Safari

by Marian Myers of WIlderness Safaris

Botswana has a well-deserved reputation as one of Africa’s best wildlife countries. The jewel that is the Okavango Delta offsets the unique dry central region of the Kalahari and the Makgadikgadi pans.  Its clear blue waters sparkle in the light of the warm African sun, its main watercourses and rivulets trickle and flow and spread out in the shape of a hand resting in the northern-most part of the country.  There is nothing quite like it in the rest of the world.  It is home to some of Africa’s best wildlife, birds, fish and flora too.

Austin-Lehman Adventures has teamed up with Wilderness Safaris, who has some of the most spectacular, wild and remote areas that the Okavango Delta has to offer which means guests have a diverse choice when compiling their safari itinerary.  Typically, one should mix up the areas by complementing a water experience with a land experience.  There are also various levels of comfort and adventure that can be considered.  The premier camps offer more in terms of luxury; whereas the classic camps offer a comfortable well-designed home-from-home atmosphere, the Explorations bring you closer to the wild with “comfortable camping”. 

The combination to look for when planning a safari, therefore, is: the area first, the level of comfort second and the time of the year third. July-October is southern Africa’s winter, which is dry, and game viewing is excellent.  The months on either side of winter are also very productive though and not as cold.  To witness the season of birth and renewal, December through March is the best time to travel – everything is green, spectacular and babies are being born.  

Botswana has so much to offer.  Let ALA and Wilderness Safaris help you build a safari that will be a life-changing journey.

I get asked all the time, almost daily actually “Where is your favorite adventure?”  My answer is quite often “canned” - “Why, the last place I visited” or, maybe, “the next place I go.”  We all know that these answers serve little purpose.  Folks ask me for advice because, let’s face it, I’m blessed to have seen a big chunk of the world (actually in reality just the tip of the iceberg, but I keep working at it.)  As I get older, I reflect back on my travels and adventures and really try to think of what or where was my favorite adventure?  That answer recently came to me, and everything just seems to make more sense now.  It was just a few weeks ago… Kasey (my lovely daughter) and I were zip lining across the tree tops in the shadow of Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica. We were laughing like kids again.  Actually, she was laughing at me, but the fact is we were indeed laughing.  Next it was off to the beaches of Manual Antonio for a break and a few hours of surf lessons (come to think of it, this is really when the laughing hit an all-time high.)  It was on this recent adventure to across Costa Rica that I came to realize it isn’t so much where I travel, but with whom I travel.

I am convinced the best part of travel is the memories we create, and the best part about these memories is who we create them with.  There is nothing better than to share my passion for travel with someone who I not only love, but whose company I enjoy.  Personally, for me, it gets even better.  I am fortunate enough to work in the adventure travel business. Better yet, I am blessed to work in this great (a bit crazy at times) industry with my wife and children. In the last 12 months I have had the chance to travel across Europe with my wife Carol (talk about memories… who could forget the rug salesmen in Morocco… I know I would like to,) spend 3 weeks on safari in Namibia with my son Andy (making too many new friends to count,) and most recently, as I mentioned, exploring Costa Rica with Kasey my daughter.

So in this case, where is my favorite adventure? Easy, Costa Rica!  Pura Vida (Plenty of Life) as the Costa Ricans say. It is no doubt a beautiful country, with the friendliest and warmest “locals” you can imagine.  The adventures are endless, whether it’s rafting the Pacuare River, kayaking the canals in Tortuguero National Park or just relaxing on the beaches of Manual Antonio, Costa Rica has it all and welcomes travelers like no other country on the planet.  The only question that remains is simple...  who are you bringing with you??

The idea, why…..

The idea of an exchange visit was conceived in a unique open air “board room”, in Namibia’s great Kunene region, Omatendeka conservancy at Otjomumbonde. Otjomumbonde area is the Omatendeka conservancy’s wildlife sanctuary. The area is endowed with much needed natural springs and great vegetation making it well suited for farming; however the conservancy has set it aside for wildlife therefore its attractiveness for tourism development. In this arid area, land use and management plans involve making substantial sacrifices by the communities who are generally described as farmers and not conservationists despite their well-known successes in conservation. These sacrifices are sometimes rewarded with unique tourism developments such as the planned Otjomumbonde lodge. It is a beautiful site in a pristine environment. Serenity combined with sincerity to connect people divided by not only an ocean but also lifestyles and cultures. Despite these divides, their souls connected in a common purpose and similarities in their love, respect and appreciation of nature. More similarities came to the fore, their common fight and plight to conserve and preserve the environment; this is why it was decide to undertake an exchange visit for Namibians to the US for both nations to share in their common journey.
 

The mastermind behind the exchange visit is Dan Austin of Austin-Lehman Adventures; a passionate visionary, an energetic individual who love life and all in it, particularly the stories of people as it relates to their space and history. In Namibia he was inspired by the harmony and balance of people and wildlife and their love for the environment which manifests through their passion for sharing their story and their environment with visitors.

The composition of the invitees covered people from Namibian conservation hotspots and a combination of veteran eco-tourism practitioners both in communal conservancy areas as well as government concession areas. In its entirety the group included representatives of key stakeholders making it appropriately representative of the relationships required and in most cases responsible for the successful implementation of eco-tourism and conservation operations in Namibia.

