Africa’s wild creatures do not live in isolation, each species represents a strand in the web forming the community of plants and animals in which it has carved its niche. Even the briefest safari will traverse many such ecological communities and habitats. The eye soon discerns that the African world is not a singular entity in which animals occur at random, but an ordered realm where every creature has its appropriate place. Some species are extremely adaptive and survive in a wide spectrum of environments. Others are confined to specific niches or microhabitats. It would take volumes to describe all of Africa’s animals, not to mention their relationships and the habitats in which they live in.
A small understanding of African ecology will go a long way toward enriching your safari experience, for the wonder of the animals is heightened by an appreciation and awareness of their total environment. Although the famous big game animals naturally command the most attentions, people who look only for lions, elephants and other large mammals tend to get bored after a few days. Those curious about African wildlife in all of its varied forms never have that problem, for it is impossible to run out of new and fascinating discoveries.
The suggested itineraries provided in this safari manual are chosen from among the destination’s finest Independent Travel itineraries. You may book them as shown in the manual or revise them to meet your guests’ requirements.
GAME DRIVES/GAME VIEWING – The game drive/ game viewing is the standard mode of wildlife viewing in the African national parks, concession, where both regulations and safety considerations restrict exploration on foot. Conditions are ideal for vehicular safaris; rising savanna fame country from the security and comfort of a car, you will encounter a large number and variety of animals simply by chance. Game drives in most of the parks are always invigorating: you may go from one species to the next – observing zebra here, giraffe there, a knot of impala on the right, a trio of elephant bulls ahead. However, there is really no guarantee on what you will see; the animals are free to move around as they please and may even pass beyond park boundaries.
DRIVER GUIDES: Each safari group will be accompanied by the best driver-guides with expert knowledge in wildlife and other areas of tourist interest. The driver-guides are continually under training on subjects as varied as the maintenance of safari vehicles, client’s safety, the mating habits of various species, preservation and conservation, general knowledge and foreign languages: English, French, German, Spanish and Japanese
SAFARI COURIERS: May be provided (at an extra cost) upon prior arrangements. A safari courier is a seasoned professional and is highly experienced as a field naturalist. In addition to giving introductory briefings and lectures on the area visited, Couriers provide information on African history and folklore.
ACCOMMODATION – Lodges come in many shapes and sizes. Many lodges are famous for their beauty as well as comfort. The general quality of comfort, cleanliness and service is high. Each facility has its own ambience. The newer safari lodges are modern hotels designed for harmony with the natural setting. Spacious verandas look out over fame viewing areas with stunning landscapes well visited by game. Some lodges are so well placed, usually by strategic water points, that the game can be seen at any time.
MOBILE CAMPING: The concept of mobile camping is very attractive to the adventurer as it reminds one of the early explorers and hunters in the “Dark Continent” – Africa. The guest is presented with a product that is much closer to nature and therefore more thrilling.
- Standard Mobile tented camps: Our Standard camping always carries a unique characteristic; staying in a private and exclusive campsite. The camping crew and equipment travel separately on a support vehicle ahead of the guests. When guests arrive at the campsite everything is prepared and waiting – tents up, meals cooking, and hot water ready for a wash. The walk-in accommodation tents are provided with two safari beds, blankets, bed sheets and pillows. Wash room facilities are set inside the guests’ tents, and not outside.
- Budget mobile camping: Budget camping is the ideal way for those who like to “rough it” as we provide mostly bivouac pop-up tents for accommodation whereby mattresses are laid on the sewn-in ground sheet. The tents are spacious enough for two people and they have a mesh on each window to keep off insects. The guests’ safari vehicle pulls a Trailer carrying the camping equipment and a cook. All preparations at the camp are made on arrival at the campsite. Guests are often expected to help pitch the tents, but the cooking and cleaning is all left to the camping crew. We recommend visitors to bring their own sleeping bags. Public campsites provide basic washroom facilities of reasonable hygienic standard for budget camping safaris.
Following is some information about the major sights covered in our suggested tours manual. The type and abundance of wildlife encountered on a given day depends on a variety of factors including the seasonal migration pattern and luck.
MANYARA: The cleavage, known as the Great Rift Valley, can be identified from space as the most distinctive feature of the continent. The seam of this cleavage has developed a series of fascinating and beautiful lakes. Manyara is a fantastic big game park.
The variety of habitats parallels its exceptional scenery. Every imaginable East African animal is found here in abundance. There are great herds of buffalo, zebra, wildebeest and several varieties of gazelle. Mahogany, sausage tree and croton are alive with blue monkeys and vervet monkeys. Some of the most amazingly large pods of hippos congregate at the rivers emerging into the lake, and the birdlife is plentiful. Lake Manyara is also known for its “tree-climbing” lions.
