african safaris

“The Great Wildebeest Migration, is one of the “Seven New Wonders of the World”.

No where in the world is there a movement of animals as immense as the wildebeest migration. Over 2 million animals migrate from the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to the greener pastures of the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya during July through to October.

The migration is fraught with danger. They have to cross the Mara River in the Maasai Mara where crocodiles will prey on them. This is one of the highlights as the animals try and cross the Mara River alive.

The "Hands on" experience was amazing. We had many "encounters" with Lion, Elephant and Rhino ~ all memorable.  The prime encounter has to be this.

I was there in the Bush when they tranquillised (darted)  Mbhurri ~ a mature lion, in order to replace a malfunctioning tracking collar. 

The operation initially utilised three vehicles, the Research team, which included us volunteers, a Marksman's vehicle , and a safari vehicle transporting the Vet. 

I have just returned from a whirlwind trip through South Africa's little-visited KwaZulu-Natal and all I can say is Wow!

I haven’t been to Africa before so wasn’t sure what to expect, we were camping so I was quite worried about that aspect as well. I needn’t have bothered as the accommodation was wonderful and much better than expected all very clean and comfortable. The locals were very friendly and all wanted to chat to you and find out where you were from. We stayed in 3 different places and the diversity of each was like having 3 different holidays.  Firstly by the lake at Naivasha with Hippos keeping you awake in the night.  We saw such a variety of birds.

Once Africa has stolen your heart, there is no turning back. I first visited fifteen years ago and still dream of emigrating there to work on a safari. It's about as close to heaven as I'll ever come. Safaris are the closest most of us will ever get to wildlife in the natural world. They’re exciting because they are unpredictable. You never know what's going to happen or what you're going to see.

My first trip to Africa: I really wanted to avoid the crowds and see some real life before chilling out and doing nothing for a few days.

Tanzania is famed for its safaris so Nicola Jackson takes a less crowded route for an undiluted and multisensory African adventure on the mainland before finishing with an island hop to sultry Zanzibar.

We ate lunch overlooking a lion's buffet. About 30 antelope were grazing at the lake's edge, their plump hides contrasting gold with the salad-green lily pads. It was deliciously quiet. I thought about the predatory lioness we had been tracking just ten minutes earlier, but I bit my lip and perched near the bonnet, occasionally scanning the grass for a twitch of feline ears.

Ruth Bridger who won our writing competition at the end of last year tells us all about her Tanzanian adventure...

A truly fantastic holiday and what an adventure. There were so many highlights that it is impossible to detail them all, the tranquillity of being poled through the Okavango in Mokoro's where there seemed as much wildlife joining us in the Mokoro's as was seen from them, some beautiful frogs which landed on your knee to slightly less beautiful spiders and mantis but great fun.