The timeless beauty of Africa
I have been lucky enough to have visited Africa three times in the past half century (South Africa in 1969, Tanzania in 2008 and now Botswana last month). The people, politics and cities change but the animals in the vast open spaces are truly timeless. The pictures in this article were all taken by Doris and me. Most were taken with a zoom lenses (no tripod) but some were taken with a cell phone. Newer cell phones take excellent pictures if the subject is close. However, a good zoom lenses is best for most situations. If you are using an ipad or cell to view this article, you know how to make the pictures larger. With a PC, you can zoom the whole page to whatever size you like. I suggest 200% for best viewing.
Is it safe?
When we tell people how close we were to the animals, many question our sanity but I don’t recall reading about people being killed or seriously injured on African safaris. You mostly travel in large jeeps with tiered seats so everyone has an excellent view. To the animals, the jeep looks like a large beast and so they do not try to attack it. However, you are advised to wear green, brown, beige or other colors that do not stand out and never red. You are absolutely not to jump up to take a picture because then the animal may realize you could be a small tasty creature.
Jeep right beside a pride of lions
This is from a private concession in Botsawna's Okavango Delta owned by &Beyond. The area is vast and only 3 to 4 jeeps are roaming with guests from the camp. The guides communicate with each other about sightings and so we all converged on these lions. You can see one of them is right beside the wheel of the jeep.
Closeup of one of the lions
They may look cute and tame but you would be attacked and killed if you got out of the jeep. Shortly before we arrived, the head of the pride had attacked and wounded another male in the group to assert his dominance. Later, a female went up to him to flirt and then climbed a nearby tree. Playing hard to get?
Elephant comes to visit
There are also times where you can get out for a snack/drinks but the guides know where it is safe to do so. The camps where you stay are not fenced and animals can and do visit. This photo was taken mid day as we relaxed by our plunge pool and an elephant came by. Most animals rest in the middle of the day but not the elephants.
After dark you must be escorted from your tent/villa to the main lodge area. During the day, you just need to get a staff person if something dangerous is nearby. In Tanzania, the escort carried a spear, in Botswana just a flashlight. You simply have to trust that the staff/guides know what they are doing and if you are on foot keep your distance from any animals.
Is it expensive?
Yes. However, there are different levels. The animals and vistas are the same but you will have better guides and trackers at the high end and fewer people in your vehicle. At the budget end, expect a crowded van with a sun roof opening and a driver/guide but no tracker. You will not get as many great photo opportunities and not too many explanations about what you are seeing. At the high end which is what we did, you will have excellent guides and trackers which greatly increases your chances of finding what you want to see and you will learn a lot about the animals. You will also get very luxurious tents/villas and excellent meals keeping in mind that the locations are in the middle of nowhere. It will not be the Ritz but you will not be disappointed.
Tanzania, Ngorongoro Crater Lodge
This was the most luxurious camp we stayed at in Tanzania. The above is the living room of the main building.
Our bed
Each unit was a separate villa raised about 10 feet above the ground. There was a sitting area with a fireplace, a bath, shower and toilet. Each area including the room with the toilet had a window looking out over Ngorongoro Cratar and there was a balcony as well.
The bath
When we would return from a game drive the guide would call ahead and the bath was filled with warm water and covered with rose petals.
The fireplace and sitting area
We were in Tanzania for the migration in March so it was not cold enough to use the fieplace but it looked good.
Of course, there are many options between the extremes. For both Tanzania and Botswana, we used &Beyond. We have heard that there are even more upscale companies but for us and I suspect most readers you really don’t need anything more luxurious. There is something incongruous about going on a safari and staying in a place with marble floors, waiters wearing white gloves, and who knows what else. If you want a somewhat cheaper option, I suggest you contact Go2Africa. They have many packages at various price points. They can also design anything you want. We just used them to get a discount off the &Beyond price but they were very professional and prompt in answering all my questions.
Health considerations and other risks
If you have serious health issues, you shouldn’t go to Africa because the time to get to a good hospital, even with top-of-the-line medical evacuation insurance, will just be too long. Depending on where you go, you may need some vaccinations and/or Malaria medication. Check with the MUHC (Royal Vic) travel clinic. They are very knowledgeable. However, your health risks are minimal provided you follow the guidelines. Some African countries are dangerous including South Africa but Tanzania and Botswana are safe. Check the Canada travel advisories web page for the latest risk assessments.
A typical day on safari
This is a description is how it was with &Beyond in Botswana. We stayed at 3 different camps for a total of seven days. Your guide knocks on your door to wake you at 5:30am. At 6 he is back to walk you to the main area for breakfast. About 6:30am, you go on a morning game drive with your guide driver and a tracker who sits on a seat just in front of the headlights. If big cats (lions, leopards or cheetahs) are expected in the area, the tracker moves back to the seat beside the driver. We sometimes were alone but more often had a second couple with us and potentially could have a third couple. The drive goes till about 10:30 or 11 with a stop somewhere in the middle for a coffee/tea/drinks and snacks break. They set up a small table in a spot where no dangerous animals are likely to be but if anything does start to approach, you get back in the jeep and leave the table.
