ARTICLES WRITTEN BY Paul

A few days with the Mountain Gorillas of Uganda

Gorilla Express Is a short flying safari visiting the wonderful mountain gorillas of Uganda in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Two treks are possible on your short tour. We have put together an excellent value package which can be a stand-alone trip or easily combined with a general safari in Kenya, Uganda or Tanzania.  

4 Nights from £1350pps

The Lions of Ruaha

The huge, but little known, Ruaha National Park is home to ten per cent of Africa’s remaining lion population. Our Lions of Ruaha itinerary will give you an insight into the life of many large prides that roam this pristine wilderness as well as an excellent all round wildlife safari. This holiday could be extended to include river and 4×4 game viewing in the Selous Game Reserve (3 nights FB £956 pps) or 7 nights FB for relaxation, diving or fishing at Fundu Lagoon on Pemba Island (£1330 pps incl flights)

5 Nights £2271 pps

Take the family on an adventure to Botswana

Botswana is undoubtedly one of Africa’s most exciting safari destinations but many camps do not accept children under 12 and good family opportunities can be limited. The Botswana Family Adventure Safari has been designed with families in mind. Our safari includes the full Botswana experience but with the emphasis very much on the involvement of the whole family in the daily safari routine.

8 Nights from £12476 for a family of four

Botswana Summer Safari

Botswana’s secret or green season is an opportunity to visit some of Botswana’s most iconic safari areas at a greatly reduced cost. The game viewing is excellent with many animals choosing to have their young in what is a time of plenty and irds are in full breeding plumage. The summer is the best time to visit the Kalahari Makgadikgadi Reserves.

Rain if and when it comes is usually in the form of a late afternoon shower followed by sunshine. The secret is now out and we are delighted to offer the Botswana Summer Safari and the Botswana in the Secret Season safari’s visiting Chobe, Savute, the Moremi Wildlife Reserve, the Okavango Delta and also the Makgadikgadi Pans and the Central Kalahari.

8 Nights from £2958 pps

Zambia! probably my favorite safari destination

Although impressive, it is not the variety and quantity of wildlife that make Zambia so special,

What for me stands out is the variety of wonderful safari activities on offer in a country with only a few visitors. These include exciting guided walks, night drives, canoe trips, boat safaris, sleep outs, balloon trips plus a whole host of other adrenalin inducing activities at Victoria Falls.

South Luangwa is probably my favorite National park due to its beauty and feeling of extreme wilderness it is also one of the best places in Africa for leopard viewing.

Take a look at the Luangwa Trail with a Lower Zambezi extension for a safari order aciclovir online uk that epitomizes Zambia’s best features.

12 Nights from £5714 pps

Return to Zimbabwe

The Zimbabwean people very friendly and welcoming and the shortages and political problems that have discouraged visitors in recent years are no longer an issue. Zimbabwe is an affordable destination with just a few tourists and some of the best walking, guiding and adventure activities to be found anywhere. The most popular areas are Victoria Falls, Hwange National Park and Mana Pools on the banks of the Zambezi.

Take a look at our affordable Elephant Trails Safari for an indication of what is possible.

9 Nights £2750 pps All inclusive

Maasai Mara and beyond

Kenya remains one of Africa’s greatest wildlife destinations and the Maasai Mara arguably the best place in the world for game viewing, add into the mix vibrant culture and some of Africa’s finest beaches and you have the perfect holiday destination.

We have some very favorable deals from our Kenyan suppliers, some of which are exclusive to Safari Club and include “no single supplement” and “free child” place offers. The best deals are available outside of the main holiday season but the situation changes daily so please contact us to see what we have on a late availability basis.

Our very popular “A Week on the Wildside” special offer which is available for all seasons will finish at the end of May so a last chance to grab what is a real bargain migration safari.

7 Nights from £1816

South Africa and Namibia at a great price

Both countries have become very popular tourist destinations in recent years as they are easily the lowest cost safari destinations despite the higher international airfares. The key to picking up a bargain is to book as early as possible and guests wishing to book for 2017 should be doing so now. We regularly receive notifications of space becoming available at South African lodges and hotels so if you want to visit in 2016 give us a call or e mail and we can put together a plan for you.

