The vastness of Tanzania

Tanzania is a vast country and you really need to safari here two or three times to cover all of the wildlife highlights. Northern Tanzania is home to the famous Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti National Park & Mt Kilimanjaro. The wildebeest migration on the plains of the Serengeti is the largest concentration of wildlife on earth.

In the south, the vast Selous Reserve and Ruaha National Park, out west and it gets wilder with two wonderfully isolated sister camps, Chada Katavi stands in a million acres of Katavi National Park with unbelievable quantities of game, buffalo herds in their thousands, and Greystoke Mahale located on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, for trekking the chimpanzees of Mahale Mountains National Park just behind camp.



Not forgetting the coast and exotic Indian Ocean Islands, Zanzibar being the most famous, for beachcombing, diving and snorkelling, scheduled charter services link the game areas with the coast and islands.

Chiawa Camp, Lower Zambezi National Park, Zambia - Boo's Best

Lower Chiawa Camp, Zambezi National Park, Zambezi River, Zambia

Owned and operated by the Cumings Family since it opened in 1989, Chiawa Camp was the first safari camp to be established in the Lower Zambezi National Park. It wins over other camps for its situation on the banks of the Zambezi - the Cumings had the pick of locations back then - and the way in which this family have dedicated themselves to conserving this incredible wildlife wilderness - a gamedrive from Chiawa now is just as it was then.

The Lower Zambezi is always a favourite - it has to be one of the prettiest game areas in Africa, with the most varied activities for guests. There is never a dull moment here - options include day and night gamedrives, boating, fishing, walking, canoeing, birding. For the less active, you can often see just as much by sitting quietly and relaxing in camp - game is always to be seen on the far bank, hippo and croc in the river, elephant often pass through camp and the array of birdlife is stunning.

Boo's Best because....

• owned & operated lovingly by the same family for over 20 years
• exceptional guiding
• varied activities
• great game including lion, leopard and occasionally wild dog
• for extended stays, downstream is the smaller sister camp Old Mondoro, located in a lovely walking area of the park
• Maximum Number of Guests: 16

Accommodation:  Elaborate safari tents on wooden decks, with huge beds, roll top baths, his and hers washbasins, indoor and outdoor showers with timber verandahs under the shade of a grove of giant mahogany trees with fabulous views of the Zambezi. Elegant 'Out of Africa' explorer's atmosphere to the interiors, as featured in Conde Nast's House and Garden Magazine.

Best Time: May to October

Rates (in US Dollars):  from $650 to $1050 per person per night, no single supplement, discounted rates for children. Closed mid-November to mid-April.

Jackson Looseyia - Masai Guide - Kenya

BBC Big Cat Live Presenter, Rekero Camp, Masai Mara, Kenya

Jackson Looseyia is a Masai guide of international reputation and partner with Gerard Beaton at Rekero Camp in the Masai Mara. Jackson deserves mention here, the story of his life is fascinating.

Born in 1967 in the heart of the Masai Mara, Jackson grew up surrounded by wildlife and from an early age found it a source of inspiration. Tracking wild animals is in his blood - he comes from a long line of master hunters and trackers. Jackson’s father was a particularly famous hunter who clashed with the park authorities and actually ended up being imprisoned for eight years. On his release he became the archetypal poacher turned gamekeeper and was appointed head ranger in the Southern Mara. It was at this time that Jackson was trained in the ways of the wild – his father took him into the heart of the bush for six months solid training. During this time he was shown how to track dangerous animals such as lion and buffalo. The trip had dramatic consequences as during the adventure, Jackson’s father was attacked by a buffalo and had his right hand broken. This was when responsibility for the family was handed to Jackson.

