Great Places Where The Wild Things Are

The Family Travel Network editor, Nancy Schretter, went in search of the "Wild Things" on her recent safari in Tanzania and Kenya. Africa Adventure Consultants planned her family-friendly safari in East Africa to include highlights such as a walking safari at Oliver's Camp in Tarangire National Park and a stay at the new Sayari Camp in the Serengeti. Our Tanzania Deluxe Tented Safari features both of these adventurous camps.

Not only did Nancy find the Wild Things of East Africa and stay in the best lodges, but she was also able to connect with the locals in a Samburu village in Northern Kenya. Nancy and her family were so inspired by their experience in the village, that they are now involved in supporting the local school. Read more about her safari and her Top 12 Great Places Where the Wild Things.

Edward Norton and the Maasai Warriors

Edward Norton, Campi ya Kanzi and other sponsors have joined together to support conservation efforts and cultural preservation within the Maasailands of Kenya. How's Edward doing it? By running the New York Marathon, of course! Oh, and he'll be accompanied by a few of his closest friends.

With the Marathon fast approaching, the group is still looking for donors and support, and we think this is a great cause. Campi ya Kanzi has long been an avid supporter of cultural sustainability in the Maasailands by promoting conservation, education and health services in the local Maasai Communities. Two of Campi ya Kanzi's safari guides and the president of the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust (all local Maasai) will be joining Edward in the race to complete the New York Marathon this Sunday, November 1. So far the team of runners has raised over $500,000. Learn more about sponsoring a runner, check out the great photos and watch Edward Norton on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Contact us for information on booking a safari to Campi ya Kanzi in Kenya.

Image courtesy of MaasaiMarathon.com

World Savers Awards - Experience it in Tanzania!

Gibb’s Farm, a hideaway high in the Ngorongoro Highlands of Tanzania, was recently awarded a Conde Nast Traveler World Savers Award for the Ecology of Gibb’s Farm. You can experience Gibb’s on our Luxury Tanzania Safari with a three nights’ stay at one of our favorite sustainable lodges or upgrade any Tanzania safari to include Gibb's Farm. The lodge has several sustainability focuses, including environmental, wildlife and cultural.

Gibb’s Farm practices many environmental preservation tactics including water recycling, sewage treatment, solar heating and more. 100% of grey-water from kitchens, bathtubs, rainwater and laundry is recycled into organic farms and gardens via a reed plant filtration system. This system can be viewed in the Vegetable Farm. The largest solar panel array in northern Tanzania has been installed for water heating. This replaced wood fired water heating systems. Smaller solar arrays are being installed to replacing the remaining wood heater boilers that exist away from the new central solar system. Bottled water sales are discouraged. The drinking water in the cottage is pumped from two deep wells. It is very pure; however, as a secondary precaution we filter it through a Katadyn Filter before placing it in your water pitcher, including the new ice machine water. Read more about other environmental preservation practices at Gibb’s Farm.

In terms of wildlife conservation, Gibb’s Farm partners with the neighboring Ngorongoro Conservation Area Administration (NCAA) to make sure that guests follow all rules in respect to wildlife while in the conservation area and on the Farm. It also works to conserve its own forest reserve. Gibb’s Farm works with local communities on wildlife conservation efforts, including how to live with elephants that wander out of the NCAA forests. Gibb’s Farm assists researchers in bird nesting and habitat restoration and takes census of bird species on the farm estate and nearby NCAA forests. And the Farm employs 3-4 full-time naturalists and 10-15 part-time guides. They help the guest and staff with information and interpretation of the biomes in our area. An extensive bird list has been compiled and continues to be updated. A flower, tree and shrub listing is currently in progress.

Gibb’s Farm has long been a part of the diverse communities and cultures around it. Some 95% of Gibb’s Farm 150 full-time employees come from the immediate community and many more receive part-time employment or are given opportunities to sell their crafts and wares at the farm. Two of the largest populations in the region include the Iraqw and Maasai peoples, whose artwork, history, stories, medicine, and ways of life are preserved through Gibb’s Farm cultural programs and throughout the farm and its cottages. The Farm also actively promotes cultural preservation through the Fine Arts program and the African Living Spa.

Contact us for more information on Gibb’s Farm or to book a stay at the Farm.

Photos courtesy Gibb's Farm.

Mozambique's Beautiful Coast

While Gorongosa is being reborn, Mozambique's limited beach resorts continue to mature very nicely. Miles and miles of white sand beaches, warm water and amazing marine life await anyone willing to spend the time and money to get here. It's not cheap, but it's worth it.