MIKUMI: Mikumi National Park covers 3237 square kilometers and lies within the Mkata River plain bordered by the Uluguru Mountain range to the east and the Rubeho Mountains on the west, an area of lush vegetation which particularly attracts elephants and buffalos. Open grasslands dominate in the flood plain, eventually merging with the Miombo woodland covering the lower hills. Wildlife is abundant with giraffes, zebras, buffalos, hartebeests, wildebeests, elephants, wild dogs, and smaller mammals and reptiles. Mikumi’s vegetation includes woodland, swamp and grassland with two water holes, Mkata and Chamgore. Apart form the saddle-bill stork, hammer kop and malachite kingfisher, there are also monitor lizards and a deadly python inhabiting the pools.
NGORONGORO CRATER: Ngorongoro is quite unique as its physical protection from man natural beauty ranks it among the most pristine wildernesses on earth. It is regarded as a natural wonder of the world and has been declared a World Heritage Site. It is the largest intact crater in the world, being 610 meters deep, 16 kilometers across and covering an area of 540 square kilometers. On the crater floor, grassland blends into swamps, lakes, rivers, woodland and mountains – all a haven for wildlife, including the greatest predator population in Africa. The volcanic crater is jam-packed with wildlife, including all the big game. Its pride and joy, however, is that it remains the last great wild refuge for black rhino.
RUAHA: The Ruaha National Park is Tanzania’s second largest park and the world’s largest elephant sanctuary. Although set in spectacular scenery with an abundance of wildlife, the park is one of the lesser visited in the country, keeping it an isolated and peaceful wilderness. Amongst the game found at the park are elephants, buffalos, giraffes, cheetahs, lions, leopards, a wide variety of antelope and over 465 recorded species of birdlife.
SELOUS: Selous is one of the most remote and least visited game park in Africa, but at 15,000 square miles, it is the world’s largest game reserve. The name derives from hunter-explorer Frederick Courtenay Selous, a keen naturalist and conservationist as well as a hunter. He was killed in the First World War in the Beho Beho region of the reserve. The defining feature of the Selous is the great Rufiji River, which naturally splits the ecosystem into two distinct parts. The area can be explored by boat, sailing through swamps and lagoons where elephant often come to bathe, or even by foot, as the Selous is one of few Tanzanian reserves to allow walking tours. It has the world’s largest number of big game, more than 120,000 elephants, 160,000 buffaloes and about 2,000 rhinoceros. In addition, the Selous contains Africa’s greatest concentration of hippopotamus, crocodiles and wild dogs.
SERENGETI: The name 'Serengeti' comes from the Maasai language and appropriately means an 'endless plains'. The National Park is as big as Northern Ireland, but its ecosystem, which includes the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the Maswa Game Reserve and the Maasai Mara Game reserve (in Kenya). It lies between the shores of Lake Victoria in the west, Lake Eyasi in the south, and the Great Rift Valley to the east. As such, it offers the most complex and least disturbed ecosystem on earth. A unique combination of diverse habitats enables it to support more than 30 species of large herbivores and nearly 500 species of birds. Its landscape, originally formed by volcanic activity, has been sculpted by the concerted action of wind, rain and sun. It now varies from open grass plains in the south, savanna with scattered acacia trees in the center, hilly, wooded grassland in the north, to extensive woodland and black clay plains to the west. Small rivers, lakes and swamps are scattered throughout. Rising in the southeast are the great volcanic massifs and craters of the Ngorongoro Highlands. The Serengeti plains are host to a dramatic annual migration of hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and numerous other species of animals indigenous to the area.
TARANGIRE: Tarangire National Park covers 2,600 square kilometers and is on the traditional migration route of several species of the wildlife. At dry times, the concentration of animals in Tarangire rivals that of the much better known Serengeti. Herds of migratory wildebeest, gazelle, zebra and buffalo gather along the marshy shores of Lake Natron. These pools are shared by flocks of birds: green wood hoopoes, fisher lovebirds, tallish herons, white bellied go-away birds and giant kingfishers. Resident lion, giraffe, elephant, and black rhino are common at any season; Tarangire is noted for its baobab trees and splendid vistas of rolling savannah and acacia woodland. The strange-looking, centuries-old baobab trees are believed by the Maasai to be the first tree in creation.
Hot Air Ballooning: On certain safaris which include night-stays in Serengeti, hot air balloon rides are available upon prior notice and at an extra cost. For the adventure of a lifetime we can offer the group the unique experience of a Balloon Safari over the Serengeti plains. If you choose ballooning, plan to depart early in the morning to the launch site for the hot air balloons – you must depart early to enjoy the calm morning sky. Your balloon pilot will guide the balloon low over the Serengeti plains, providing you with the chance to see the different wildlife at their early morning activities: hippos returning to the water after wandering for food in the dark, elephants coming out for their morning feeding, lions returning from the hunt. If there is a special activity going on, the pilot will bring the balloon down close to the treetops for a better view. Skimming over the treetops, you will have a chance to see the game in action and up close. The flight lasts about an hour with ample opportunity for photography. After landing, there is a traditional champagne toast, followed by breakfast cooked on the balloon burners in the middle of the Serengeti plains.
