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Il Ngwesi is a beautiful eco-lodge run by the local Laikipiak Maasai tribe in the breathtaking Savannah north of Mount Kenya. It is very remote. We went for our silver wedding anniversary and flew in over Treetops Lodge in a three-seater plane. We were the only ones staying and were met on the air strip and taken to our accommodation, the Prince William Banda, overlooking a waterhole. It was open plan in every sense, including the toilet and shower! We did sleep under the thatched roof the first night, but after that it was under the stars. We were superbly looked after by the Maasai; the walking safaris, sundowners and bush breakfasts were superb and the horizon pool looking over the savannah and back drop of hills was divine. A truly romantic place as I am sure the previous residents, William Wales and Kate Middleton, would concur.
www.ilngwesi.com
+254 (0) 020 20 33 122
Google map: bit.ly/wFySI6
Shabby Vilanculos has silted up creeks and dirty beaches but a short and picturesque dhow ride (or a speed boat if the wind’s wrong) will take you to the heart of the Bazaruto Archipelago nature reserve. This series of platinum sand mounds rising out of the Indian Ocean are dotted with silvery driftwood trees - like sculptures sunk into the sand. £20 gets you your own personal skipper (we got two), and a day to wander aimlessly, cartwheeling along endless deserted beaches, sliding down sand dunes and snorkelling with tiny tropical fish. When we returned to our boat our two Mozambican guides had cooked up an amazing three course meal on an open fire - we sat on the beach as the rain came down, gorging ourselves tomatoey fresh squid stew and mountains of fresh fruit.
Sailaway Dhow Safaris
Rua Marginal, Bairro Central, Vilanculos, Mozambique, Mozambique
+258 29 382 385
Google map: bit.ly/w1Kckm
As part of my gap year, I had an amazing opportunity to work with Save the Rhino Trust in Namibia. This organisation works on a shoestring to conserve the unique desert-adapted black rhino, in one of the largest and most inaccessible regions of the world. You can go out with the trackers by Landrover, on foot or even on camel, one of the best ways to get across the mountainous Kunene region. There is nothing more special than spending the day wandering through a boulder strewn moon-like landscape in search of mythical looking creatures, then relaxing around a fire at night under the African sky. Unless of course it is knowing that it is all for a really important cause.
www.savetherhinotrust.org/
www.wilderness-safaris.com/safaris/camp/camp_detail.jsp?camp=2183&gallery=true
What turned out to be one of the most enjoyable trips we have made to Africa, arranged by Chris and Lynne at Go2Tanzania. I took over 5,000 images, Manyara Ranch was the highlight. We had a wonderful time thanks to the skill patience and understanding of our guide Njano. Followed by bliss on the beach at Fumba.
www.manyararanch.com/
+255-27-2545284
www.go2tanzania.co.uk
An amazing place to view polar bears in the wild. It's on the frozen tundra outside Churchill, not a luxury hotel but a comfortable base for excursions out on the ice and across Hudson Bay to see these amazing creatures!
Box 40063 RPO Lagimodiere
Winnipeg, MB, Canada R2C 4P3
+1 (204) 949-2050
www.tundrabuggy.com/
Google map: bit.ly/kaN82b
You can't beat the combination of being close to nature 24/7 but having all the home comforts of a hotel. So, Nile Safari Lodge ticked all these boxes.
We were greeted with a cold towel and a refreshing juice on check-in and treated like kings from then on. Our lodge was sat on the edge of the Nile and from the balcony we could see hippos floating by and monkeys playing on our roof and in the trees. However, the highlight was watching around 70 elephants feeding on the opposite bank while we sipped our sundowners.
The private outdoor shower attached to the room was a treat - one day we had a monkey peeping over to see what was going on!
This lodge was recommended to us by a family member who works for the parent company, Geolodges. There were plenty of other touches which made our stay, including tea and coffee brought to our lodge along with the wake-up calls and hot towels being brought to us after a long safari. I'd highly recommend it for those planning a safari in Uganda.