Tiger Safaris in India

An increase in the population of tigers in Central India’s premier tiger reserves means our guests are regularly experiencing wonderful tiger sightings on our very popular indian Wildife tours.

Take a look at two new tours for 2016/17 season beginning in November.

Tiger Wild will appeal to guests whose interests are purely focused on wildlife and tigers in particular. Available in classic and premium versions this trip visits the excellent Kanha and Pench National Parks. There is the possibility of extending to include other parks including Satpura, Bandhavgarh and Tadoba.

10 Nights fr £2035 pps

Rajasthan Tiger and Cultural Delights is suited to guests who have a real interest in experiencing India’s “Golden Triangle” and vibrant culture and history of Rajasthan but would also love the chance of seeing a wild tiger in the famous Ranthambore Tiger Reserve.

14 Nights £3408 pps

The popularity of African safaris goes from strength to strength, thanks to the many outstanding television documentaries which showcase the colour and vibrant nature of African wildlife so spectacularly as well as the ‘word of mouth’ from returning guests blown away by the holiday of a lifetime. For most guests their exciting, first safari is rarely their last, Africa is addictive and no two safaris are the same.
Exciting New website

Special Offers
*Look out for our special offers e-mail in a couple of weeks *
‘A Week on the Wild Side’ is an early booking offer which has been extended to 31st May 2016.  Now is a great time to visit the Maasai Mara when the crowds are fewer!   
Familiarisation trips
Our consultants travel to Africa regularly to review new and existing camps and ensure standards are being maintained or improved.
Read our brief overview or call us if you would like to chat more about a specific country or interest on:  01664 464 228 / 0845 0545 889

Zambia
For me this is perhaps the best destination for the more adventurous traveller with superb night drives, exciting guided walks, overnight “sleep outs”, and boat and canoe safaris. For “big cat” fans, this is the top place for leopard sightings and lions are also numerous.  For more information, read my blogs Thrill of the Wild & South Luangwa Trail
Paul Downhill June 2015

Zimbabwe
A safe and fun place to visit a real eye opener for me, Zimbabwe is also a great place for adventure with similar activities to neighbouring Zambia. Hwange National Park is the place for close up elephant sightings whilst Mana Pools is wild and beautiful. The most spectacular views of Victoria Falls are from Zimbabwe. Read more on Return to Hwange. & Victoria Falls up and down
 Paul Downhill August 2015

South Africa
We visited a number of superb lodges and Safari camps in the Timbavati and Sabi Sand areas of Kruger. The standards are inevitably very high and Kruger always delivers on the wildlife front with the widest diversity of large animals of any African park.  I was amazed to come across cheetah, lions and abundant leopards within the same area, guests are truly spoilt.  The beneficial slide in the value of the South African Rand continues to make South Africa superb value for money.

Kenya
Kenya always delivers effortlessly in every aspect. Friendly people and abundant wildlife at any time of year and is perfect for first timers. A variety of different wildlife areas cater to all tastes and standards of guiding and accommodation are superb. Culture, wildlife, scenery and picture postcard beaches Kenya has it all.

Read Beths blog Abundant Kenya

Death of a King
Whilst we personally cannot understand the thrill that hunters get from killing a large to buy aciclovir wild animal and certainly do not condone it, there is no doubt that in many ways, legal big game hunting does contribute towards conservation of African wildlife. In particular by providing a buffer zone between National Parks and local communities and because hunters have a vested interest in protecting their livelihood.
I visited the home range of Cecil the Lion whilst in Zimbabwe just a few weeks after the widely publicised, illegal shooting of this magnificent beast. Talking to the local game rangers and camp owners, some of whom are quite sympathetic to the hunting lobby, brought home to me the dichotomy faced by African conservationists. On hunting concessions throughout Africa some species flourish in these protected zones. However the prime specimens, animals with the largest horns, manes or tusks that are the big game hunters quarry were largely shot out in the hunting concessions many years ago. In an industry where money talks and corruption is endemic, it is inevitable that greed will lead to incidents where the last of the “specimen” animals are lured from the safety of the National Parks to areas where they can be legally shot, diluting the gene pool for eternity.
Kenya and Botswana have lead the way in banning the hunting of big game, we do hope others will soon follow suit after all a magnificent lion can be shot many times over with a camera but just once with a gun.
It’s wonderful to know that your safari holidays help contribute towards the conservation of this wonderful wilderness and its wildlife.