These relationships are a web network involving the government, conservancies, non-governmental organizations, donor agencies, and private sector tourism investors, to mention but a few. Conservancies’ successes of conservation on their land are very well celebrated in Namibia over the years and continue to be the case. Amongst the selected representatives for the exchange visit is conservancy concessionaires, this is the latest government initiative to further extend natural resources management rights and benefits to conservancies neighboring protected areas. This allocation of concession rights to conservancies has not only increased the conservation foot print of the conservancies but also put at their disposal more resources from which to benefit. Unlike in the past where the concession rights were given to private sector operator, now the private sector operators are contracted only as operators and are only given rights to conduct their operations by entering into an agreement with the conservancies that hold the concession rights.   

The delegation also comprised a fair reflection of the Namibian peoples’ cultural diversity, with representation of people from the far northwest, the central north and far north east as well as people from the central heart land of Namibia giving both a rural and an urban reflection of the issues concerning sustainable utilization of natural resources.

The visit, what we saw…

Zoo Montana visit: A great welcome by the enthusiastic “Zoo Man” who has a voice that cuts through the mumblings of non-attentive visitors in the group, filled with passionate yet educational presentation of information of the various species in the collection of the zoo.

The tour through the zoo began at a well calculated significant stop for foreign visitors to see the Bald Eagle, America’s national bird appropriately welcoming visitors on a tour into the American wildlife kingdom, not only at Zoo Montana but for what was to follow during out tour of many wildlife sightings in the parks. To the delegation, a zoo is a new experience even though in Namibia there are various initiatives that operate with wildlife kept in captivity but in general parallels could be drawn especially regarding how the animals ended up in the zoo as well as their confined future in this captive environment. For majority of the group members, there was a general sense of mixed feelings regarding the freedom of the animals and their adopted constricted behavior. Nonetheless the essence and conclusions drawn are that these animals, despite their sad tales of what happened and what could have ended up in their death, have been offered a second chance at life at the zoo, maybe even a much better chance compared the their wilderness-dwelling families.

 Their new role of Zoo Montana is to serve as ambassadors of their world out there and spread the message of their plight directly to their biggest enemy, the human race. The evening was enjoyed mingling with a high profile team from Billings including the Mayor and several representatives of congress, people entrusted by the masses with championing their prosperity including that of the wildlife and the environment. They are key role players in decisions that should bring justice, equity and a harmonious co-existence of man and beast.

The Crow Tribe dance: To cap the evening, a journey down the historical footsteps of the Crow Nation/Tribe was undertaken. They passionately shared their heritage and history and brought to life their increasingly threatened rituals and infected everyone with rhythm to join in song and dance.  We witnessed how music transcend boundaries of any kind be it tribe, race or nations from far across the oceans. The motion of dance to melody is a universal language and we full well connected and melted into the Crow’s cultural pot for the evening.  

              
Meeting the Crow Tribe/Apsaalooke Nation who have a reservation “conservancy” in the rural areas of Montana State, a state fully branded by their ancestors through their connection to the land, the names of the main natural  features such as rivers and mountains and grass plains bears names with meanings and cultural significance of the Crow nation. This is a story many a people can relate to and people in the delegation can relate fully. The challenges they face are similar to the challenges many Namibians face.

Yellowstone National Park can only be described as a “Must see”, seeing is believing in the truest sense of the statement. It was a visit in History, not only seeing what can arguably be the oldest park in the world but also getting the best chance or the closest chance to hear, feel, see and experience some of the most fascinating goings into grandmother earth’s belly. The park is a geological living museum, a living laboratory for academia that pursues the challenge of getting to understand the workings beneath the earth’s surface. It is a mind-blowing experience for the ordinary and it will not fail to ignite a curios debate in one’s mind about the forces of nature and the spiritual believe of divine powers of some sort. We experienced the soul healing powers of nature, the realization of how small and insignificantly young we are as humans on planet earth and how at times the forces of nature swallows our self-imposed egos over other species and our selfish dominance and exploitation of the resources of the earth all in the interest of the human species, the most destructive and harmful species to the planet.  

It is encouraging to note that this Park was set aside for conservation more than 100 years ago. Several success stories of game reintroduction in this park are visible such as the Bison and the Wolves, what is also visible is the ever unpredictable bio-diversity-balance/imbalance that in most cases is best left to nature.  The successful reintroduction of the wolves in the park seems to trigger some form of discontent with cattle ranchers neighboring the park, it appears that the wolves’ territories are spilling over on ranches and that the ranchers are experiencing losses of cattle and a reducing population of Elk that migrates seasonally from the park onto neighboring ranches. This migrating Elk onto ranches provides for a popular lucrative hunting season that provides a much needed alternative source of income during the winter period. The phenomenons above serve both as a sign of conservation success as well as in this case maybe a reminder of the possible reasons why the wolves were fiercely hunted to depletion in the first place.  At the moment, around the wolves issue in the Yellowstone Park, there is an urgent need for conservationists, government to engage ranchers more pro-actively and holistically if lessons can be drawn from our Cheetah Conservation Fund model on the fate of the cheetahs in Namibia. Meanwhile it appears that two even bigger threats to both the ranchers and the parks management and maybe to an extend to Montana and neighbouring states these are wild fires and as was explained a volcanic eruption. These are larger than life threats and therefore beyond anyone’s comprehension, hence left to grandmother nature to decide if not to divine power.

