When is a tent not a tent?

A tented room at Kings Pool, Botswana

Anyone who has ever wondered whether they would find a tented safari in Africa a bit primitive needs to reconsider their definition of the word ‘tent’. For many of us the word conjures up images of soggy canvas, constricted space, outdoor ablutions and charred food. But tented camps in Africa have taken the term ‘tent’ and elevated it to a whole new level. Think glamping and then double or treble it, adding a long list of creature comforts along the way. This is luxury at the highest end of the scale; and tents are veritable palaces. While some retain an element of canvas, at the top end of the scale, they come with thatched roofs and wooden floors, vast canopied beds and sumptuous armchairs, flushing loos and power showers, decks, day beds and plunge pools.

Bathroom with a view: Serra Cafema Camp, Namibia

Of course, you don’t go on safari simply to enjoy the indoor facilities. So it is important when selecting camps to visit to ensure that you will be visiting areas with great game viewing too. Many of the top camps have been long established in the best spots in the finest concessions, making game viewing from your own terrace a realistic prospect. What is more, from the dining and sitting areas of the camp, it is often possible to see animals crossing a river or grazing in the near distance. This is what makes a high end safari so special: privileged game viewing without any compromise to your creature comforts.

Pride of lions viewed close up from game vehicle at Selinda Reserve, Botswana

Proximity to big game delivers an inevitable thrill, but not at the expense of safety. Viewing from specialist safari vehicles gets you extremely close to animals, especially in areas where they have established trust that these large mobile objects will do them no harm. The expertise of local guides, working with a network of trackers, will ensure that you have the best chance of seeing whatever game is in your area, but they also have deep knowledge of the wildlife they are following and will ensure that no risks are taken.

Sundowners, Linyanti Reserve, Botswana

Game drives are usually early in the morning, followed by a delicious breakfast; and evening game drives are never undertaken without the traditional ‘sundowner’ overlooking a breath-taking view. There is no compromise with food and drink; they are an important aspect of the high end safari experience. Fresh food is flown in regularly and chefs are highly skilled, so after an excellent lunch you have nothing to do but snooze the afternoon away. And that is where the tent comes in.

Riding safaris - horses for courses

When it comes to riding safaris, the expression “horses for courses” is particularly apt. For a start, the horses being ridden by guests will be specialists in their discipline; whether it is the Kalahari salt pans, the deserts of Namibia, the open plains of Kenya or the waters of the Okavango Delta, they all require horses with specialist experience in that type of terrain.

Thamalakane River Ride, Botswana

Different operators favour different types of horse. In the Okavango, one of the stables favours the Boerperd, a stocky small horse breed with a calm temperament that originated in South Africa. Less prone to accidents or sensitive to cuts and scratches, they are resilient in an environment where puncture wounds are a habitual issue and vets are many miles away.

Others prefer cross-breeds with Shire, Appaloosa, Clydesdale traits bred into thoroughbred and native stock. The common factor with all these, however, is not their conformation or looks but their suitability for the job. Schooling is, of course, important because visiting riders require a responsive animal. But training a safari horse requires more: they must be habituated to game, willing to gallop if required or stand still and graze while their riders watch and photograph game.

First familiarisation ride, Makgadikgadi Pans, Kalahari, Botswana

Sourcing the right horses and then training them is one aspect of the process for riding safari operators, but the second is matching each horse with a suitable rider (or vice versa depending on your perspective).

Everyone has their own system for matching up the abilities of riders and horses on a safari. Ahead of the guests’ arrival, they will have completed forms indicating their size, weight and level of ability. But many operators will have to read between the lines because one person’s definition of experience may not be the same as another’s.

Riding for beginners at Ant's Nest, Waterberg, SA

In some cases, it will transpire that the individual has very little actual experience of riding across rough country. Those who ride regularly in a school will have a high level of technical ability but may lack the ‘stickability’ of those who hunt or enjoy endurance riding. In very rare cases, it may become apparent that someone has exaggerated their ability and a riding test will reveal that they simply cannot ride safely in open terrain.  Then there is a problem.  

Ultimately, safety is paramount and an experienced riding safari consultant will advise the safari best suited to your ability. Ant’s Nest in South Africa, for example, is perfect for complete beginners and at Royal Tree Lodge in Botswana, there is an enclosed park of over a thousand acres which provides a safe predator-free environment for the less experienced. Whereas galloping across the Masai Mara with Offbeat Safaris is not for the faint-hearted.

Full pelt with Offbeat Safaris, Kenya

At the other end of the scale, others may be unnecessarily modest or cautious when completing a form but would ultimately become bored riding a very quiet horse. These people are likely to be spotted at the very beginning and changed onto something more suitable. Subtle signs need to be read by the guide to ensure that the best matches are made. One experienced safari operator looks at the size of women’s hands as an unspoken indicator of their experience, working on the theory that their hands are larger than average from years of being around horses.

In the end it is not, of course, an exact science, but an expert will be able to help you to find the best operators and terrain to meet your expectations together with guidance on relaying an accurate picture of your ability.