From Gorongosa we flew about an hour by charter plane to idyllic Benguerra Island. Flying low, the ocean reveals amazing color variations from gray and deep blue to indigo, turquoise and light green. Benguerra is one of the handful of small, lightly populated islands that make up the Bazaruto Archipelago off Mozambique's South Central coast. Nearly every bit of its coast boasts incredible beaches and on the whole island there are only three lodges and just a few hundred residents. Can you say, "unspoiled?"

Buengurra Lodge comprises a handful of roomy, beachfront villas with large bathrooms with outdoor showers, a huge deck, private plunge pool and sala with iconic hammock. The restaurant serves delicious food and the bar can make just about any drink, even the umbrella-laden foo-foo variety. Though it was a "couple-y" feel to it, the resort caters to all types and has two new two-bedroom suites that are perfect for families. This was my personal favorite, though Azura and Marlin lodges are also great choices.

Activities at Benguerra include scuba diving, deep-sea and fly fishing, sunset dhow cruises, swimming and snorkeling. Our snorkel trip started with a visit to fish-filled Two Mile Reef, where we saw unbelievable numbers of species, and a short visit to Pansy Island, which boasts large numbers of sand dollars and shells when it emerges at low tide. In certain months, whales, sea turtles and dolphins are seen, and most rarely, the endangered dugong, also known as the sea cow and possible inspiration for the legend of the mermaid. Since the third grade when I wrote a report on the dugong's New World cousin, the manatee, I have wanted to see them first hand. I asked several staff about a dugong expedition but was told my chances of seeing them were slim to none. Undeterred, I asked the snorkel boat captain. "You must be very lucky," he said looking uncharacteristically pessimistic, and so I gave up hope. But leaving Pansy Island toward the hotel, the captain shouted "Dugong!" and sure enough we were treated to a five-minute show before she disappeared into deeper water.

The next day we left for the larger Bazaruto Island. We transferred there on a scenic 11-minute helicopter ride over the narrow channel separating the islands. (Flights are also available.) Though a relic pod of crocs and a small group of flamingos are said to inhabit the island's inland lakes, the action here again is on the wide, pristine beaches and in the water.

Here, we stayed at the larger Indigo Bay Resort, with about 30 large chalets strung along the beach plus several suites set on a small hill. Two large swimming pools provide a nice place to cool off. This hotel again features scuba, snorkeling, fishing and dhow cruises. They also have great family friendly activities such as tennis, Qolf (chip and putt) and water skiing, conditions permitting. A highlight here was a visit to Indigo's award-winning spa which offers a long list of treatments including massages, facials, wraps and manicures. Though larger and less personal than its cousins on nearby Benguerra, I liked Indigo Bay a lot.

Far too quickly, it was time to head home. A 15-minute flight took us to the mainland town of Vilanculous, where we boarded our 2+ hour Pelican Air flight to Johannesburg's OR Tambo International. The only difficulty we had was saying goodbye to paradise.

Photos courtesy Benguerra Lodge.

Mozambique 101 and Kent's Adventure

Mozambique 101

Landing in Beira, Mozambique, one can't help but wonder when the civil war really ended (it was 1992). The buildings, some riddled with bullet holes, droop next to the roads. Laundry hangs from the balconies of stained, colonial-era hotels with missing doors and windows. But even in their skeletal form, it's easy to imagine these ghosts filled with wealthy Portuguese businessmen and tourists during more prosperous times.

Today, Mozambique is one of the poorest nations on earth with little industry, few natural resources, low wages and a shockingly short average life expectancy. And while I couldn't get out of Beira fast enough, I have fallen in love with this emerging Southern African nation.

Start with friendly people, add thousands of miles of pristine beaches, and mix in scenic, phoenix-like wilderness area, and you have today's Mozambique, a nation on the rise.

Gorongosa National Park

Leaving Beira, we travelled 4.5 hours by road to Gorongosa National Park, heading west along the Pongwe River. The newish road passes through arid countryside, small-scale farms growing sugarcane and rice, and sleepy villages. The drive provides a great snapshot of rural Mozambique, though quick and convenient flights are available for a bit more money. Turning off the main road to the Gorongosa park gate, the vegetation becomes bushier and we soon saw a long electric fence. At Chitende, the park headquarters, we found a small visitors center, park guesthouse, and a swimming pool, looking very inviting since by now it was about 110 degrees.