The young man quickly rose to become one of the first Masai guides in the Mara and is now a partner in our favourite camp in the reserve, Rekero. Jackson has an intimate knowledge of all the wildlife in the Mara from the smallest insect to the largest predators, but the big cats are his particular favourites and it wasn't long before he was 'discovered' by the 'Big Cat Live' BBC team and was invited to join them as a new presenter. Jackson believes strongly in passing on knowledge to others. In his wildest dreams he could not have foreseen himself broadcasting on live television around the world, spreading his knowledge of the Mara to millions of people.

'Jackson Looseyia is a star simply because he doesn't try to be one. Being himself - knowledgeable, warm and movingly articulate - is more than enough' Michael Parkinson

Jackson is usually in residence at Rekero Camp although nothing can be guaranteed.

Tena Tena Camp - Boo's Best

South Luangwa National Park, Zambia

For many years Tena Tena was the flagship camp for Robin Pope Safaris and it is still one of the Luangwa's best camps, the tents are all secluded in quite thick vegetation between the main river course and a small lagoon behind camp. Robin Pope Safaris are the only operator in this section of the Park and so you are pretty much protected from encroachment and there is an undoubted feeling of exclusivity.

Like all the Pope camps in the area (Nkwali, Nsefu and Luangwa River Camp), here there is a sense of simplicity, and as one guest commented 'all you need and nothing you don't'. There is no unnecessary clutter - it gives an old fashioned safari feel - one where the focus is on the experience of the stay and not the decor of the camp.

Boo's Best because....

• traditional safari camp
• location is in a less busy part of the National Park, fewer vehicles
• great leopard viewing
• the waterhole in front of camp is highly productive
• walking and nightdrives are options
• Maximum Number of Guests: 10

Accommodation: 5 'suite' tents each with a veranda, dressing room and large open bathroom. The main area is a large canvas marquee placed between two mahogany trees.

Best Time: Late May to end of October (closed November to early May)

Rates (in US Dollars): from $605 to $705 per person per night including park fees. Closed November to May.

Namibia - a country unlike any other

Sera Cafema Camp, Namibia

A country unlike any other. Namibia, 'Africa's harsh paradise', is a land of intense natural beauty, from the famous red dunes scenery of the Namib Desert, to the wild unforgiving Skeleton Coast, not to mention the wall to wall wildlife of the endless white plains of Etosha - one of the finest and largest game parks in Africa. Remarkably the desert too is alive with an unimaginable variety of flora and fauna which is able to survive on moisture derived from coastal fog and humidity. Desert adapted lion, rhino and elephant are unique to the region.



Visitors leave Namibia awe-struck. It is the combination of the grand scale of the scenery, the feeling of unconfined space, the incredible geological formations, the wild coastline, the desert game & endemic birdlife and the authentic nomadic Himba tribe, it is no wonder that Namibia draws an increasing number of visitors from all over the world who come to marvel at the country's compelling beauty. Namibia enjoys abundant sunshine and a year round safari season.


 The Fort, Onguma

Pierre Jaunet leads safaris in Ethiopia

We are delighted that the remarkable Pierre Jaunet has agreed to lead privately guided safaris for us in Ethiopia. There is no man who knows this country better.

Many of our guests, will remember Pierre from the heady days of his Catalina Flying Boat. It was a chance meeting with Pierre in a bar in Maun, Botswana, back in 1985 which led to our adventures with Pierre when Bushbuck became Managing Agents for his Catalina Safari Company. Six exciting years followed of Trans Africa trips between Cairo and Victoria Falls landing on rivers, lakes and oceans up and down Africa. Some famous household names chartered the Catalina for private tailor-made trips around the world - the Peter Stuyvesant charter down the east coast of the US, the Bill Gates charter to Western Tanzania and the BBC charter for the award winning documentary ‘The Last African Flying Boat’.

Throughout that period, Pierre continued to lead ground safaris for small groups to all corners of Africa, mostly for the French and Italian markets. Today Ethiopia remains a firm favourite with Pierre. His autobiography will be out soon, but first we invite you to meet the charismatic Pierre Jaunet on safari in Ethiopia.