Africa safaris

Hundreds of game parks and reserves now vie for considerable wildlife bragging rights, but it hasn’t always been that way. The safari has changed dramatically since the likes of Roosevelt when the idea of a fine safari was to see the great wildlife, and shoot it.

There are now so many different ways of enjoying a safari in Africa: by vehicle, on foot, canoe, kayak, micro-lite, hot air balloon and mountain bike but critically there is huge variance in both parks and the style of the safari.

For the huge herds of game the countries of Tanzania and Kenya are king with their abundance of predators and the extraordinary 'Great migration'. Zambia has rightly claimed the 'walking safari' mantle and the coast of Zanzibar, Pemba and Mozambique the marine safari. Uganda and Rwanda are almost exclusively known as the home of gorilla treks, while Gabon is fact gaining a reputation for its wildlife, especially in the forest clearings, or ‘Bai’, where it is not unusual to see elephants, buffalo, gorillas, forest hog, chimpanzees and 3-4 different antelope at any one time.

What to look for in a good safari
There is huge disparity in standards and whistle stop tours, although appearing to show a good view of the countries, actually are nothing like as comprehensive as spending quality time in one area. Prices vary also due to vehicles used, ratio of staff to clients and seasonal changes, and a good guide/spotter is essential. Research and more research is critical if your agent, operator or so called expert hasn't been there, call someone else. A good safari cannot be beaten by any other holiday.

Irresponsible Safaris
Saba Douglas Hamilton, Kenyan wildlife film-maker, has become increasingly concerned with some irresponsible wildlife developments that are trashing some prime wildlide habitat.

This development was approved by Kenya's National Environment Management Authority on the basis that the EIA declared that it would be a temporary camp. This is not the case and you can clearly see large and very permanent concrete buildings, again in a patch of woodland that was previously heavily utilised by wildlife.

Click here to read the full article.

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Walking safaris

Some areas of Africa purport to have walking safaris but really only involve ambling in a game reserve for a few hours with a selection of plains animals. A proper walking safari means very small groups, with armed guides and rangers, and is probably the rawest way of experiencing the African wilderness. South Luangwa in Zambia has traditionally been the home of the finest walking safaris with some very experienced high class operators. From June to November small walking safaris trek betwee

South Luangwa Valley

Explore one of Africa’s most exciting wildlife places: South Luangwa National Park with Peter Geraerdts, wildlife photographer and safari operator. “If a holiday should alleviate stress and provide adventure at the same time, then…’ ...the South Luangwa National Park is the place to be for the real adventurer! At over 9000 KMS2, it is one of Africa’s most pristine places. It features a high game density in a wide variety of habitats, enormous spaces and a rarity of wildlife often unseen in

Samburu and Buffalo Springs

Not as popular as some other parks in Kenya, but it is hard to see why. These two parks are divided by the sandy Ewaso Nyiro River but are essentially the same. This area of Northern Kenya is lower, drier and hotter than the Masai Mara but the rewards, especially along the river margins, are huge. Ringed by vertiginous escarpments everything about the park is unusual from the geography to the species. Among the rarer species to be seen here are the gerenuk, endangered Grevys zebra, Reticulated

When the gorillas came visiting....

The guests at a tented campsite in Bwindi Impenetrable Park in Uganda had a major surprise when they got up early for breakfast. Rather than having to go trekking through the mountainous jungle to look for a family of gorillas, the gorillas had come to visit them in their camp.

Big game hunting in Africa is economically useless - IUCN

A new IUCN report reveals that Big game hunting is almost unbelievably inefficient as a wealth generator, when taking into account the land used and the financial contribution made to GDP.

In the 11 main big game hunting countries, the surface area occupied by big game hunting parks is 14.9% of national territory, and the contribution of big game hunting to the GDP is 0.06%.

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Lemurs of Madagascar

Amazingly, when the first edition of this book was written, in 1994, only 50 species were known, but since then another 43 species and subspecies have been identified, and this book recognises a further 8 as a result of greater understanding of their systematics!

Anyone visiting Madagascar should take a copy of this book with them.

Read full review »

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Primates of West Africa

With just 60 species covered in more than 500 pages, this is just about the most comprehensive field guide I have ever seen!

Read about The Primates of West Africa

Kruger rhino massacre continues

South Africa has lost at least 193 rhinos during the first six months of 2011 with Kruger National Park continuing to be hardest hit. The world famous safari destination has already lost 126 rhinos to poaching this year in addition to 146 killed there in 2010.

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Tanzania Government ditches Serengeti Highway

The proposed asphalt road which would have bisected the Serengeti National Park, jeopardising the world's last great mammal migration, will not now be built, the Tanzanian Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism has announced at the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting.