Here we were met by our guide and host and guide, Rob Janisch. We loaded up the Land Rover and drove through dense bush to Explore Gorongosa, an intimate, eco-friendly bush camp nestled along a tributary of the Pongwe. Upon arrival we were met by our hostess, Jos, who together with husband Rob, own and manage Explore Gorongosa.

Days at Gorongosa are spent on pleasant game drives and invigorating bush walks. Fly camping and walking expeditions to the park's namesake mountain and its gorges and waterfalls are also available. On game drives, we saw silky sable antelope, reedbuck, nyala, bushbuck, diminutive oribi, baboon, impala, large crocodiles, a lone elephant and a pair of male lions on the cusp of their prime. On night drives we saw civet, genet, and a flight-footed porcupine, amongst others. We saw a number of the hundreds of bird species that inhabit Gorongosa but what we saw in spades were warthogs and waterbuck and they, combined with what we did not see--hyena, leopard, cheetah, wild dog, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, etc.--tell the story of Gorongosa today.

The former stronghold of RENAMO (Mozambique Resistance Movement) fighters during Mozambique's 17-year civil war, the area around Gorongosa was heavily mined. Once one of Africa's premiere game reserves, the park was later virtually poached out, save a few animals. The waterbuck were spared due to their generally bad taste and the warthogs because local customs discourage eating pork. Today, they thrive in numbers I've seen nowhere else.

The lack of predators and larger herbivores pose a great problem for a poor country trying to develop its tourism industry with competition from neighbors like Tanzania, South Africa and even Zimbabwe. Enter the US-based Carr Foundation. Greg Carr, the inventor of voice mail, is taking his fortune and spending much of it to rehabilitate Gorongosa in cooperation with the Mozambican government. Rehabilitation means roads, rangers, anti-poaching patrols, and community education and development.

It also means reintroducing animals and Carr is on a shopping spree, buying zebra and buffalo and other species which are kept in the fenced reserve we saw upon arrival. Later they will be released into the park, followed by the predators. The process may take five years, Carr told us, and it could be longer. More info at www.carrfoundation.org and www.gorongosa.net. In the meantime, Gorongosa is a wonderful destination for seasoned safari goers seeking a remote wilderness experience, birders and those interested in being one of the first to visit a place. It's also great for anyone who wants to see first-hand how Noah might have filled the arc!

Rwanda's Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge

We'd like to share the latest update straight from Rwanda's Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge near Volcanoes National Park. Book a gorilla tracking adventure in Rwanda and stay at the Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge.

The weather pattern in the Virunga Range was very mild for most of the month, with morning temperatures around 48F-50F at 6 a.m. and day temperatures reaching up to 75F in the early afternoon. Many mornings were beautifully clear, offering wonderful views from the lodge towards the Eastern Virunga volcanoes of Visoke, Mikeno and Karisimbi. Usually, clouds would build up rapidly in the afternoons, releasing their first drops well after guests were back from gorilla trekking. The first of the rains arrived on the 2nd of September with a short sharp afternoon shower and the rains then continued until the middle of the month, when the area received on average just under 1 inch of rain per day. From the middle of the month onwards the rain tapered off.

In Volcanoes National Park, the return of the rain brought new growth to the bamboo forests triggering the bamboo to sprout new shoots and leaves. All this growth meant that many of the gorilla families became less mobile, than during the previous three months of the dry season, when they had to wander further afield in search of food. The families tend to stay lower on the mountain closer to the bamboo shoots, making trekking distances shorter in general.

The Susa Group, one of the largest of the gorilla groups in the park, remained split this month and it is though that this will probably lead to the creation of a new, totally independent gorilla family group in Mt Karisimbi area. The dominant males of the two groups (still considered as sub-groups within the Susa Group), seem to be avoiding each other more and more.

