Swaziland Safari
I wanted to share this beautiful lion I encountered at Hlane Game Reserve in Swaziland. Take a look at his expression – he’s cross! He took offence at the maintenance guys on the back of a truck and was stalking them. We, on the other hand, were in a safari vehicle with netted sides, so the lion didn’t see...
Lion Sands owner dies in helicopter crash
This morning Nick More, 45, co-owner and CEO of the award-winning Lion Sands game lodges in Sabi Sand Reserve near Kruger, died in a helicopter accident. He was piloting the helicopter en-route for a meeting in Johannesburg with three passengers, all of whom were killed. Read my favourable review of Lion Sands Ivory Lodge here. Nick was a leading...
DERECK & BEVERLY JOUBERT’S FILM ‘THE LAST LIONS’ WINS 4 SAFTA AWARDS (March 2013)
I watched Dereck and Beverly Joubert’s amazing film ‘The Last Lions’ at a trade showing last year and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house – certainly not mine! I write about African safari but didn’t know that lions are endangered in the wild. Their extraordinary film shot in Botswana showed otherwise. Best Director of...
Wilderness Safaris Launches African Residents Loyalty Programme
At last! Wilderness Safaris, who own or run around 50 safari lodges in Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, Zambia, Kenya, South Africa and now even Congo, plus luxurious North Island in the Seychelles, have realized that the domestic market is worth courting. To rectify this long-standing policy of pretty much ignoring the locals, they threw an enormous party for...
Camping & Glamping is big in 2013
Are you a Camper or Glamper? The former is you, your tent and whatever you bring along to make things more comfortable. The latter is you pretending you’re camping but really someone else has pitched the tent for you (or it is semi-permanent luxury room that happens to have canvas walls in the case of...
Top 5 weird, wonderful, and just plain kooky hotel requests in 2012
This is a the Top 5 strangest requests made on Protea Hotel’s staff in 2012. A burly guest insisted on being sung to as it was the only sure cure for his insomnia. It worked! A Cape Town GM had to go out at 8pm in search of goldfish for a guest who insisted she...
Footprint Quiz
Who made this print in the wet sand at Phinda Private Game Reserve in KZN? That’s what the Head Ranger at Forest Lodge asked me after he heard I had been to more than 200 safari lodges? He reckoned I must have been on enough game drives to be able to identify any spoor (spoor...
Lion in snowflakes
This lion in Joburg zoo was as surprised as everyone when it snowed in all nine South Africa provinces in one day on 8 August 2012. Photo credit and copyright to Lorna Fuller, Senior Manager at Johannesburg Zoo.
Daphne Sheldrik the elephant lady of Kenya – new book
Daphne Sheldrick is one of those indomitable women who take it upon themselves to save a species. She was the first person to successfully hand-rear newborn elephants against all advice and has had a huge impact on conservation in Kenya and worldwide. She founded the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and the...
Safari pics that make you want to be there!
When I look at these photographs, I want to be there right now – don’t you? See link on each photo to find out where it is.
Travel Gurus e-zine
It’s always good to see something new and appealing on the internet, and that’s what Caroline Hurry and Kathy Whitehead have done with their new website; Travel Gurus. It’s an e-zine that features opinion from travel journalists, industry players and opinionated others (the likes of yours truly), along with destination pieces, true...
Art Safari; Namibia & Botswana
If I had the merest hint of artistic talent I would go on the next Art Safari in Namibia in April 2011, closely followed by Botswana in May. Don’t you just love these two pictures of artworks done by students on an Art Safari tour? I would love to be able to do a simple squiggle...