The Thrill of an African Safari

Looking left and looking right, your eyes try to pick out something moving among the bush, for the faintest sway of a bush to indicate wildlife is just beyond.  Without the trained eye of someone who grew up in these savannahs, it is more often than not your guide who will point out that first glimpse of wildlife, earning them the nickname binocular eyes.

Seeing animals in their natural habitat is a truly remarkable experience.  To watch the gentleness of the giraffe as they nibble on tree leaves, ears twitching as they listen for danger.  The grandness of the elephants, taking in the wrinkled skin and large eyes always keeping you in their sights as they pound through the land, seemingly making plans with the rest of the herd, always careful to keep the youngest in the middle of the pack.  Stopping to observe the jumpiness of impala, the stripes of the zebra and the colors of the birds, each make for a special memory on safari, but it is the large cat sightings that create the most drama.

Always on the lookout, one can never guess where their first cat sighting will be.  It could be a leopard resting on a tree branch after a filling meal.  You may find a family of Cheetah out for a stroll, the pack of cubs playfully attacking each other as the mother looks for dinner.  Our it could be the king of the jungle, the male lions resting after feasting on an antelope while the females fight over the scraps.  These animals, so hard to spot, possess a confidence other animal don’t have the luxury of having.  They rule the lands, but there is also a kind of harmony that exists out in the wilderness.  With a setting sun, you can see a collection of animals grazing together before heading home in the dark to seek the safety that will allow them to see another day.

If you have always dreamed of heading to the dessert plains to observe and photograph the beauty of animals in their natural habit, we urge you to explore our Kenya and Tanzania safaris.  On these adventures you will not just get a sense of the life of the animals that live under the hot African sun, but you’ll get to interact with the Maasai, a local tribe who continue to practice the hunting and homesteading of their people.  You will be invited in to learn about how their interactions with the animals shape their diet.  You will learn about the traditions the tribe carries out to establish boys as men.  And you will get an opportunity to see how they craft the traditional beaded necklaces, the most iconic feature of their tradition.