The most significant and very sad event in the park's gorilla population was the death of Titus, leader of the group of the same name. This legendary silverback, aged 35 (he was born on 24 August 1974), was found dead in his nest on the morning of 14 September by trackers of Karisoke Research Station. Titus had been followed and studied since his birth. The newborn baby was first discovered by Kelly Stewart, an American student working with Dian Fossey at Karisoke at the time. It seems that the death of the old dominant silverback was hastened by the return of his son, 'Rano', another adult silverback male, who returned to the group after having lived as a lone silverback for a long period. Persistent challenging from Rano apparently exhausted the old leader, who fought for his status position until his end. Titus, may be the most famous gorilla in the Volcanoes National Park, was buried in the gorilla cemetery on the site of the former Karisoke Reaearch Camp during a special ceremony on 16 September;

Back in the lodge Bernard, the manager, has been hard at work creating beautiful new organic vegetable and flower gardens. Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge's property extends over 17 acres and the lodge is still in the process of landscaping the gardens, to give a true "forest feeling" by planting more native trees, shrubs and plant species. In one corner of the property, the lodge has created an organic vegetable garden with carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, onions, potatoes and other vegetables. The produce appears almost daily on the guests' plates. Bernard plans to extend the vegetable garden, so as to be as self-sufficient as possible in the future. In another corner of the property Bernard has planted an organic flower garden to ensure a regular supply of fresh flowers to be used at the lodge. Flowers are cut daily by the staff and made into attractive arrangements that decorate the cottages and the tables in the dining area. Favorites are the elegant The lodge has also invited the neighboring community to put bee hives along the edges of the garden to pollinate the vegetable and flower gardens and in turn provide delicious organic honey.


Photos courtesy Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, Governors Camps.

Update from Mozambique - Lessons Learned!

Kent checked in from Mozambique this morning with a trip update for us and a few lessons learn - some forgotten and some remembered! Read on...

Lessons forgotten: Five things our clients should always do, which Kent unfortunately forgot, on his current trip to South Africa and Mozambique:

1: Buy travel insurance! Wishing I had it when my flight from Dulles to Jo'burg was canceled by South Africa Airways.

2. Bring mosquito repellent--it can be surprisingly hard to find in a malaria ridden area like Beira, Mozambique.

3. Check your room safe carefully when you check out. I won't admit how many Ben Franklins I left at the Peech Hotel in Jo'burg. Thankfully, their conscientious staff alerted me to my mistake.

4. If you have a serious head cold, take a decongestant prior to your flight's final descent. It will save you a couple hours of deafness.

5. Learn a few words of the local language - useful phrases like hello, please and thank you. When my rudimentary Spanish and kitchen Swahili didn't fly with my driver here in Beira, I reached into the vault for my sole Potuguese phrase, learned from pretty Brazilian sisters on a beach in Greece circa 1982. "Eo omo vosay," I said. The Mozambican driver laughed and replied, "I love you, too!"

Lessons learned: Five things our clients should remember, which Kent actually did, too:

1. Bring a good book. If you forget yours and travel through Jo'burg, there's an excellent bookstore in the international terminal.

2. In Jo'burg, give yourself plenty of time to get to the airport. Traffic there can be terrible even without all the construction to prepare for World Cup 2010.

3. Be patient: When the immigration official takes your passport and disappears for 30 minutes, he's just handwriting your receipt.

4. In Africa, negotiate pricing for any cab ride before getting in. And don't forget to have small bills to avoid the "I don't have any change" routine.

5. Have all your travel docs (including emergency contacts)handy. It helps when you try to check in with the wrong airline for your flight!

And, I'm off to Explore Gorongosa (see photo upper left!)...

Answers to E-Newsletter Animal Quiz!

Test your knowledge and answer these 'animal' questions below.

What are the following "groups" of animals called (ie the name of a group of lions is a "pride"):



A group of giraffe is called? A tower.

A group of elephant is called? A herd or parade.

A group of meerkats is called? A clan.

A group of wild dog is called? A pack.

A group of gorillas is called? A band.

A group of chimps is called? A troupe or barrel.

Kent is off to Mozambique!

Kent is heading off to Mozambique this weekend for an exploratory trip that includes the Bazaruto Archipelago, Gorongosa National Park and Beira.

Mozambique is one of Africa's relatively undiscovered destinations. Maputo has had the life breathed back into it and is now easily accessible with direct daily flights from Johannesburg, South Africa. The remote reaches of Mozambique such as the northern islands, Ibo and others, and the regions of Gorongosa National Park and Lake Niassa (a.k.a. Lake Malawi) are still quite undiscovered and only the most adventurous and eager travelers visit.

Kent will provide a full trip report on accommodations, wildlife, transportation and services upon his return, but for now take a look at this short YouTube video created by the folks at Explore Gorongosa. It gives you a good idea of what Kent's going to see. In the meantime, check back on the blog for updates from Kent while he's in Africa and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

Photos courtesy Explore Gorongosa and Benguerra Lodge.