Painted Wolves return to Serengeti
The African wild dog became locally extinct in the Serengeti in the late 90’s as a victim of persecution by humans who considered them vermin and canine diseases transmitted by domestic dogs. A few dogs survived in the Loliondo Game Management area adjacent to the reserve and an ongoing breeding and re-introduction programme just completed the successful release of a sixth pack into the Serengeti. The recently reintroduced animals bring numbers to 125 now thriving in this former range.
Tanzania is one of only seven countries where these magnificent predators can still be seen roaming Africa’s wild places.

India Wildlife Holidays
Our Indian division continues to flourish with returning clients providing very positive feedback, if you would like to see a real wild tiger, a sloth bear or a one horned rhino please take a look at the flexible itineraries on our India wildlife holidays website.

Costa Rica
Paul is visiting Costa Rica in May to explore the possibilities for wildlife tourism. If you are interested in visiting Costa Rica and would like to know anything, please drop me a line or give me a call for a chat.

The main objective of the trip was to acquaint ourselves more thoroughly with some of the game reserves in the Eastern Cape which are popular as a short safari destination at the beginning or end of a self-drive trip through the Garden Route. Also to ascertain whether these Reserves are suitable as a stand-alone safari destination.

Addo Elephant Park

The park itself consists of the public park and some large private concession areas which have been incorporated into the park and are subject to park rules, they are not necessarily fully integrated into the park and may be protected by fences so the animals cannot migrate between different parts of the park. We stayed in the Nyathi concession which was formerly a private reserve but which is now incorporated into the national park, but which is still fenced off from the main reserve. There is currently just the one smallish lodge in this section of the reserve.

The park has plenty of plains game and is very scenic in parts, unfortunately a main road runs along much of the length of the park and it is also somewhat disfigured by the pylons and cables that cross the property particularly in the area close to the only lodge in the park.

National park rules dictate that only animals which are known to have lived in the region are allowed to live in the park which does limit the wildlife viewing on offer.

We stayed at the very nice five star, Riverbend Lodge, where there is quite good game viewing from the rooms and public areas of the lodge. The lodge prides itself on its fine dining experience and this is one of its principal selling points. Both the lodge staff and the guides were extremely friendly and helpful.

The highlights are exclusive game viewing as there are presently no other operational lodges in the Nyathi section of the reserve so you do not see other vehicles on the game drives.

Outstanding elephant viewing with very relaxed jumbos which are curious and happy to come right up to the vehicles, also a good place to see black rhino. Many popular African animals are not present so will not probably suit first timers if using on its own.

Shamwari Game Reserve

This reserve is internationally renowned for its conservation work and has been one of the leading reserves in the Eastern Cape for many years and is famous for its contribution toward conservation of endangered species. The reserve is large but also has a high density of lodges as well as other buildings on the property and has a very definitely commercial feel to it.

We stayed at Long Lee Manor which was a little stuffy for my personal taste and was more like a country house hotel located in a game reserve and we felt acyclovir cream buy online uk insulated from the wild Africa we like to enjoy. That said, we had a huge room, although it lacked the spectacular view of the plains that could be seen from the public areas. The food was excellent and the guiding was also of a good standard our guide joined us for dinner on one occasion.

The beauty of having a number of lodges in the reserve is that there is one to suit most types of guest, we got to inspect some of the others of which my personal favourites were Bayethe Tented Lodge and Eagles Crag. All the lodges are rated 5 star and prices do not vary greatly, the game viewing and guiding should be similar at any of them.

All of southern Africa’s major wildlife species can be easily seen on the reserve including many that would never have occurred naturally in the region but which seem to flourish here. First time safari guests are unlikely to be disappointed with the game viewing as the “Big Five” including both species of rhino plus cheetah are relatively easy to see. Guests who have travelled to other more remote safari areas in Africa may find that the necessity to heavily manage the game viewing and the ease with which the wildlife is located makes the whole experience rather too commercial.