8 lions poisoned in Kenya - Leakey speaks out

Conservationists have warned that Kenya's lion population is in danger of becoming extinct within a few years if nothing is done to stem a wave of poisonings that have already left at least eight of the charismatic predators dead in recent weeks.

Rhino poaching epidemic reaches new levels

The number of rhinos poached so far this year has passed the 300 mark, and more and more reports of rhinos being killed pour in from across Africa. Unless someone somewhere does something soon, there will be few rhinos left. These are this weeks articles about rhino poaching. - But is there are possible solution?

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South Africa sends in the army to stop rhino poaching in the Kruger

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) had been asked by South African National Parks (SANParks) to play a strategic role in the protection of South African National Parks, especially the Kruger National Park, after the recent spate of rhino poaching.

African lions probably 2 distinct species

Surprisingly, lions from West and Central Africa seemed to be more related to lions from the Asiatic subspecies than to their counterparts in East and Southern Africa.

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Tanzania pressing ahead with Serengeti Highway and Lake Natron soda plant

Despite the German government offering to fund a study into an alternative route for the Serengeti Highway, the Tanzanian Government seems to be pressing ahead with its plans, as well as fast tracking the development of the soda ash plant at Lake Natron, the only breeding site for Greater flamingo in East Africa.

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$40,000 to hunt an elephant and you can import the ivory legally into UK!

We are absolutely disgusted to find out that it is still legal to import ivory and rhino horn into the UK, as hunting trophies!

Rhino poaching in South Africa reaches all-time high

A total of 333 rhinos were illegally killed in South Africa in 2010, including ten critically endangered black rhinos, according to national park officials. The yearly total is the highest ever experienced in South Africa and nearly three times the 2009 figure when 122 rhinos were killed in the country. An additional five rhinos have been lost to poaching since the New Year.

Kenya Highlights - A guide to escorted tours in Kenya

There are dozens of guide books to Kenya, but this one has a different slant. Not so much a guide book to take with you (Take it anyway), but a guide for before you go.
Read full review »

Wild dogs photographed on the Masai Mara

Kicheche Mara's head guide, Daniel Ntoyian, was returning from a local airstrip transfer. Right outside Kicheche camp he spotted two dogs. Hunting.

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Serengeti highway could spell economic disaster for Tanzania

A team of well-respected scientists has released a joint statement detailing their opposition to the building of a new road that would bisect the Serengeti National Park.

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Serengeti highway protests growing worldwide

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) have both stepped into the growing controversy over the proposed Serengeti Highway (Published in Wildlife Extra in June).

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Extraordinary mutation of Thompson's gazelle - or fake?

If it was April 1st, we wouldn't have been surprised by this story, but in August? These images appear to show a Thompson's gazelle that has been bred by crossing a gazelle with a goat or even a Scottie dog. We were immediately suspicious of the authenticity of the pictures as they seem just to extraordinary.

Wildlife photography - Uwe Skrzypczak

Uwe spends a lot of time in East Africa, especially following the great migration, and a lot of this book is based around that extraordinary event. This is a very detailed book covering all aspects of DSLR photography.
Read full review »

3 sites in India recommended for the reintroduction of cheetah

The Wildlife Institute of India and The Wildlife Trust of India have recommended three sites as the best places to re-introduce cheetah into India. 18 cheetah will initially be released on the 3 proposed sites; these cheetah will be obtained from the Middle East and Africa

New highway to cut the Serengeti in half?

Reports now circulating on the web suggest that the Government of Tanzania has given the go ahead for a road to be built right across the Serengeti, potentially blocking the migration route of the wildebeest, threatening the wildlife with a large amount of high speed traffic and providing easy access to many poachers.

Elephant ivory imports allowed into the USA - Rednecks versus villagers

Wildlife Extra was under the misapprehension that it was illegal to import ivory into the USA. Given the very recent decision by CITES to prevent Tanzania and Zambia from down listing the elephants to appendix 2, Wildlife Extra is speechless to discover that it is perfectly legal to kill wild elephants in some parts of Africa, including Tanzania, and then import the tusks, skin and other disgusting mementos into the USA.

Huge seizures of 1169 kgs of elephant ivory in Kenya and Ethiopia

The Kenya Wildlife Service has seized the largest haul of ivory in recent history at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, following on 2 days after a similar seizure in Ethiopia.

Legendary Mountain gorilla silverback dies of old age

Trackers at the Karisoke Research Centre found the legendary silverback gorilla Titus dead on his night nest in Volcanoes National Park.