Mailing address: Unit 8, Plot 1-3 Coral Crescent,
Lower Kololo, Kampala
+256 41 425 8273
+256 31 226 0758
www.geolodgesafrica.com/nile_safari_lodge.htm
The lodge is around six hours from Kampala so it's probably best to hire a driver to get there.
Ignore the overhyped bling of Dubai's five star hotels and choking traffic and head out instead for an overnight safari in the spectacular rolling red dunes half an hour south of the city.
My wife organised a birthday convoy of 4x4s, hotdogging over yardangs and zeugans accompanied by the screams of fear (or delight) as we flew over crescents of mountainous ochre sanddunes.
An evening camp in a natural bowl, smoking perfumed shisha and eating a birthday dish of barbecued quail was topped by an undamaged and proudly presented black forest gateaux served under the gaze of a herd of wild camels sihouetted against an endless silent starlit sky.
You get a comfy mattress in your tent, the chance to pee in the sand under Ursa Major and fresh, unbroken eggs for breakfast transported carefully by gentle Palestinian drivers.
And to witness a spectacular desert sunrise on the morning after your birthday is enough to make anyone feel alive.
www.arabian-adventures.com
+971 4 343 9966 / 303 4888
1st Floor, Emirates Holidays Building
Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
PO Box 7631
arabian.adventures@emirates.com
Google map: bit.ly/fU56XA
It is 45 degrees and the gale force winds that began when we crossed the northern end of the Chalbi Desert three days ago are still going strong. The view makes up for it all - 'The Jade Sea'. We are at Lake Turkana in Northern Kenya, the largest desert lake in the world. The blue-green comes from algae and keeps altering with the light. Getting here we came through some amazing scenery, including some sections of volcanic desert that reminded us of Iceland. This morning the wind caused white caps which meant we could not take the boat out (fine by us as this is the home of the largest concentration of Nile Crocodiles in the world) so we went by land to an El Molo village. These are the smallest ethnic group in Kenya and live by fishing with a lifestyle hardly changed by the 21st Century. They and the Turkana people appear to be dressed up for the 'tourists' - but there are no tourists. Gametrackers have their own camp beside the Lake where accommodation is in the traditional igloo shaped palm huts of the Turkana. If you want to go where few do, this is the safari for you. One day we traveled for five hours without seeing another vehicle.
P.O.Box 62042-00200, Nairobi, Kenya
+254 20 2222703
www.gametrackersafaris.com
Google map: bit.ly/fErD0F
This is a community owned safari lodge in a "big five" reserve, which was created from former farmland and opened in 1991. The game were transferred from other locations around southern Africa.
It is staffed and managed by the community and they benefit directly from the profits. You can go on a visit to the village.
The staff are very friendly and attentive and the accommodation is beautiful, spacious and comfortable. It's an absolute treat.
The lodge is in an elevated position and the views over the reserve are stunning.
The game drives were excellent during our stay (July 2010), we saw a vast amount and variety of game in three days.
I would recommend this to anyone who wants the safari experience with a clear conscience!
www.buffaloridgesafari.com/
madikwegamereserve.net/BuffaloRidgeSafariLodge/index.php
Google map: bit.ly/cxYxKC
Less well known than Bandhavgarh National Park, Corbett National Park and Tiger Reserve is a beautiful, remote park in the foothills of the Himalayas, a great place to experience real wilderness.
There are about 100 tigers in the park - so you have a good chance of spotting one - plus Asiatic elephants, crocodiles, otters, jackal, sloth bears and leopards.
World Big Cat Safaris is a fully-bonded UK-based tour operator run by former safari guides. They arrange tiger safaris across India.
I was recommended this company through a friend. The owner's name is Isaac and with his help I organised a safari to beat them all. We chose our own itinerary and found Isaac to be totally honest, advising us when he thought we could do something better, and he gave us an excellent price. The best money ever spent and best holiday I've ever had. Email Isaac, you won't be disappointed. Ask for David to be your guide.
www.eastafricad.co.ke
P.O Box 78104
00507 Nairobi Viwandani
Tel +254-020-2059793
As a fellow writer commented, porters for your gorilla safaris are essential. This encourages local employment and money back into the local community.
