'Beyond the Hour'

Our partners at Sanctuary Retreats’ lodges and camps in Botswana, Zambia, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania all eagerly supported Earth Hour on Saturday, 26 March between 8:30 and 9:30 local time, switching off generators and all the lights in and around the camps. In line with Sanctuary's theme this year the lodges and camps all managed to “Go Beyond the Hour"! Here, they share the efforts and celebration with us.

The staff at Sanctuary Olonana, our tented camp in the Masai Mara, spent Saturday afternoon at the nearby Enkereri Primary School where Julius, one of our staff members, gave a talk on sustainable practices. Sanctuary Olonana donated 50 trees to the cause and each of the students planted their own tree. All these trees were tagged with the students’ names and we believe this will create a sense of ownership and responsibility.

Later that evening, guests in camp celebrated Earth Hour with a candlelit dinner and even asked if the lights could stay off after 9:30 pm… Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp’s staff and guests also commemorated the day with a tree planting session. The camp staff then launched their ‘Conservation Club’ who will ensure that though various practices they not only conserve power but also come up with innovative practical ideas on environmental sustainability at the camp.

Hundreds of candles and lanterns were lit at all of our lodges and camps during dinner, with traditional song and dance performances by the staff providing the background music and entertainment for an unforgettable night under the African stars.

In Botswana Sanctuary Chobe Chilwero staff built a tree using recycled items and spelled “Earth Hour” with candles on the lawn in front of the lodge. At Sanctuary Sussi & Chuma in Zambia, the guides led a stargazing presentation well into the night - showcasing Sanctuary’s pledge to “Go Beyond the Hour”. Want to visit one of these great eco-lodges? Give us a call to plan your trip!

Photos courtesy Sanctuary Retreats

Beers & Safaris in Denver

We had a fantastic event here in Denver last weekend; a 'Beers & Safaris' night to socalize, snack and also to get a sneak preview of a new National Geographic program about Gorongosa National Park. The film is called 'Africa's Lost Eden', and debuts on National Geographic Wild on April 12th, and will be available for sale on April 13th. Despite unusually rainy weather in Denver, we had a great turnout for what was a fun and informative evening with a mix of AAC alumni travelers and those preparing for their first African adventure!

Rob and Jos Janisch joined us from Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique to talk about the park and camp they manage - Explore Gorongosa. They introduced the film and answered questions about it after the preview as well as answering questions about the park and Mozambique. It's a terrific destination that is truly off the beaten path.

We have several Mozambique itineraries, from our 15-day Adventurer's Mozambique Safari, which visits Gorongosa, as well as the beautiful coastline of Mozambique and the remote shores of Lake Niassa. We also have have our brand new Mozambique Eco-Adventure, an 11 day socially conscious, eco-friendly trip that visits Explore Gorongosa before heading for two different beach resorts that allow for very unique cultural interactions and a visit to a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mozambique is also a great place for a beach stay after a safari in Southern Africa. Our Mozambique Beach Holiday is the perfect add on to a Botswana, South Africa or Zambia safari, to allow for some R&R before returning to the rigors of daily life.

We hope you can join us at our next event!

One Small Step: Join Us in Observing Earth Hour

Africa Adventure Consultants has a long-standing commitment to protecting the environment. For years we have offset 50% of the carbon emissions for all of our safaris, while encouraging our clients to offset the other 50%. In 2010 we decided to go all the way: Now all of our safaris are 100% carbon neutral. Our US-based office is also 100% carbon neutral, and we strive to work with partners in Africa who share our passion for best practices and preserving critical habitats.

For 2010 we are also adding special Green Itineraries, such as our Tanzania Green Safari and the Mozambique Green Safari, which debuts this April. These trips utilize lodges and camps that stand out as having the most sustainable environmental practices in Africa. These include recycling, composting, using alternative energy sources (solar and wind power), water conservation, organic farming, giving back to the local community, and protecting wildlife habitat.

This Saturday, March 27th, we urge you to join us in observing Earth Hour. This is a worldwide call for action on climate change by doing something simple: turning off your lights for an hour from 8:30 to 9:30 pm. So far 26 US States and 115 countries have signed on to observe Earth Hour to show their solidarity for climate reform. Celebrities such as Edward Norton, Gisele Bundchen, and Tom Brady are on board, and we hope you will be too!

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!