We have spoken to many Safari Club guests who have visited the lodge as well as a number of guests who were visiting at the same time as ourselves and all, without exception, thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Kwandwe Game Reserve

This reserve is owned by a private individual and has only two smallish 5 star lodges and two exclusive use villas on the property, hence it feels less commercial than some of the other reserves in the Eastern Cape. The variety of wildlife and numbers appear to be similar to Shamwari in a similar sized area but the lower numbers of visitors make it seem like a much more exclusive experience and few other vehicles are seen on drives. Of the reserves we visited this was my preferred option as it felt more like a traditional safari with a tracker sitting on the front of the vehicle and the more exciting sightings located through the skill of the guide and tracker rather than relying on the radio to chase sightings.

The safaris here started a bit earlier in the mornings and the afternoon safaris finished with spot lit game drives. The lodges here offer some interesting additional activities including fishing, big game walks and rhino tracking on foot at extra cost.

Very good game viewing with excellent lion sightings and both black and white rhino, this was the only reserve where we saw a leopard which our guide found by careful tracking.

Visit November 2014

In common with most visitors to Victoria Falls I have in the past just spent one or two days in the area at the beginning or end of a safari in Zambia or Botswana.

As I was travelling to Zimbabwe and was arriving from Nairobi on a direct flight into the new Livingstone airport before trying out the recently introduced, single Kaza uni-visa system to cross the Victoria Falls bridge into Zimbabwe, I had decided I would use this opportunity to spend a bit more time in the area and find out more about the hotels, lodges and exciting activities on both sides of the border both up and downstream.

My first stop was at Waterberry Lodge, located upstream of the falls on the banks of the Zambezi River, always a firm favourite with Safari Club clients. The lodge includes many interesting lodge based activities in its rates, these include visits to the falls, village and school visits, birding walks, boat trips, sundowner cruises and fishing. We knew we were back in Africa as Lions could be heard roaring in the Zambezi National park on the opposite riverbank most mornings.

Whilst there I also took a trip downriver to visit the upmarket Tongabezi Lodge and its sister camp Sindabezi Island. These stylish lodges have a stunning riverside location and with plentiful wildlife around are a great option. Tongabezi also have the concession for Livingstone Island where guests can take tea on the rim of the falls and bathe in a pool on the edge of the precipice.

One day I had lunch at the Victoria Falls Hotel, this a five-star property with a great location very close to the falls. The Victoria Falls Hotel is all you would expect of a five-star hotel with comfortable rooms and excellent service. The highlight for me was enjoying a pot of tea whilst purchase acyclovir canada watching the elephants coming down to the water to drink on the opposite bank of the river.

Crossing into Zimbabwe was a doddle with the new uni-visa system and my first stop in Zimbabwe was at the Gorges Lodge located downstream and with a wonderful position on the edge of the Zambezi Gorge. The lodge is heavily involved with the local community and activities here include visits to community projects. The local villagers have formed a dance troupe who perform at the lodge in the evenings to provide some entertainment. The lodge provides usual visits into Victoria Falls town to see the waterfall and enjoy some of the many activities. Black eagles and other raptors nest on ledges on the edge of the gorge and an unusual activity takes place in the evening when meat is put out for the eagles and guests can watch as the eagles soar spectacularly along the edge of the gorge to take the offerings. All the rooms here have unbelievable views and the recent addition of a small satellite lodge called Little Gorges adds to the accommodation choices.

I also visited the new Zambezi Sands Lodge which is located inside the Zambezi National Park upstream of the falls. This lodge has a superb design with large and very comfortable tented rooms, all having river views. As the lodge is inside a national park the activities here include game viewing in open 4×4 vehicles, guided walks, canoe and boat safaris as well as activities at Victoria Falls town. This superb “all inclusive” lodge is a great place to start or finish a safari in Zimbabwe or neighbouring Botswana, a perfect combination of safari activities and relaxation. We would recommend a minimum of two nights as the lodge is too far from Victoria Falls themselves for an overnight stop.