Rural Montana is “cowboy/girl” (gender equality) country; it is a culture, a heritage and a way of life of a people but more importantly an industry and its players who brave it out to rear cattle and hay fields to add their bit to feeding the nation. They are a people with character, a sense of profound pride and hospitality on their ranches and small towns. They are a community and a family, they all have “cow” blood in their veins. Yeah right they will defend their cows. Conservation in their vocabulary is grass lands management, rotational grazing methods and grass species restoration on their ranges as well as rooting out any threats to the cattle be it deceases or otherwise; that is conservation in their language. These guys represent everything tough and rough, big trucks, tough terrains, hectic chores and manual operations in stark contrast of the urban jungle life in this developed nation. They follow a history of their forbearers and continue to cherish a heritage for future generations to come. We did horse riding at a ranch and got a window into the reasons why they probably choose to remain rural, one trail “highway” single file procession, one traffic rule “follow the leader, stop when he stops”, simple “controls” to operate, speed limit is controlled by the cowboy in front. Now why would you trade this for the hustle and bustle of city life if you can eke out a living  in this serene space. After all city dwellers work very hard to earn a holiday the ranchers call their office and the activities such as horseback riding their daily chores.   

American football match: Dan Austin’s all time love appears to be football, in the short-time we spend together the word football kept popping up in conversations like some out of control pop up on a computer screen.  He sold the game to the Namibians in record time and worked tirelessly to plant enthusiasm in the group as he knew that making this group understand the game will take the same time it took Namibians to achieve conservation success. Nonetheless he put to good use every second at his disposal and within less than 15 minutes had total strangers at least memorize Andy’s number (his son who plays for the Bobcats) and the color of the Bobcats’ outfits which was necessary for the Namibians for their own safety at the stadium. Needless to say, on top of the above the game was lectured to the group in a typical Dan’s-Lewis-and-Clark version time, which simply means a story of any magnitude compressed to one breath. Determined, excited and motivated the group marched on the stadium with turbo-charged confidence to join the Bobcats’ die hard supporters in cheering the team to victory. The two distinct differences were the Made-in-Namibia chanting which was new on the scene as well as the dancing when the group took to the stage when a band played live music before the match, the Namibians’ rhythmic moves made others seem rhythm-handicapped, the Namibians shook the “stage” and attracted much admiration while at the same time doing their magic to ensure a win for the Bobcats.  As they say the rest is history Bobcats emerged victorious. Something that was must to rescue Dan from a deteriorating change in mood. An elevated Dan expressed as sigh of relieve which was echoed by the group in a typical father-to-children rubbing off energy.

TIES summit: Eco-tourism, sustainable tourism, pro-poor tourism, community based tourism are but some of the main themes and phrases coined over the years in an attempt to define an environmental friendly sustainable tourism concept that serve as the reason for yet another TIES gathering in Monterey, California. The group joined other delegations from all over the world and participated in sessions at the same level as their counterparts while in some cases it was obvious that many nations can learn a thing or two from Namibia’s conservation success as well as Namibia’s successful unique joint venture eco-tourism concept. The various presentations made where not strange to the Namibian delegation, especially the case studies that involved rural/communal/parks conservation and rural based tourism ventures. What was also evident is that Namibia has a long way to go in its application of environmental friendly practices in urban areas. Lessons on recycling and carbon emission reduction can be drawn from the developed world and maybe Namibia is best placed to do it right first time to be pro-active in order to avoid detrimental development planning. The lessons learnt by developing countries is that we must guard against developing only to end up redeveloping when it comes to making environmentally-friendly decisions, we are best placed in many ways to do it right the first time around and also to learn from the overwhelming examples and adopt systems and technologies of the developed countries proving to be good examples. Namibia has an advantage of having vast tracts of land available as well as an enabling legislation. The challenge we face is inclusive broad consultation on land use plans and prioritization of key sectors with a view to sustainability. Development of the Eco-tourism sector can lead to significant spin-offs that can stimulate a domino effect that will address socio-economic needs in rural areas where it is needed most. In our approach of development in this sector we should adopt a “Design for positive impact and sustainability approach”

Lessons and Recommendations….
•    In comparison to other countries Namibia has a conservation success story to tell of notable magnitude.
•    The importance of stakeholders’ relationships and the role that each play cannot be overemphasized.
•    It is vital for Namibia to be involved and affiliate at international level in conservation and eco-tourism sector
•    There is a need for more involvement and engagement of private sector in policy formation especially regarding tourism concessions
•    There is a need to actively engage academic institutions for both a refined documentation and thorough scrutiny of the conservation success stories and tourism operations in conservancies.
•    Donor’s continue to play a major role in the promotion and creation of needed synergies between key stakeholders for the benefit of sustainable conservation activities
•    There is a need to establish at ground level international mutually beneficial relationships with communities (conservancies), conservancy associations, local councils and regional government; such as signing twinning agreements at this level. E.g {game guard exchanges, committee exchanges and leadership mentorship etc}
    

  List of Delegates:
Ms Aisha Nakibuule (Acting Director), Namibia Development Trust
Ms Hilda Namwnyo (Manager), Sheya shUushona Conservancy
Ms Selma Nangolo (Grants Manager-Tourism), Millenium Challenge Account-Namibia
Mr Usiel Ndjavera (Tourism Business Advisor), WWF
Ms Martha Mulokoshi (Project Officer), WWF
Mr Dusty Rodgers (Investor-Tourism Ventures)
Ms Fabiola Katamila (Chief Warden, Concession Unit), Ministry of Environment and Tourism
Mr Pepe Giampietro Olivetto (Entrepreneur-Eco Lodges building and investments)    
Mr Gustaph Tjiundukamba (Chairman), Omatendeka Conservancy
Mr Rector Mbeha Kawana (Assistant Director) Namibian Association of Community Based CBNRM Support Organisations
Mr Jermain Ketji (Community Liaison Manager) Wilderness Safaris Namibia
Mr Cebens Munanzi (Manager-Tourism and Conservancy Support) Wuparo Conservancy
Mr Alex Ndango (Chairman) Muduva Nyangana Conservancy
Mr Bennet Kahuure (Manager-Tourism and Conservancy Support) Millennium Challenge Account Namibia

