US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Nature at its finest comes to life
The Ngorongoro Crater is truly a magical place. Our guide called it the eighth wonder of the world and he was correct. Having come off of a five day safari in the Serengeti the crater was our last visit. It was by far in my opinion the best. The animals are plentiful for sure. There is about 9 lion prides in the crater along with their neighbors hyenas, jackals, vultures, zebras, wildebeests, cape buffalo, hippo. leopard and the ever elusive rhino, etc... the crater is one of the few places you will have the opportunity to view a rhino in the wild. The guide indicated there were at least 16 in the park. We got the chance to only see one in person. This rounded out the big 5 in Tanzania for our tour.
The highlight for me is always the big cats. We were fortunate to see a live kill of a cape buffalo by one of the prides. Visible there were three males, two females and three cubs taking part in the feast. I have photos showing the feast commencing. It is was also interesting to note the dynamics among species. For example the it was clear the hyenas were alerting the lions to the fact the vultures were approaching. As a reward the lions allow the hyena to take part in the feast. The jackals had to wait their turn as did the vultures. Seeing a kill on TV is one thing, seeing it in person is entirely different you will not want to look away.
The Ngorongoro Crater is an unfilled volcanic caldera. We drove down about 2000 feet to get to the floor of the crater. This takes about 30 mins. There is a salt lake in the center and other tributaries that support the biodiversity in the area. The ride through the park can be rough. For the most part we arrived early in the day so it was overcast but that did not lessen the experience.
Again for me it was about the animals so to share what you will see in order of plenty:
Wildebeest-- many (and you get real close to them)
Zebra-- many (and you get real close to them)
Hippo -- many (and you get real close to them)
Lions -- many (and you get real close to them but from the truck!)
Hyenas -- many
Jackals -- many
Rabbits--many
Cape Buffalo --many
Leopard -- few
Rhino --few
Overall I highly recommend the tour. Do not settle for the 2 hour tour either. It will take you 30 mins down and 30 mins up. Take a day tour wherever possible. It is well worth it.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Skeleton Coast National Park by Raul Virto
Bogged boats, huge population of sea lions, a place unique in the world, amazing proximity between sea and dessert...
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Etosha National Park by Raul Virto
Diverse and high quantity of wild life. We travelled with a bird lover and she tought us about several different birds.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Moremi Game Reserve by Peter
We only visited Moremi twice as we spent most of our time in the adjacent Kwai Concession. It was very quiet and unspoiled but most of our encounters were at a distance. The Kwai Concession was amazing, especially as we had a number of encounters with African Wild Dogs.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Chobe National Park by Peter
The elephants and birdlife were spectacular with a trip along the Chobe river being an unmissable experience.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Spectacular encounters with beautiful animals in unspoilt surroundings.
If you are interested in seeing animals and birds in their natural surroundings, unspoiled by a constant stream of trucks passing by, then this is the place to come. Because many areas are concessions, it means that fewer people are "out on safari" at any one time and the guides coordinate with each other so that their vehicles only converge if something extra special is spotted.
We stayed in two places in the Delta, Sango Safari Camp in the Kwai Concession and Pom Pom Camp.
Sango was our favourite stop of all the places we visited throughout Zambia and Botswana, with the staff being so friendly and the food out of this world, especially considering how isolated it is. The highlight here were the African Painted Dogs which we saw on three separate occasions at close quarters. We saw a large family of 20 resting under some bushes and then one night we were surrounded by them playing and frolicking. The most memorable, though, was a smaller family of six cornering a large spotted hyena and giving it a good seeing to before letting it go, bloodied and bowed but able to slink away to fight another day.
Pom Pom was very different and because the water was low, it probably wasn't at its best. After saying that, however, we had some wonderful and very close encounters with lions and leopards, with a 1 year old leopard probably the most beautiful animal I have ever seen in my life. It was waiting for its mother to come back with food but in the meanwhile, entertained us with acrobatics in its tree. The birdlife was great but sporadic. We saw 2 Pels Fishing Owls and lots of water birds plus the usual variety of kingfishers , babblers, coucals etc but perhaps not quite the abundance that we saw in Chobe and around Victoria Falls.
I would definitely return to either camp as you do get the impression that things can change very quickly and new birds and animals are just around the corner.
A spectacular holiday in all respects.
Even in Ultra-Dry Conditions, South Luangwa NP is not to be Missed
I traveled to South Luangwa National Park in late November, during one of the driest portion of an already dry-spell. Even so, the scenic beauty and wildlife were spectacular - and concentrated around the dwindling river systems. Although not a "birder" per se, the southern portions of the park are highly recommended for bird lovers.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dunes as far as the eyes can see!
My brief trip was mainly around the Sossusvlei area of Namib Naukluft National Park. The thought of seeing sand dunes may not sound enticing at first but the dunes in Namibia are magical. There’s something alluring about the expanse of the desert - its endless curves of the dunes and the soft sand enveloping my feet. My highlight was the views on the top of the dune aptly named “Big Daddy”. It was well worth the 1 hour clamber to the top in the sweltering desert heat. The surreal landscape of Deadvlei will always leave an indelible image in my mind. Deadvlei is otherworldly and unmissable.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Ruaha National Park by camselrac1
Very changing landscapes, a lot of animals, few tourists, great guides and very nice ecolodge
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful place, amazing landscapes and wildlife, few tourists
Wildlife so great in a natural environment, no habitation except a few ecolodges and rangers. Ecolodge wonderful, without fences, animals passing by day and night, food simple but good, meals taken on a big table with everyone in the lodge, very nice guides well trained speaking english very well and sometimes even french !
Great differences in environment, between the lakes, hills, bush, hotsprings, forest...