What an experience, my return to Zambia, definitely one of my favourite safari countries, after a three year break. The beautiful South Luangwa National Park, was always going to be a big adventure.

My mission was to sample an exciting exploration safari involving day and night game drives, walking safari and overnight sleep-outs in a mixture of luxury bush camps and lodges. The experience was to provide the basis for Safari Clubs “Luangwa Trail Safari” which is run in partnership with our experienced local partners Messrs Norman Carr safaris who have been operating in Luangwa Valley for over 50 years.

This safari is tremendous fun for those with a spirit of adventure!

South Luangwa teams with game of every kind with lions particularly in evidence, we could hear them roaring not too far away on some of our walks but despite the best efforts of our guide we were unable to locate them on foot although we did find them feasting on a zebra kill the next morning on a game drive.

Most mornings we walked between two small, remote camps with our luggage travelling separately by vehicle. Later in the day we would take an afternoon and evening game drive. Most of the walks are about 12 kilometres and take around three hours at a leisurely pace with our experienced and highly knowledgeable guide. We walked between Luwi, Nsolo and Mchenja camps although shorter walks are possible for those who prefer less walking. June was perfect for walking with clear sunny skies, whilst the morning weather was quite cool, the grass by this time of year was dying back so the elephant trails we used between camps were fairly easy going, at times we walked along the banks of the Luangwa River where hippos snorted and large crocodiles slid into the water at our approach where to buy aciclovir over the counter sometimes elephants could be seen slaking their thirst.

A huge highlight of this trip is the Overnight “Sleep-Out” in the bush, involving a short, late afternoon walk to camp in a dry riverbed. A team of four looked after us superbly, set up our temporary campsite and soon had a roaring campfire on the go. A delicious bush dinner cooked over the open fire and a wonderful evening ensued discussing our adventures whilst listening to the sounds of the African bush and enjoying endless gin and tonics. We slept on bedrolls in the soft sand with just a mosquito net between us and wild Africa but even the whooping of hyena, trumpeting elephants and roaring lions could not prevent a peaceful sleep.

As for the wildlife highlights, well a pride of lions on a hippo kill was interesting and following a pack of wild dogs hunting in our vehicle was also exciting but perhaps seeing a large male leopard walk past the front of our tent at Mchenja Camp in the middle of the day not ten feet from where I was relaxing capped it all. South Luangwa really is a great place for these spotted cats and we were lucky to see seven different leopards during our stay.

We finished our “Luangwa Trail” at Norman Carrs wildly luxurious Chinzombo Camp, a perfect place to chill out at the end of the adventure.

It’s worth noting that there were a couple of mature ladies in their 70’s doing a similar thing whilst I was here and they loved it. Not suitable for those with walking difficulties or a nervous disposition and the cost means although younger guests would love it, most guests are likely to be of a certain age.

My opinion: Superb

Paul Downhill

Travelled June 2016

The beautiful and wild Lower Zambezi Valley is a pristine area of untouched Africa centred on the Zambezi River downstream of Lake Kariba. The park is home to many species including big herds of elephant, and buffalo and plentiful lions, it is also a great place to see leopard.

The park itself is home to some of Africa’s finest, small, upmarket camps widely spaced along the river bank throughout the park.

I was exploring the Lower Zambezi with a view to designing some exciting adventurous safaris which could be a natural extension to Safari Clubs “Luangwa Trail” safari and other Zambian safaris.

The big attraction of this park in addition to the magnificent river is the variety of activities on offer, these include the usual day and night game drives, guided walks, canoeing and boat safaris on the river and arguably the best catch and release tiger fishing in Africa, naturally I tried them all.

The game drives here were rewarding and the specialist guides very knowledgeable and competent, the best game viewing seemed to be in the central region of the park near to Old Mondoro and Chiawa Camps.

A delicious lunch on a floating pontoon drifting slowly down the river was an unexpected and very enjoyable treat.

I very much enjoyed my guided two hour bush walk, which I did near to Anabezi Camp, we came across a herd of elephant on foot and plenty of other wildlife. We also came across a safari vehicle with guests who were observing a pair of leopards which were hiding in a thicket, we gave them a wide berth.