Itinerary
Day 1, Sept 6: Montana, Billings: Visit Montana Zoo
Day 2, Sept 7: Billings: Visit Crow Agency
Day 3, Sept 8: Red Lodge, Cooke City
Day 4, Sept 9: Cooke City, Yellowstone National Park
Day 5, Sept 10: The Tetons/ Jackson Lake
Day 6, Sept 11: Jackson Lake/ Grassy Island
Day 7, Sept 12: Yellowstone/ Upper Geyser Basin
Day 8, Sept 13: Lower Geyser Basin/ West Yellowstone/320 Guests Ranch
Day 9, Sept 14: Gallatin Canyon/ Ouzel Falls /Big Sky
Day 10, Sept 15: Bozeman/ MSU Campus
Day 11-16, Sept 16-20: Monterey, TIES Conference
Day 17-18, Sept 21-23 Traveling Back

Acknowledgements and thank you’s
•    Millennium Challenge Account Namibia
•     WWF Namibia
•    Austin-Lehman Adventures
•    NACSO
Ministry of Environment and Tourism

Over the years my Dad has taken me on a lot of trips and I always dreamed about taking him on one. Recently I was finally able to return the favor, so where do two adventure loving, tree hugging, wildlife enthusiast, nature freaks go on vacation? Simple... The Galapagos Islands! Next up to decide was where to stay, my Dad and I are not the type of travelers that look to stay in fancy hotels. We are the type of travelers that want a unique place to stay that gives us a real sense of being in the destinations, luckily for us we got to stay at the Galapagos Safari Camp. (Photos above)

The Galapagos Safari Camp was the ultimate place to stay for us, you get to sleep in these massive safari tents far away from the city. This allows for a quiet, private and stunning location in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island. This is camping in style! All the tents have showers, hardwood floors and comfy beds, with my Dad being in his sixties it was a nice alternative to the camping we use to do. 

Not to mention the amazing staff they have at the camp, we got to meet the owners Michael and Stephanie who have built this wonderful property from the ground up. It is inspiring to see their passion and love for this place. Then there's all the other smiling faces at the camp, everyone there was just too good to us and made us feel right at home. Another nice touch was every night before dinner the chef would come out grinning ear to ear and tell us about our meal. 

For activities the Galapagos was the perfect fit for my Dad and I. We got to explore volcano craters, lava tubes, snorkel and swim with seal lions, see giant tortoises and I got to surf! We both got everything we were looking for out of this trip and now we're planning our next adventure together! 

Your friendly Galapagos lover,

Jonathan

P.S. You can check out my Dad's account of our adventure here: 

Part 1: My Adventures in Ecuador

Part 2: My Adventures in Ecuador

Video: Jonathan and Jerry swimming with seal lions

No, not like Monopoly or Chess, people come to Africa to see the Animals, and I am no exception! 

My grandmother, who we call Frorie, loves giraffes.  Like most grandmothers who love a specific animal she has received giraffes as gifts for, I am guessing, the better part of her life and now has a room dedicated to them.  As you can imagine, as I was planning my trip to Botswana I was overly excited about seeing a giraffe in the wild, and getting a photo to add to Frorie’s room.   I was not disappointed!! African safaris are the place to see wildlife, the first animal I saw when my small plane landed on the sandy airstrip was a very tall giraffe, just walking around like he owned the place! 

That experience was followed up quickly by seeing a huge bull elephant (my first of many), a herd of zebras, and random impala everywhere! Over the course of my African safari we were very lucky with game viewing.  From the air we spotted animals of all kinds drinking and lounging by watering holes. We also spotted a pride of lions walking around, 4 females in front, followed by a very majestic male.  We stumbled on kudu, Eland, Sable Antelope, Oryx, and water buffalo from our 4x4 Jeep. There was also the hyena’s we saw as we landed in a small jumper plane.  The best was when we couldn’t get to our rooms one night because a huge hippo was ambling about (we eventually got in, but he barked outside my tent all night).  The birding was amazing, but that is another story!

The most impressive of my game viewing came on my last two days.  We arrived in the Linyanti (in northern Botswana) and decided to do some game driving before making our way to Kings Pool Camp.  We were lucky, very lucky.  Our guides drove us up to where two other 4x4’s were watching a leopard resting under a bush after a feed.  She had taken down an impala the night before and was laying only feet away from the dead carcass. We were about 20 feet from her, just taking it in.  She stretched and went back for more.  We watched, silent; only snapping cameras could be heard for a while before moving on to see what else we could find.

It didn’t take long for us to strike gold for a second time.  About 300 meters away from our leopard we found a pride of lions that had recently killed a zebra.  Two lionesses were feasting on the hind quarters while another was napping under a nearby tree.  As our guide moved the jeep into a better position we ran straight into the male called Romeo (they could identify him by his broke right front tooth) and we watched him for quite a while too!

