different from those made in the Kruger Park, South Africa. They are wilder and more close of local people's lives. The villages of the region are practically within the park and there are no fences enclosing the area. After the damaged car episode, we arrived too late and we went to the park in searching for our lodge, which was located into the park. The plates looked old and were not in good conditions, especially for us that we were tired and concerned about driving at night, in a national park full of wildlife in Africa.
So we started some feelings about being lost. We had to return to the starting point and then we found another lodge where we asked for guidance. They said we should just to move on and we did it, until we found a road forked and we did not know what to do. We choose one way to found a bridge wich we couldn't see clearly, in the darkness, if we could cross or not. It was almost a letter "V", entering to the center of the crossing stream and seemed that was broken on the half. We couldn't see the whole path far ahead. On guy in the car was opening the car's door to go out there and see better, when we shouted all together "don't go out of the car!!" We hold him by the shirt and closed the car’s door again, almost in panic. The driver put the car in a way that we could see clearly the bridge path, so finally we crossed the bridge to find just after that a herd of elephants crossing the road.
I had seen these scenes at Kruger Park, on South Africa, that was the first wildlife experience for the others. You can imagine the reaction of a person who was never seen an elephant, to find a whole herd in the middle of the night, crossing the road just in front of the vehicle. There were the most oddest reactions, which began smoothly with no one showing their own fear, but in few seconds everybody were lost in their own emotions and some even began to pray quietly while others gave the most absurd guidelines for the driver. "Speed up this car, let's go at once," was all that was heard in a voice full of fear, while the driver, a brazilian guy, stuck by the scene and driving for the first time in the oposite seat of Brazil, remained in shock. I asked him to avoid sudden gestures, high beams and horn, to stop the car and wait the herd leaving. Everyone then got relaxed and finally enjoyed that wonderful scene of wildlife.
We started again our searching for the lost lodge, and then we could saw a plate were it was written "Wild Life". That was the Lodge's name, but in that time we were so excited that we started to think that it was simply stating the place where we were at that time, because we were truly in the "Wildlife".
Luangwa National Park is actually much more wilder and less under control than the Kruger Park, with far fewer animals in it. The safari guide in the next day explained that, because Luangwa is a natural park, not being allowed to acquire animals from other regions. All animals were borned and raised there, spontaneously. He also said to us that, due to the hunters, there are a very low adult males population of rhinos, lions and buffalos. Hunters could buy a lion to hunt for something like five thousand dollars. They could bring home the animal skin and teeth. Should be a nice prize, but I still prefer to take my pictures.
Some animals are almost unique in Luangwa National Park, such as their zebra, whose pattern of two colors only exists in Luangwa and some few regions of Malawi and Zimbabwe. The pattern is really beautiful, more than the other one that I knew at Kruger Park, which had beige tones between the white and black stripes.
During a safari I saw a large group of young lions resting. They were so young that it was just a little furry manes, pending down from their faces, as happens with some human adolescents. It was really a wonderful feeling, to see the animals there so loose, so free and so close to us.
Impalas are the wild animals fast food. They are found in large groups in all safaris I've ever done. In Luangwa, there was also another animal very like him, but with a weird white mark on his ass. The safari guide told us a very old story about that, regarding to the bible. Noah finished painting his ark in a hurry and shipped all the animals when the ink was still fresh. That animal was the first to use the bathroom and because of that it got a stamped with the brand of toilet seat on his ass.
Safari is a lottery, with many different surprises. Sometimes we are fortunate, some less so. A couple who were with us saw a lions hunting, last night safari. They said the feeling were incredible, and you could hear the lions chewing the impala's bones as if they were tiny chicken wings. Hyenas came and fought tough for a piece, dragging it down near the river and eventually loose the game for a crocodile emerged from the water.
These are the feelings of life, the big ones eating small ones, even in nature, which is by itself more than perfect.
Review about Lake Mburo National Park by Andsov
I recommend Lake Mburo, mostly for its charm and that genuine bush feel. Most of the time we felt alone in the park.
NZ
35-50 years of age
Great safari in a lesser known and under-rated park
Meru National Park is an amazing place that has gone from totally animal free in the 90's to fairly abundant wildlife in the present time. It is a lot less touristed than places such as Masai Mara, but has a low key more local feel to it. There are some great camp sites, where animals walk freely within the confines. One such camp has baboons and waterbuck that come to drink water from the swimming pool! Locals and park staff are very friendly as well.
DE
35-50 years of age
Review about Zambia by halvardcux
you are free to do what you want (bush vibe +++) Problem:game sight often poor and shy because of pouching which is the main problem in Zambia even inside parks.
Zimbabwe is a country of rich culture and history, friendly locals, and stunning natural beauty.
My stay in Zimbabwe was a very memorable one. I had the good fortune of meeting some local guides on my first day in Victoria Falls, and so was able to see some local sights that I feel I wouldn't have otherwise. I watched the sunrise over the falls, went on bushwalks, and camped in places that were very secluded and special. Zimbabwe is a photographer's paradise, and the opportunities for good shots were endless. I was there during their fall/winter, and the weather was brisk at night, and very temperate during the day. I loved the food, especially some of the more exotic dishes, and in rare cases wild game meat. Though their economy has seen better times, the quality of safari available there, as well as the unmatched natural beauty, continue to make it a desirable destination for many adventurers, photographers, and wildlife enthusiasts. I truly hope that I can return to Zimbabwe soon, because there is more to see and do there than anyone could write about. Safari njema!
35-50 years of age
Great scenic nature reserve with good bird and game viewing
I have visited in all months of the year, sometimes camping.
The birding is very good, with many bushveld and some grassland species, including Chestnut-vented Titbabbler, Blue Crane, Brubru, Arrow-marked Babbler. The reserve is especially good for cuckoos in summer.
Game includes White & Black Rhino (the latter rare and difficult to see), Giraffe, Eland, Kudu, Red Hartebeest and other antelope. Black-backed Jackal are fairly common and can be seen during the day.
Accommodation includes campsites (some with electric plug points) and a five bed self-catering cottage. There is a hide and three picnics spots (one with ablution facilities).
There are good gravel roads covering most of the reserve and it's major habitats, as well as a self-guided walking trail. There is a viewpoint with stunning views over the Bushman's River.
35-50 years of age
Review about Addo Elephant National Park by Colin Summersgill
Wildlife viewing can be good, with guaranteed viewing of elephant, often very close.
This is a beautiful park and the increased size includes some very scenic areas.
Parts of the park have good bush vibe, but it can be very busy at peak times.
Birding is good, with the a few biomes converging within the park, e.g. it is possible to see Cape, Red-eyed and Dark-capped Bulbuls in the park on the same day.