The canoe safaris were a real highlight, most camps where to buy aciclovir tablets offer them and I did one from Chongwe River Camp and another from Chiawa. A rigorous safety briefing precedes the canoe safaris which are not too strenuous. As you glide slowly and silently downstream along one of the Zambezi River’s many channels navigating the pods of hippo and watching the huge crocodiles slide into the river the adrenalin really starts to flow. At one point our way was blocked by a herd of bathing elephant and we had to wait our turn to pass.

I also took a couple of fishing trips whilst at Anabezi Camp and Sausage Tree Camp, the fishing is incredible and a number of fearsome tiger fish were landed up to around 6 kg in weight. The great thing about this activity is that you don’t need to be a keen angler to enjoy it. The guides are great at teaching you the basics and supporting those having difficulty with their catch, with all the equipment at hand it’s a very relaxed and rewarding experience. There is so much wildlife and birdlife both in the river and on the banks and many islands that non anglers will enjoy the relaxing boat trip equally well.

The wildlife and birdlife seen at close quarters on the canoe and boat trips is a joy to behold!

Whilst in Lower Zambezi I also had the opportunity to look at the brand new Amanzi Camp which had just been built, Amanzi is a four room luxury camp in the eastern section of the reserve. I think this camp will be really special as it has such a great location and superb design.

I was very much looking forward to revisiting Hwange National Park after an absence of ten years. I recalled a huge park with just a few safari camps and lodges and well developed facilities for the visitor. I very much hoped that the park had not been heavily poached and the safari camps run down in my absence.

In fact, Hwange National Park proved to be an absolute joy to visit, very few tourists and abundant wildlife with elephant particularly plentiful. The road system was in a good state of repair and the safari camps I visited were all very well managed by a dedicated group of people.

The camps I visited included “The Hide” which is in the southern section of the park within the home range of the famous “Cecil” the lion who had been illegally hunted and killed for sport just a couple of weeks prior to my arrival. The lodge is located next to a very busy, floodlit waterhole and an underground hide with access via a tunnel from the lodge makes close up game viewing superb. I also visited Bomani Tented Camp and Camelthorn Lodge in the same area, which also have nearby waterholes with viewing hides.

Two unusual activities are the “Elephant Express” which is a game viewing vehicle that runs along the railway track through the park and is used as a transfer vehicle into camp, a great way to arrive at the lodge. The weekly pump run is an all day journey through the park with the team that maintains the pumped waterholes that sustain life deep inside the reserve. This is an opportunity to visit some very remote parts of Hwange and to see the excellent work being done to ensure the survival of wildlife in this very dry national park.

The game viewing in this area of the park was very buy aciclovir tablets 800mg good and apart from hundreds of elephant we saw cheetah, lion and some of the less common sable and roan antelope and many species of plains game.

I am not usually very keen on school and village visits, however, the experience at Bomani visiting the local chief and his village was really educational and I would highly recommend it. An inspiring example of how a small African village can thrive in the modern world and live in harmony with the nature surrounding it.

The northern part of Hwange was also teaming with wildlife, this area is hillier and arguably more scenic, certainly different to the more open grasslands in the south. The two camps I stayed in were really excellent, both offering the full range of safari experiences and very professionally managed. Camp Hwange was a comfortable camp in its own private concession area, where, in addition to guided walks and daytime drives, night drives were also on offer. Nehimba Safari Camp was also on its own private concession and offered similar activities but a real highlight for me was the waterhole around which the camp is built, every night here in the dry season herd after herd of elephants come right into camp and drink the entire contents of the swimming pool which fills up again during the day. It is amazing to see these huge animals just feet away whilst enjoying a pleasant dinner in the camp restaurant.

Also in this area I saw wild dog and the largest herd of buffalo I have ever seen.

Hwange is an easy park to get to from nearby Victoria Falls about two and a half hours away and can be combined easily with the falls in a short or long circuit.

My visit to Hwange was the inspiration for Safari Club’s new “Elephant Trails” and “Land of the Giants” safaris.