All a twitter from our sightings we headed into camp.  We enjoyed a wonderful meal and great conversation before turning in.  First thing the next morning we went back out to check on our cats.   The leopard had gone, but oddly the carcass was still there; she hadn’t moved it to a tree and no other animals had scavenged the body.  We moved on to the lions.  One of the lionesses was in pretty bad shape.  She was lying in a small opening, but it looked like she has an infection in her eye and she was very skinny.  The guide confirmed our suspicions that she was in fact in pretty rough shape.  We left her in peace and when we had come back to our tire tracks in the sand the guide noticed that there were lion prints on top of our tire tracks.  We tracked her. After a short time we saw her coming out of the bush, and to our surprise she was followed closely by two small cubs. 

The cubs looked to be about 2 months old, and were pretty much the cutest thing I have ever seen!  They had little round bellies, and short little legs.  To be honest, I really wanted to pick one up and cuddle it, but this is the wild, you have to keep your distance.  We took it all in for the better part of the morning, and then, sadly, it was off to the airport to start my 30+ hour journey back to the states!

To see more game photos from Botswana, check out my Flickr set: Mindy's Botswana Photos

Your Friendly Travel Expert,

Mindy (Vanderhoof) Teini

Well, I have been in Botswana for a few days now, and I can’t tell you how many camps I have seen, and fell in love with!  From Abu we moved to a place called Xigera (key-ja-ra) Mokoro Camp.  To get there we launch into the Delta on the Mokoro’s (dugout canoes) and spent 2 lovely hours floating along the waterways!  The water is so clean you can see the lily pad roots all the way down to the sandy delta bottom!  We spent a while trying to find the painted reed frogs, which are about the size of my thumb nail!  The guides of course spotted them easily as can be and help the rest of us!

Camp was awesome, a true African Bush experience; Just what I was for on an adventure vacation.  I had my own tent, with 2 comfortable cots and a private bathroom, well there was a drop toilet and a bucket shower, but it was mine. We spent our time enjoying the camp fire and telling stories of other camp experiences.  Dinner was an amazing collection of cooked-over- the-fire items like chicken curry and all kinds of vegetables… so good!

From there we moved through several of Wilderness Safari’s lodges!  They are all unique, beautifully appointed, and each offered something special that made you want to stay!  I won’t kill you with details, but I will point out a few of my favorite things!  Kings Pool had these amazing semi-circular lounges that we congregated in to look over into Namibia; they also set up our dinner on the deck and provided hooded blankets in case we were cold.  I was treated to an outside bath in a beautiful copper tub at Jacana Camp. We also had a hippo walking through camp when we arrived one afternoon.  Vumbra North had the most amazing common area I have ever seen! It was modern design that flowed perfectly with the surroundings!  I kept joking that they should send me this swing that hands in the ‘living room’; it was a floating braided seat that was so comfy! Joa looked like it had grown completely organically in the trees, and the spa…. Oh the spa…. I wish I could have stayed and enjoyed a treatment!

(Vumbra North)

Needless to say I am very excited about the camps, and Wilderness Safaris as a company.  I am proud that we are partnering with them, and I can’t wait to share all of these places with others on African Safaris!

Come back soon for more on the game viewing in Botswana, which is second to none!

Your Friendly Travel Expert,

Mindy Vanderhoof

Hi all,

I just wanted to send a quick message about my last few days at Abu Camp!  We got to ride the elephants (I was on Cathy), walk with the elephants, which is truly a special experience, feed them, watch them take mud and dust baths, and basically learn all about their life in Botswana. 

Our first night in camp I ended up sleeping in the star bed.  It is basically a lofted deck right outside where the elephants sleep with a bed covered in mosquito netting so you can watch the stars all night!  It was the best sleep I have had since I have been in Africa!   The starts are amazing.  There are no city lights to impede on their beauty!

The food has been over the top as well!  Our chef Star has created meal after meal of impressive dishes ranging from lamb, to fish, to the best roasted veggies I think I have ever had, to decadent desserts I didn’t have room for, but ate anyway!  Everyone jokes that you don’t come on African safaris to loose weight!

More to Come!

Your Friendly Travel Expert,

Mindy Vanderhoof

Well, I am in Botswana, and SO excited to be here!  To tell you the truth, before a few months ago I am not sure I could find Botswana (or the Okavango Delta) on a map, and now I don’t want to leave! 

We took a small jumper plane to Abu Camp, home to a family of elephants that have easily found a soft spot in my heart!  After we de-planed and made our way to the 4x4 waiting we were told we would go “meet” the elephants before making our way to camp.  No problem!  We cruised over the sandy and wet terrain until we came across a few more 4x4’s waiting with a white-linen dressed table packed with snacks in the middle of nowhere!  We jumped out, grabbed a drink, and turned around to see 3 elephants taking a mud bath about 100 feet away.

Elephants are incredible!  And it is so different to see them up close, wild, not in a zoo setting.  The matriarch of the herd is named Cathy.  Cathy is 52 years old this year, and you can feel her sense of calm.  She knows she is the boss, and doesn’t mind reminding you if you fall out of line.  Her consists of Abu (son of the Camp’s namesake), Shirheni, Paseka (who has a very special, heart-wrenching story), & the youngest, Wayrona, a precocious baby elephant that is still finding her feet.   

