DESTINATIONS — AFRICA
I
like a little sit down, whether I’m on my sofa, or on safari.
Give me a comfy spot in a jeep, add a veritable Noah’s Ark of wildlife parading by, maybe throw in the odd gin and tonic, and I’m the happiest Larry in Africa. However, it is nice to shake things up once in a while, and repeat safari-goers in particular may be keen to intersperse the tried-and-tested game-drive formula with a few safari substitutes. Walking safaris have been around for decades, and give clients a completely different perspective on the same terrain, but they’re just one of the many game-viewing alternatives on offer that we profile below, from canoes to camels.
l LAND
When it comes to getting a sense of your own puny size in comparison to the African wilderness, there’s nothing like a walking safari. The serenity of the bush without motor noise, and its scale, is really driven home as you file along, led by a guide and a guard with a gun, just in case anything large gets too feisty – it’s for scaring, not killing.
SAFARI THREE WAYS
land, water, air A game drive is only one of
many ways to see the wildlife on safari, writes Joanna Booth
With your extra proximity to the ground, there’s even a ‘small five’ to keep an eye out for – elephant shrew, leopard tortoise, ant lion, rhinoceros beetle and buffalo weaver bird – and it’s far trickier to tick all these off than the big five. Walking safaris were pioneered in Zambia, and it’s still one of the premier destinations for those who think two legs are good and four wheels are boring. The South Luangwa National Park is a particular hotspot, with walks available at almost every camp. I encountered elephant loitering under a thicket of sausage trees
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travelweekly.co.uk — 11 December 2014
on a walking safari from Sanctuary Retreats’ Puku Ridge Camp, which also offers other activities including classic game drives. More remote and focused
walking safaris can be experienced on itineraries staying in mobile camps. Robin Pope Safaris is celebrating 25 years of its mobile walking safaris next year, with a seven-night expedition in the Luangwa Valley that covers about six miles a day. South Africa offers
walking opportunities too, including black rhino
tracking at White Elephant Safari Lodge in KwaZulu-Natal, where clients learn about the monitoring and conservation project while encountering these rare creatures. In Kenya, walking safaris are not
permitted in the national parks, so book clients into lodges on the privately owned conservancies that border them – all four Porini camps fit the bill, and walks here are led by Maasai warrior guides. If neither wheels nor walking appeals, then there is a third way – someone else’s legs. Horseback safaris are growing in popularity and there are options to suit riders of all abilities. Claire Farley of 2by2 Holidays says: “Limpopo Valley in Botswana is one of my favourites for a horseback safari, as here you ride through wild and dramatic terrain among huge herds of
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PICTURES: SANCTUARY RETREATS; WILDERNESS SAFARIS/DANA ALLEN
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