Her long career was a continual fight, against all odds, for rights and freedom, but she is most famous for her environmental activism and ‘green’ campaigns which earned her the Tree Lady title.

Wangari Maathai’s philosophy and methodology were so simple… she encouraged the women of Kenya to plant tree nurseries throughout the country. She encouraged them to find seeds in nearby forests to grow trees native to the area. The women were then paid a small amount for each seedling which was later planted elsewhere. This concept ultimately became known as the Greenbelt Movement which has to date planted almost 4 million trees in Kenya.

Her life story is known to many, but I often wonder how many more ‘Tree Ladies’ there are out there who are doing great things against all odds at a grass-routes level that none of us get to see or hear about. This blog post is a tribute to those people. I like to believe that there are more people doing good as opposed to bad…even though it’s the sensational bad guys that make the news!

Travellers to Africa often want to see community upliftment and conservation projects in action, and we have facilitated many such visits to local on-the-ground organisations. It is part of what we do, besides planning your African safari, we are happy to arrange cultural interactions and facilitate visits to sustainable development projects.

Kenya's amazing Tree Lady

As nature has it, there are casualties and this is good news for the predators – the crocodiles, hyena, jackal, other small mammals and ultimately squabbling parties of vulture and ugly marabou storks.

jackal & vulture 'tidying up' in the Serengeti

But be prepared. The aftermath of the migration is not for the faint hearted. You will need a strong stomach.  The river banks and immediate surrounds are literally littered with carcasses being chewed and pecked.  Grim as it may be, this is all part of nature’s big plan as hundreds of creatures, birds and insects ultimately benefit from the gory slaughter.

Vultures and a 'picked clean' carcass

If you would like to visit East Africa and see the migration it is best to start planning and booking your trip now. It is tricky choosing which safari camps to book as it all depends on the time of year and whether you travel to Tanzania or Kenya or both. Talk to one of our African Safari Consultants for more advice and info.

Last week I promised a few more tips on how to choose the right safari.  Last week I covered:

1.  When do you want to go?
2. Winter vs Summer?
3. Malaria Free Safaris?
4. Your budget?

With these 4 questions covered we can look at getting a little more specific about your experience.

Once you have covered the above the next thing that I would ask is what kind of vacation or safari are you looking for and who are you traveling with?
There are options out there that are more suited to families, older generations, honeymooners, adventurers, 1st time safari goers and those looking to volunteer and give something back.  So believe it or not, this is an important consideration and really helps your consultant provide you with the product best suited to you.

Although your budget might decide where you can go – it would be good for you to have an idea about this too?  There are plenty of choices out there – somewhere like East Africa with Kenya and Tanzania and of course the Gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda – has been on the safari circuit for decades.  They are awesome destinations for game viewing and they can be busy and expensive.  Botswana is going to give you an exclusive wilderness experience.  I think it has been said that there are more beds in the Cape Town Waterfront, then in the whole of Botswana!  Because of this exclusivity there is a premium cost attached to staying in this beautiful country.
South Africa has marketed itself well over the years and certainly is a destination that has something for everyone.  So if you are looking for other experiences to include with your Safari, then perhaps South Africa is the right place for you.   Of course – if you like Deserts……nothing compares to dunes and ancient paths in Namibia.

The last thing I would consider when making my safari choice is how much support these establishments are providing to the local communities and how much they are giving back to wildlife.  This is actually something that you do find often now and I think it is an important consideration.  You want to know that you are also giving back to the local people and wildlife you are seeing.

In this way we all play a small part in preserving our Earth’s amazing treasures.  I hope this has been useful.  I always value any comments or thoughts so please feel free to add yours!

Below is a seletion of stunning pictures taken recently in the Masai Mara.  These tie in nicely with my blog posting from Wednesday.  They really are such beautiful animals.  So much majesty and poise!

We are often asked in this business where the best place to go on safari is.  People ask this without realizing the choice that is out there and without really thinking about what it is they want to get out of the experience.  Everyone is different, and we are all looking for that awesome “thing” that we can tell all our friends about, or that will last a lifetime.

By choosing a Safari destination you are one up on everybody already!  It is a totally unique, mind blowing, awesome thing.  You will never experience anything like it, anywhere else in the world.  That is why Africa is so unique!  That should be enough to sell you on the ultimate vacation…..but if you still need some pointers on how to choose the right Safari, below are a few pointers:

1.  When do you want to go?  – The biggest thing to remember is that the seasons are opposite way round in the southern hemisphere, where most of your big safari destinations are.  So summer in the northern hemisphere is winter in the southern.  The good thing about this is that winter in the southern hemisphere is generally the best time for game viewing.  The general lack of rain in the winter months keeps the vegetation dry and short – this allows for much easier spotting of wildlife or the big 5.