Although the elephants are definitely the main attraction, I would be remiss not to talk about camp!  I grew up camping in Montana, and let me tell you, camping means something very different on African safaris!  Although all the structures legally have to be able to be taken down and moved, they are full on luxury!  My room, I mean tent, has beautiful dark, hard wood floors, a writing table, a stocked complementary mini bar, a huge bed with amazing linens, a full bathroom with flushing loo, rain shower, sinks, safe, and a claw foot tub set up outside on a private deck overlooking the delta!  One wall of my tent is simply wall to wall screen sliding doors overlooking the delta, so you fall asleep to the view, and better yet, wake up to the sunrise and hippo sounds.  This place is remarkable!

Your Friendly Travel Expert,

Mindy Vanderhoof

Ecuador's slogan is "love life" and I feel like couldn't love life anymore than I do after visiting Ecuador! Our guide told us a joke about how all the other countries asked GOD why he was so overly kind to Ecuador when he created it. Because Ecuador has it all, my first day I'm ziplining through a tropical rainforest, next I'm horseback riding at 15,000ft and then mountain biking at the footsteps of Cotopaxi the worlds highest active volcano, followed by some surfing with sea iguanas and seal lions in the Galapagos. Not to mention our amazing accommodations at Tierra Del Volcan where we slept in authentic haciendas and the awesome safari tents we stayed in at the Galapagos Safari Camp. The diversity of activities and experiences that are possible in Ecuador are endless! From the flora and fauna to the beaches and volcanoes, there is such an extreme variety of microclimates, biodiversity and fun to be had. You pretty much get everything in Ecuador and it was such an amazing experience to see. Keep checking back for more photos and video from my trip to Ecuador!

I can't wait to go back to this amazing country!

Your friendly Ecuador lover,

Jonathan

Galapagos Day 3- We took a boat ride on the Narel II to the Island Plazas. We were greater by some seals and land iguanas. We also saw a variety of birds including blue footed and Nazca boobies. We also saw a red-billed tropicbirds, swallow-tailed gulls, Darwin's finches, lava lizards, sea iguanas, Sally-lightfoot crabs and green turtles. Then off to the La Plazas for some snorkeling, it was quite amazing... We got to swim with four friendly sea lion pups!!! I felt like I was in an episode of planet earth. It was just on of those extraordinary moments where humans we're interacting with animals in a natural environment.

Another thing about my trip, all of out staff and help have been fantastic and have really made our trip. Galapagos Safari Camp really has something special, the whole atmosphere of the place is so inviting. We had sundowners on this amazing observatory deck and watch the sunset set as everyone recapped the wonderful times we've had in the Galapagos. 

I think I could spend a lot more time here, unfortunately I leave tomorrow....

Your friendly traveler,

Jonathan

Day 2 Galapagos- First stop was at java lava a sustainable coffee farm, they are doing great work to provide an ecological friendly coffee farm and the coffee is amazing. Next we headed to the Cerro Mesa to see the view of the islands and a collapsed volcano.

But the highlight of the today had to be surfing Tortuga Bay, it was probably the coolest thing I've done! Walking past sea iguanas on the beach with a surf board and then catching waves with sea lions! Just being in the Galapagos is amazing but there isn't a word to describe how awesome it was to go surfing in the Galapagos! Then to cap that off I got to wake surf behind the dingy boat to get back to the boat. 

Then to get back to the boat and have a cerveza and some great new friends waiting... what a way to end a good day at the beach!

Once we got back to the Galapagos Safari Camp we had another delicious diner by the wonderful and creative chef here at the camp. It's a rare thing these days to have a chef come out before each meal with a huge grin of excitement on his face as he explains the meal and how it was prepared.

Tonight I am going to bed with a big grin on my face tonight! Tomorrow is another full day of activities!

Your friendly surfer,

Jonathan

Located in the Northeast part of South Africa, Kruger National Park prides itself on being one of the largest game reserves in all of Africa.  It covers just over 7,500 square miles, and has been designated an International Man and Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations Education and Scientific Organization.

A great destination for Safari, Kruger National Park contains all of the Big Five game animals people want to encounter.  The phrase “Big Five” was coined by hunters and are said to be the 5 hardest mammals to track and hunt by foot on the continent.  This group includes: Lion, Leopard, African Elephant, Cape Buffalo, and Rhinoceros.  Today, many private concessions and game reserves dissuade the use of the term as they are focus on preservation, rather than hunting.

These are not the only animals you will find wandering the park.  There are also good sized populations of Zebra, Giraffe, Hippopotamus, Wildebeest, Kudu, Hyena, Impala and many more!  A photographer’s dream come true! 

The nice thing about a safari tour in Kruger, besides the draw to the park itself, is its proximity to other African icons.  You can easily visit Cape Town, home of Table Mountain, Robbin Island, and years of apartheid history, as well Victoria Falls of /Zimbabwe & Zambia, the largest sheet of falling water in the world!

So when you start thinking about your first, or next, African Safari Tour, consider South Africa and it’s Kruger National Park.

Your Friendly Safari Lover,

Mindy

I recently got invited to explore the Galapagos and stay at the lovely Galapagos Safari Camp. I decided to bring my Dad along to experience this magical place. Here is day 1 of this unreal trip!

We arrived in the Galapagos with much anticipation and was instantly amazed with the beauty of these islands. Today we took a quick ferry to Santa Cruz and then ride up to two massive volcano craters called the Los Gemelos "the twins", it was a quick reminder of these islands volcanic beginning. Then we headed to the Galapagos Safari Camp where we will be staying the next three nights, there was a giant tortoise in the driveway when we pulled up. Our rooms are big private safari tents that are just the coolest setup. Not to mention the stunning views from our balcony. Then we headed to see some giant tortoises and that was just surreal! Finally seeing them up close, it was like being in a dream. Then we headed to a lava tube, it was massive! About 30ft tall and about half a mile long, it was so cool. After that we had a fantastic and delicious dinner with our group and now I am writing this while I look at the stars from my balcony!