Congo’s wildlife rangers launch offensive against armed groups trafficking charcoal in gorilla zone of Virunga

The Congolese National Park Authorities have sent the biggest ever deployment of armed rangers to strike at charcoal-making operations run by armed groups deep in the forests of Virunga National Park in Eastern DR Congo.

Brutal Namibian seal hunt caught on film – Journalists attacked

Secret footage smuggled out of Namibia has revealed the brutal reality of the Namibian seal hunt - and the subsequent attack on British journalist Jim Wickens and South African cameraman Bart Smithers.

Kenya wildlife down by 40% - Community tourism protects species better than National Parks

Wildlife populations throughout Kenya-inside as well as outside the national parks-declined by 40 percent from 1977 to 1997.

Mali’s elephants under threat from drought

The future of a rare herd of desert elephants in Mali is under threat from one of the worst droughts in living memory, which has left a key water source at its lowest level in a quarter of a century and is breaking down the usual peaceful co-existence between the elephants and local herdsmen.

Leucistic baboons of the Luangwa Valley.

Another reader, Steve Tolan, of the Chipembele Wildlife Education Centre has also seen some leucistic baboons inthe Luangwa Valley. There does seem to be a "leucistic hotspot" in the Luangwa, as we have had several reports of different animals from the beautiful part of the world.

Illegal quarry devastates vital wildlife corridor and local communities in Kenya

One of the Kruger’s largest tuskers has died

'Golden' lion of the South Luangwa National Park

One of our readers, Egil Dröge, has sent us photos photos of a very unusual young lion that is clearly much lighter than his siblings.

Knysna elephants – No evidence for more than 1 survivor

Rhino poaching- the poacher tells all.

The Van Deventer brothers were arrested in South Africa on charges of poaching rhinoceroses. Having entered into a plea bargain with the state, the brothers received reduced prison sentences. Shortly afterwards, they contacted investigative journalist and Africa Geographic columnist Ian Michler. They wanted to tell their story.

Read the full piece

In praise of the much maligned hyena – Needs a PR makeover

The hyena gets a bad press. Dan Beaton sings its praises.

Read the full article.

Leucistic impala photographed in South Africa

Birds of Ghana

Birds of Ghana

The one thing that always puzzled me about Ghana is that so few people visit. For the average traveller I would rate Ghana as one of the best places to visit in the world; for a birder it is an absolute must.

Read full review »

Where to watch birds in Ethiopia

I once took a trekking group to the Bale Mountains and the keen birders in the group had recorded some 350 species f bird after 1 week. We then had a week visiting other areas of Ethiopia, and I remember very clearly sitting outside our hotel in Lalibela (Home of the world famous rock hewn churches) as around 2 dozen Lammergeiers circled around our heads.
Read full review »

Darwin, morals, altruism, violence and chimpanzees – An essay by Daniel Beaton

Between 5 and 8 million years ago, somewhere within the African continent lived an animal that was an ancestor to both modern humans and the chimpanzee, or rather chimpanzees - as we must not forget the bonobo.

Click here to read Daniel's essay

Safari with children

My kids were so excited about the thought of going on safari in Kenya, and we had a great time. A walking safari, 4 days on the Masai Mara seeing pretty much everything, the flamingos and rhinos at Nakuru, everything you want to see. And the abiding memories? Hiding under the seats of the open top landrover while watching lions hunting, (as all they have learned from years as armchair viewers is that lions will eat you.) and the hotel with a swim up bar and free coke!
READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Popular wildlife & conservation news stories from the past

Why are Bonobos so laid back?
Canopy Raft Program discoveries and photos from Madagascar.
Another Mountain gorilla found dead.
‘Lost forest’ yields several new species.
Huge translocation of ungulates underway in Kenya as thousands of animals are moved to Meru National Park.
Only Lesser flamingo breeding site in East Africa under threat from industry.
Key rhino sanctuary expanded in Kenya.
Photo story. Martial eagle Vs White stork - Masai Mara.
Jewellery made from snares - Poachers turn fashionistas.
Kruger Park full - visitors turned away.
13 arrested in clampdown on poaching in Kenya.
Endangered black rhinos return to Tanzania.
40 rhinos killed in Zimbabwe.
3 rangers and 4 poachers killed in gun battle in Kenya.

Popular Africa stories

Top African Safari Destinations (in no particular order)

ELEPHANT BACK SAFARIS: CONSERVATION OR CRUELTY.

Shearwater Adventures, a tour operator from Zimbabwe, is under fire for capturing wild elephants for use on elephant back safaris. However Shearwater strongly defend their position by pointing out that the drought in Zimbabwe is devastating the elephant herds.
Read both sides of the argument.

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