2. Even though winter months are generally better for game viewing, the summer months also provide their advantages.  These are primarily better package deals due to the “low season”, but it also provides a more intimate safari experience.  The summer months are not as busy as the winter months.  My favorite summer safari experience are the magical, electric thunder storms.   Paints a safari in a whole new light.

3.  You should consider if you are looking for a Malaria free safari or if you are comfortable taking prophylactics or other precautions.  Certainly there are times when a Malaria risk is not good – usually involving pregnant ladies or very young babies.  There are not many areas that are Malaria free, but South Africa has 2 locations – Madikwe and the Eastern Cape.

4. The final pointer for today is your budget.  Everyone has a budget in mind when going on vacation and a safari vacation is no different.  The advantage about Safari’s is the broad range of price choice over a wide range of destinations.  Some countries offer value for money, others offer the ultimate in privacy and exclusivity, some have been hosting safaris for generations, while others allow for pristine wilderness.

So you need to decide what your important factors are for this ultimate vacation experience.  Next week I will highlight a few more that should really help you make the perfect decision!

One of the Big 5 - The King of the Savanna

We sometimes forget how lucky we are.  How much we have and how much we actually should be grateful for.  There are people in the world that have so much less, and we just don’t give back often enough.  The famine crisis that has been top of the news for the last couple of weeks is happening on our doorstep in Africa.  Somalia is not a destination that we specialize in, and logically with all the other challenges Southern, South and East Africa face, ones efforts should probably be focused on areas that have a direct impact on our business.

However, this humanitarian crisis has seeped into our hearts.  The more coverage out there, the more disturbing images that go around the world of starving children, the more you hear of the unbelievable stories of people actually making it to a feeding centre alive – the more we realized that we have to try and make a contribution.

So we are making a donation on every booking we receive for the months of August and September.  We are donating to the UNICEF Horn of Africa Fund.  The UN estimates that around 770,000 people have fled to refugee camps and about $1.3 billion is needed to address this crisis.

The Horn of Africa is notorious for long-term cycles of severe hunger.  But with decades of failed crops, climate changes, and economic crises – the current drought (the worst since 1951) has increased malnutrition, killed and weakened livestock, increased food prices and basically driven up famine and hunger.  Innocent people are suffering and we would really like to make a difference.  If you need to know more about what UNICEF is doing you can visit their site here.

Otherwise, know that we are also doing something to give back to our fragile continent.

The action of the migration

A reminder that the migration is in full swing at the moment in East Africa.  We received an update this week from one of our partners Asilia who operate luxury camps in the area.  Have a read as to what they are currently seeing:

“This week has been fantastic as we had a chance to see the big five and the most amazing and interesting thing was when we found seven lions and one bull of rhino laying down close to each other facing. This event happened at bologonja plains the way to nyamarumbwa, no natural mechanism is perfect. The three cheetah brothers have been seen almost everyday and we have been sometimes seeing them hunting which was so good to guests. Also the leopard has been spotted around the mama kent gully on the tree with a kill of a male impala. Lions keep on roaring each night and have been seen along bolongoja river, mama kent gully, lamai plains, wogakurya kopjes.

We would like to say that this week has been fantastic as the great wildbeest crossing happened in front of the camp when the guests were having their delicious lunch, suddenly everyone left the lunch and ran to see the greatest crossing which took 1 ½ hr. This was an unforgattable life experience to everyone who did see this crossing.”

Wildlife Report from Olakira Camp 2011

Even today I read an article that the Masai Mara – one of the most famous National Parks in the world – has lost more than two thirds of its wildlife over the last three decades – that is all in my life time!  Are we able to do something?

It can be tough to be forward thinking.  To wonder what it would be like not have wildlife reserves.  To think about our kids and grandkids and what they might not see.  There are so few fighting for the rights of our animals and protecting them.  The odds against these individuals and organizations are huge….yet they are passionate and committed!

The big threats out there are drought, population pressure, tourism overdevelopment and political mismanagement.  These are all huge topics.  Africa is a continent that has been torn by war, natural disasters like flooding, famine, drought, minimal education and in many cases, wildlife that knows no borders and boundaries.

I don’t really know what the answers are.  I guess, the more we talk about things and the more we expose – made easier these days by the internet – the more people will join together in preserving our wildlife.  We have to keep remembering that every little bit counts, it doesn’t matter how insignificant we think it might be.  We have some of the most awesome wildlife attractions in the world and there are positive results that do keep shining through as the war on Rhino poaching shows:  decreased from 40 Rhinos poached in March 2011 to only 2 poached in June! So please lets all make an effort!

We need to protect and preserve!

The lone male getting caught in this picture right at the back

See how the herd surround their babies

The lone male

Look at the size of those tusks

Did you know that like humans are typically right or left handed, elephants too are right or left tusked?  The dominant or master tusk is generally shorter and more rounded at the tip from wear.