Tomorrow we are headed to an organic coffee farm, kayaking, snorkeling and then our other guide Clark is going to take me surfing while the other guest chill on the beach! Yeah surfing in the Galapagos.....

Oh and this is just day 1!!!!!!!

You friendly Galapagos lover,

Jonathan

P.S. Our guide Tanya is unbelievable and a wealth of knowledge on the Galapagos. Her last clients were Brad and Angelina, so she's kind of a big deal.

This is where I am sleeping tonight at the Galapagos Safari Camp

Yellowstone National Park may be the closest most people ever get to another planet!  Its a place where the ground is alive, where the water in the rivers, streams and lakes boils and bubbles like the whimsical brew that you would find in a wizard or witches pot!  Its the safari of North America!

 A Yellowstone National Park Vacation will undoubtedly leave one dumbfounded and scratching their head as they wonder.  How in the heck does this happen?   It might have something to do with the giant pool of magma beneath us I'd say... 

 As a guide in Yellowstone I have the pleasure and privilege of leading family adventure vacations to the far corners of the park to take in the beautiful vistas, hot springs and geysers.  It's nice to see all of the minds hard at work trying to digest what this magical place is trying to show all of us.  On a hiking vacation through Yellowstone Park one week is much more than most folks will spend in the park, but this is still not even close to the time it may take to truly digest and even begin to understand what has happened and is still happening here.

 I brought some of my family members here a few years ago, an uncle of mine had been adamant that Yosemite National Park was the greatest park of them all, even on our trip through Yellowstone he claimed that Yosemite was king!  You see, Yellowstone Park is so vast and different.  It slowly seeps into your soul and sticks with you after you've returned to regular life.  This past Easter I was with family and the National Park conversation came up again.  My uncles story had changed a little," while Yosemite may harbor the big mountain views, its Yellowstone Park that keeps me wondering" he said.   "There is something bigger going on there, and i need to see more of it!"

Your Friendly Adventure Guide,

Toby Grapner

The last day in the field was a bit uneventful by Namibia standards, but still epic none the less. 

The morning kicked off with a sunrise game drive just outside Etosha National Park.  The game refuge holds just about every species one would hope to see on an African Safari, all but the elephant. With Etosha National Park so close and it being the prime elephant habitat it is hard to keep them on site. 

This morning we were treated, as we have been every morning, to a spectacular African sunrise.  Returning back to the lodge, we enjoyed breakfast overlooking the local watering hole and its frequent visitors.  As Etosha is 6 hours on a "tar road" north of Windhoek, we knew we had to head out.

Tonight we celebrated with our new friends at "Joes" a local favorite steak house with about every species of game on the menu. Conversations were lively and camaraderie ran deep.  We started planning our next get together before dessert hit the table.  Ideas were plenty, but I will save the details for another day. Hugs, more hugs and a few more hugs wrapped up the evening.  Andy and I said our good byes and headed to our guest house to pack. 

I am pecking this out on my Blackberry at 35000 feet as we head back to Johannesburg. There really isn't a lot more to say. Namibia, will steal your heart.  Great people, good times and adventures aplenty await.

I am looking forward to next time. Perhaps you can join me?

Namaste,

Dan Austin, Director

Arrived back in Windhoek early evening, just in time to catch up with our new traveling companions for the week.

It was actually quite a treat to put faces to "emails".  Some of these folks I have known for many years and actually never met.  A fascinating group, Representatives from World Wildlife Foundation (both Namibia based and stateside), an old friend from Natural Habitat (a premier tour operator), Investment bankers, looking to learn a bit more about the conservancies  and of course our new friends from Wilderness Safaris.

After introductions and dinner we returned to the comfort of Maison Ambre Guest House.

Seems like the sun shines bright every morning in Namibia and today was no exception. Shortly after breakfast we all left for a 1.5 flight to Damaraland in a Cessna Caravan.

Going to be an amazing 6 days. This group of like minded travelers were all hand picked to add a wide range of skill sets and contacts to the mix.  Our goal as I understand it (we know more as the story unfolds) is to bring fresh new light to not only Namibia, but the good work the country is doing with local conservancy groups.  This is truly an "educational" tour for me!

As I learn more, I will break down what exactly is a conservancy and how they directly benefit the "locals". For now, its sit back and enjoy the flight, northwest over the Erongo Mountains. We land at the Damaraland air strip and shuttle to the lodge for lunch.

Leeana our host (and camp manager) joined us for lunch and shared with great pride her 17 years of working at the lodge.  The Damaraland Conservancy was one of the first in Namibia.  She went on to explain the partnership with Wilderness Safaris and how she and the locals look at the lodge as their own.   How in partnership they work to Train and Educate the staff and support all in the village.  She boasted of having a pension and medical benefits. In return the village leases the land for the lodge and enforces the game laws to insure wildlife for all to enjoy.

In short a conservancy is a partnership between, in this case Wilderness Safaris and the village.  Wilderness builds the lodge, trains the villagers, manages the camp in a 60/40 partnership.   The community puts up the land. The land is leased to the conservancy in 10 year leases. She clearly understands at articulates well the symbiotic relationship between the lodge and village.  She laughs when she explains her now 8 year daughter has the bed she did not.  She shared she did not get shoes until she was in her teens, but now smiles and states her children will always have shoes.