After returning, you can have lunch whenever you wish and relax outside by a communal pool or your private plunge pool depending on the camp. Temperatures for the morning drive start off fairly cool but warm up by the end. Mid-day temperatures were 38 or 39 so you don’t want to be driving around and the animals are likely resting in the shade. 3:30pm was High Tea (cakes, drinks, etc) and at 4pm there is a second game drive till about 7:30pm. Again, there is a break in the middle for drinks and snacks.
Sundowner
After a canoe ride on the calm waters of the delta we were driving back to the camp as the sun was going down when we spotted lanterns, a table and chairs waiting for us in the middle of nowhere. Staff from the camp had set everything up knowing we would be arriving soon. They came back to remove everything once we got to the camp.
Temperatures start off hot but cool down to very comfortable as the sun goes down. After returning, there is dinner once you freshen up.
Transfers to new camps are usually by small plane or helicopter and they are in the middle of the day so you don’t miss any game drives. If you want a break, you can skip a game drive and sleep in but once you have come all the way to Africa, I do not recommend skipping any.
The animals
Mother cheetah and her three babies
Tanzania, the Serengeti. Cheetah are hard to find and we saw none in Botswana so we were very lucky to come across this family resting in the shade mid-day.
Lion after killing a wildebeest
Tanzania, Ngorongoro Cratar. We came across this lion with blood all over his face. Just a bit further down the road we came across the wildebeest that he had just killed.
Hyena and two jackals feasting on wildebeest
The lion had his fill and then the hyena and jackals moved in. We saw one jackal emerge totally pink from the blood.
Mother and baby zebra
Tanzania, Serengeti.
Feeding time
A pair of Giraffe
Tanzania. They tend to travel in twos and threes walking at a slow stately pace.
Elephants taking a refreshing break
Botswana. This group was actually right outside our camp and taking some water while we ate lunch. Botswana has a large population of elephants.
Leopard
Botswana. Leopards are hard to find as they are often lying on a tree branch and they blend in very well. However, in Botswana we had several leopard sightings.
Leopard cub
Very young leopard cub.
Leopard with carcass of dead impala
Leopards drag their kill up onto a tree branch so they can devour it at leisure without other animals getting at it.
Rhinos are an endangered species. The White Rhino above is very rare. The horn was cut off by conservationists to reduce the likelihood of it being killed by poachers for the valuable horn. Botswana authorities removed all rhinos to an area where it was harder for poachers to get to but it is not fenced in and this rhino wandered to where we were. You may wonder why the white rhino is not white. The name came from the Africaners (Dutch settlers of South Africa) who called it “wyd” meaning wide mouth and it was mis-translated by English settlers to white.
The king of beasts
We told our guide and tracker that we wanted to see a lion. They saw tracks on the sandy road and could tell they were fresh so we went in the direction of the tracks and finally came to a wide savannah. The tracker got off his perch and joined us in the jeep. They pointed out that there were no impala or other animals in the area, a sure sign that lions were nearby. We continued and found this magnificent lion on a rock overlooking the plains.
Mother, two cubs and a young lion
We continued onward and came to another rock with a pride of seven lions including a male, female and the offspring. Our guide said they were not related to the lion we saw earlier. Lions are territorial and this was a different area. Lions ambush their prey and the rock provided an excellent view if anything came close.
Wild dog
There are only 800 left in Botswana and we were lucky to find two packs of about 12 each. We followed one pack until they took off after an impala. We couldn't get there in time to witness the kill but we arrived right after to see the frenzy of the dogs tearing apart the carcass. After the adults were finished they brought back meat to feed the young ones who had stayed behind.
Yawning hippo
Hippos sleep on land at night and return to the water in the morning.
What I have covered in this article is only a tiny fraction of what we saw and did.
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I’ll close with a sunset picture from Tanzania.
10 Comments
Great article, informative and interesting
Hi Bill,
Sounds like you and Doris had a wonderful trip. Interesting article. Beautiful photography. Thank you for sending it to me.
Myrna
Hi to Doris
Pearl and I did a similar trip, almost 25 years ago, to Kenya and the Serengeti.
It was a trip of a lifetime.
Please note new email address.
my old one will be closed in a couple of
E-mail has been updated.
C’est un voyage auquel je rêve. Mais j’attends mon tour pour un implant cochléaire depuis plus de 2 ans, donc lorsque j’aurai été opérée, j’aimerais faire ce voyage. Compte rendu excellent. Merci.
Lise, I don’t know the details of your situation but 2 years seems like a long time now that the surgery is done both in Montreal and Quebec City. Write to me privately at Bill@BillSteinberg.ca with your details and I will see if I have any suggestions.
Thank you for enabling us to vicariously enjoy some of your incredible experiences in Botswana…what a trip … and to experienced Africa so many times… priceless…
A sweet, healthy and peaceful New Year to you, Doris, Tara and Craig
What an amazing experience! Thanks for taking us along and Happy New Year to you and Doris. Hugs xo
Great article and very descriptive. I almost don’t have to do – which I won’t:))) I like to look at animals as you depicted them – in very nice pictures.
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