Touring - Safari
Safari - the word instantly conjures up images of immense African plains as far as the eye can see, the vista blurred by
heat haze and dust kicked up by zebra and wildebeest, giraffe and warthog who, spooked by a lion-shaped twitch in the long
grass, gallop for their lives across the dirt.
I can still remember my very first safari - it comes from the Arabic safara, to travel - in a game park in South Africa. I
was enthralled; sitting in a Land Rover so close to whopping great elephants we could see their long eyelashes batting and
upturned trunks vibrating as they trumpeted alarms when the babies trundled too close to our vehicle.
I have been utterly spoiled since, and have visited much bigger reserves and vast national parks in
the wilds of Namibia and Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania and beautiful Botswana. I’ve learned a few things. For a start, ‘wild’ does not have to describe
the accommodation too.
No matter how remote, top-class camps and lodges offer gourmet food, ‘tents’ with comfy double beds, fridges, hot
showers (and psst... proper loos!), pools, spas, bars and cosy, cushioned lounges.
I have also learned safaris don’t all look the same, so you need a choice of destinations; sure, there’s game-rich savannah,
but there are also dark woodlands, desert, rocky hills and shimmering wetlands.
Be prepared to be as enchanted by little Africa as the ‘Big Five’ - that’s elephant, lion, leopard, rhino and buffalo. I was bowled
over by teeny-tiny elephant shrews, brilliant blue malachite kingfishers, and dung beetles - they’re so cool! To me, luxury is
about extraordinary experiences as well as indulgence, whether that’s gazing at the Milky Way, clear to see in a night sky
unaffected by light pollution, contemplating the meaning of life as you practise yoga in the bush, or watching a bundle of lion
cubs suckling from mum.
It’s strangely comforting, too, to see the natural world just getting on with it, to know that with or without us, the circle of
life is still turning very nicely...
Wendy Gomersall
A Day in The Life
days on safari are long, varied and full. The unfamiliarity of a
pre-dawn wake-up call is softened by the first culinary temptation
of the day and the early starts are well worth it because you’ll see
animals about their daily routines before the heat of the day calls
them to the shade. during that same heat you can rejuvenate
with a spa treatment, laze by the pool, relax in the privacy of your
fabulous suite or, if you’re feeling energetic, perhaps take to the
bush on a walking safari. Having eaten your fill of a fabulous
breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea it’s time to head out on a late
afternoon game drive for more awe-inspiring sights and sounds.
Stopping for sundowners is a traditional highlight of game drives
but one that never ceases to delight, the sounds of the bush
seemingly amplified as the last vestiges of the sun’s warmth and
light are finally lost below the horizon. As you drive on in darkness
lit by moon and starlight there are still animals to be seen, spotted
by the sharp eyes of your ranger or tracker. Finally the glow of
your lodge’s lights welcomes you to a fine bush dinner, over which
the day’s sightings are discussed, before you retire for the night, in
eager anticipation of that next wake-up call.