She reminisces as a teen barefoot and hearding goats and all she really wanted was a job. A dream realized when 17 years ago she joined Wilderness.

She beams as she tells the stories of "climbing the ranks" and laughs as she proclaims "I will never have to heard goats again".  "Now we can afford to hire a goat herder".

She goes on to point out she was the first black manager since independence.  She tells us of an exchange program where she was invited to US to work in a Ramada Inn.

Proceeds from the lodge (the Conservancy)  supports many aspects of the community. Including game guards, vehicles, schools, pensions for the elderly, health care and so much more.  Leanna expects Wilderness will turn the entire lodge over to the community within the next 20 years. She held our attention well into the afternoon.

But in addition to learning about conservancies, we are here to see game and  Its early afternoon and the game awaits... We headed down to the river bottom, the perfect habitat for the desert elephant. In route we saw plenty of planes game:oryx, springbuck to name a few.

Once at the river bottom it didn't disappoint.  It didn't take long to pick up "sign" in the soft sand.  Then the first two, a small bull and newborn.   Then we "cuit the traoil" of a dozen or so.  We shot ahead and waiting as the herd approached our jeep allowing amazing shots in the setting sun.

Back to "camp", a hearty dinner and good conversation around the campfire awaits.

I should note, the camp is typical in over the top luxury as only Wilderness can pull it off!

Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings,

Dan Austin

A rare east wind kicked up over night, squashing our sunrise balloon ride over the dunes.  (good excuse to come back). Sunrise over the dunes from camp is a spectacular site.   The wind stirring the rich golden grasses and the "red" sands make a contrast too good not to shoot and shoot. Why coffee, bacon and eggs taste so much better out here I have no idea, trust it does.

After breakfast we have to say our first good byes of our adventure.  Its tough, the camp staff seem like old friends after just too days. We load up and head to the airstrip for a 90 minute flight in a small Cessna to Swakopmund along the skeleton coast. Flying just 1500 over the dunes really puts it in perspective how vast they really are.  Then north along the coast past ship wrecks and huge seal colonies. We arrive in the German Colonial town now called Swakopmund in time for a fresh seafood lunch out on the pier.  The contrast of cool coastal breeze over the dry desert is a pleasant one. Lazy afternoon of checking out the town, beaches and shops, before we crank back up the adventure tomorrow.  Tune in a few days and catch up on our Namibian Safari and Adventure.

Keep checking back, there is plenty more to come from my Namibian safari!

Dan Austin

A short 2 hour flight and we arrive in Windhoek. Capital city of Namibia. As promised Roger our guide is patiently waiting (with the welcome sign I so look forward too) just outside of customs. We load up our classic safari vehicle and head out for our 5 hour drive south (on well maintained gravel road) to "The Dunes". In route, endless antelope, orix, ostrich, wildebeest and a 7ft cobra that had a go at our jeep.

Arriving at "The Dunes" as the sun set, finding our camp was a bit of a challenge, but as day turned to night, it was the light from the fire that caught our eye.  Kulala Adventure Camp would be home next two nights. Only on African safaris can you find a remote wilderness camp, so accommodating and down right luxurious.  I mean really, tents with flush toilets!

Our camp for the next two nights is a cluster of a half dozen "tents" and the main dining mess tent.  All tucked against a small rock out cropping at the edge of the dunes of the Namib Desert. Campfire dinner and off to bed.

Dawn came early as we headed out of camp to reach the dunes at sunrise, spectacular would be an understatement for the view! The worlds largest dunes, rich with color an character.

We made our way to Sossuvlei Pan in the heart of the dunes.  Spent the morning scurrying around and taking lots of pictures. As the morning light faded so did we, as we head back to camp for lunch and a siesta.

This afternoon, a "little" work. When we travel with adventure travel companies, we are indeed working.  We checked out Kuala Lodge and Little Kuala Lodge, the latter being about as luxurious of camp I have seen.  Both strategically located on the edge of the Namib Naukluft National Park (the Dunes).

After afternoon "tea" we headed back to camp, its hard to tire of being met at your vehicle with a cold drink, fresh wash cloth and warm smiles.

After yet another campfire dinner, a bit of star gazing then off to bed.  Tomorrow we head to the coast, I can't wait to see more of this amazing Nambia Safari.

Much more to come....

Dan Austin

After weeks and weeks of planning and “waiting”, its finally here,  time to pack and hit the airways and head south, way south to Namibia for our ultimate Safari tour. While I am not looking forward to close to 20 hours of flying, I can’t wait to touch down in Windhoek Namibia.  As luck would have it, I have some great friends that just happen to be there as well.. the good folks from the Adventure Travel Trade Association and a few others are all meeting in Windhoek before our arrival.  We should connect for a cold beverage if all goes well. 

We will overnight in Johannesburg and continue on to Windhoek on Sunday AM.  As many times as I have done this, I still get excited when I walk off the tarmac and see our guide for the next week standing at the gate with a big smile and a sign that says “Welcome Austin’s”...  nothing confirms your arrival at the “right” destination as much as that simple welcome sign! 

While this isn’t our first trip to Namibia and we will be revisiting some of our favorite camps, it’s the time in the Dunes and discovering the Skeleton Coast and Walvis Bay I am most looking forward to.

We will do our best to post some pictures from our adventures in Southern Africa (tech gods willing) and be sure to bring back literally thousands to share with all and relive over and over the good times to be had…

Stay Tuned….

Dan Austin