When I was looking at this I found World Primate Safaris as a specialist gorilla safari operator who seemed very good with excellent local knowledge. They are the sister company of World Big Cat Safaris and once again seem to know their stuff.
Gorilla Safaris - www.worldprimatesafaris.com/destinations/rwanda/main-attractions/
World Primate Safaris - www.worldprimatesafaris.com
Set on a rocky outcrop above a watering hole used by passing zebras, warthogs and elephants, tshukudu is luxury in paradise.
Individual wooden lodges (there are six) with sunken baths overlooking the view through floor to ceiling windows. My husband and I spent the first three days of our honeymoon here. Two jeep safaris each morning and evening and very knowledgable guides, we saw lions walk past the front of our jeep less than 10 feet away. But the best thing was the food - six courses introduced to you each evening by the chef with wine chosen for the occasion. Your guide ate with you so you could discuss what had been seen that day. Best. Holiday. Ever.
Tshukudu.co.za
+27 (0) 14 552 6255
Google map: tinyurl.com/ycukev6
Pilanesberg National Park
Northwest Province
South Africa
We were looking for something a little more unconvential than a Kruger safari but which still allowed us total emersion into the South African countryside: Thendele is just the ticket. Nestled in the folds of the Drakensburg Mountains, Thendele Camp sits in an awe-inspiring position overlooking the towering expanse of the Amphitheatre. Nature at its best and most dramatic.
The camp consists of several thatched huts, basic but clean and comfortable. We took the self-catering option, so you really are your own boss. There is a small store on the site but really you need to bring most of your provisions with you. It is not the easiest place to get to and after passing the toll barrier into The Royal Natal National Park, the camp is literally the end of the road! But it is well worth the adventure!
The area is a showcase for the diversity of South Africa's landscape; the numerous hiking trails lead you through cascading waterfalls; lush green hillsides and scarred rockfaces. Just as varied is the wildlife; home to the bearded vulture and black eagle, boks and baboons. Which leads me on to the only danger of a stay at Thendele- the baboons. They have 007 stealth and will take any opportunity to investigate your belongings. So ensure all doors and windows are carefully closed!
Thendele offers seclusion and excitment: a natural high!
Thendele Hutted camp is not very high profile amongst UK travel agents. But can booked through the SA Tourism Website www.south-africa-tourism.com/thendele.html
Google map: tinyurl.com/yd569jt
I have visited the Kruger park over 15 times with my family over recent years. Tom Kelly's overview of the Kruger gives the impression that it's hard to eat cheaply there - but the Kruger is a great pace for a budget family holiday. You can stay in cheap accommodation at most rest camps (usually fixed safari tents for two or four or budget huts for two-six which are spotlessly clean and have comfortable beds and a wash basin). In addition to more expensive restaurants, all the rest camps have cheap cafes and shops selling food so you can eat well indoors or have a BBQ (braai) under the stars for next to nothing. In general, most of the wildlife tends to congregate in the Southern area of the park (from Skukuza down to Crocodile Bridge and across to Malelane)so this is the area I would most recommend - but the Northern areas of the park have fewer tourists and thus are more peaceful.
www.krugerpark.co.za/
Google map: tinyurl.com/ybgk2ax
General site with info for photographers and travelers to Botswana. Good info on what to bring and what you will see and can do once there.
An excellent adventure safari covering all Botswana highlights incl. the Okavango Delta and the Moremi Game reserve. Not for the faint hearted, wild camping in the African bush!
Forget those factory-line safaris where you sit in a cramped minibus following a line other minibuses through a crowded wildlife park. If you want a genuinely wild experience, you need to do it on foot. A walking safari through the South Luangwa National Park is a unique experience, staying in comfortable bush camps, each day exploring a new section of the park and experiencing the raw thrill of encounters with animals in the wild.
Head into the Los Llanos back-waters for a few days - one of the most ecologically rich areas on the planet.
You'll be sure to see Cayman, Piranhas, Anacondas, pink river dolphins, and thousands of bird species.
A superb camp on the banks of the Luangwa River run by Robin Pope Safaris. Intimate, atmospheric and superb walking safaris and game drives in the national park. Hard to fault.
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