Bush Pilots

Okavango Delta from the air, April 2015

Transfer flights in Southern Africa

There is a joke: ‘Mum, when I grow up I want to be a pilot.’ ‘Wait a minute son, you'll have to decide which you want as you definitely can't do both.’ There may be a little truth to this, seeing the young bucks who fly between bush camps, but don't let it put you off.

Why fly? Well, although many main roads are good in Southern Africa, even allowing for road side cattle, donkeys and game, the distances are vast. Away from main routes, roads tend to be bumpy sandy tracks; fun for a game drive but not a four hour transfer. So small aeroplanes are the best mode of transport for travellers visiting a number of camps during one safari. It starts with a flight on a scheduled airline into one of the main airports; from there, transfers could not be easier.

Check in at Selinda airstrip, April 2015

Maun in Botswana, effectively gateway to the Okavango Delta, is typical. It is ranked as the second busiest airport in the whole of Southern Africa; the figures however are not based on the number of passengers, but on the number of flights. Here, in addition to the occasional international flight, the tarmac is crowded with small aeroplanes equipped to carry from two to twelve passengers, which fly the length and breadth of the local area, criss-crossing the Delta and hopping between sandy landing strips. It is more like taking a taxi than catching a conventional flight, however. There is no checking in or waiting; no security or baggage collection. Oh, and the views are spectacular.

Transfers usually take place in the late morning after game drives, and airlines operate a day to day schedule accommodating the needs of visitors. The airstrips become a meeting point for guides who exchange news and goods. Sometimes, pilots, passengers and guides chat at leisure while guests assemble; but frequently there is a ‘hot stop’ and the engine keeps running while passengers and supplies are quickly manoeuvred on and off.

Pilots can also bring guests in the late afternoon, depending on itineraries, and stay at camps overnight, ready for the next day. In many of the smaller camps they will join an activity and supper; in others there is pilot accommodation. They can spend several days at a time in the bush, travelling between camps and it is rather reassuring for the nervous traveller to see the pilot joining guests for breakfast, making it virtually impossible to miss the flight.

The pilot who came for dinner...with guides and Boo at Motswiri, April 2015

These short flights are an excellent way of building up flying hours for young pilots. But do not be concerned by their average age. In hospitals, they always say that routine operations are better performed by registrars rather than consultants because they carry out those procedures every day. The same is true of flying small aeroplanes between landing strips: it is the bread and butter of the young bush pilots and they are experts in their craft.

To book flights in Africa, for peace of mind, use an experienced agent in the area who can advise on the best airlines, routes and transfers. Charter or scheduled flights are both options. And if you are very lucky, you can sit next to pilot.

To find out more about flying and safaris, see www.bushbucksafaris.com

How green is Botswana?

Late rains and eco-tourism 

Zebra in the Kalahari, April 2015

After a particularly dry start to the year, unusually heavy late rains at Easter have transformed Botswana into a verdant paradise. With plentiful water and good grazing across a vast area, game has dispersed widely, making it sometimes hard to see. But the overwhelming sense of contentment and plenty, with species grazing alongside each other in sunlit glades, makes it an uplifting experience. For the time being, even the Kalahari is green; grazed by zebra and wildebeest as far as the eye can see. 

Giraffe at Selinda Explorer Camp, April 2015

Botswana's greenness is, however, not limited to the vagaries of unpredictable weather patterns. In this country, greenness goes much deeper. Traditionally Botswana was sustained by beef, diamonds and hunting but for many years and particularly since the total ban on killing game for sport, eco-tourism has replaced hunting as a major source of income. 

As a country, Botswana has an area roughly the size of France and a population of only 2.1 million people. So exclusivity is the key to its low volume / high value tourism model. Essentially, the government owns the land, granting concession areas to private companies on fifteen year leases.  

Motswiri Camp, April 2015

Yet, the Botswana authorities retain a degree of control, monitoring the environmental impact of camps and operations, advising on changes of sites if existing sites have adversely impacted the area in which they operate. Those who hold leases for the concessions are willing partners in the drive to sustainable eco-tourism because it is Botswana’s stability and green credentials that help to make it such a desirable tourist destination.   
In line with this green approach, the generators that power camps are increasingly being replaced with renewable energy sources, with many lodges and camps now having solar installations on site as well as small scale solar farms for additional power. Solar lights and electricity produced by food waste are being explored and hybrid electric vehicles may be seen in some areas in the near future. 

DamaTau Camp, Linyanti Reserve

In keeping with the high value tourist market, visitors’ comfort is in no way compromised and camps and lodges remain top of the range with safety and creature comforts in abundance. For many, however, the green experience is additionally enhanced by lack of phone reception or internet availability, making reading and talking round the bar or camp fire accompanied by the sounds of nature the norm. 

As the season advances, the lush greenness of April and May will give way to vast parched areas of tinder dry vegetation, concentrating game increasingly to areas with access to water. But while the background colour changes, Botswana’s tourist industry will remain resolutely green. 

For more details about planning a trip with Bushbuck Safaris see www.bushbucksafaris.com

Okovango Delta, April 2015

Bushbuck on social media

We have set up a new Bushbuck Safaris page which marks a new beginning on Facebook. We have also been working on developing the company's accounts across Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, blogspot and Google+. We will be posting regular content, keeping visitors updated on what is going on in the world of African safaris, together with news and information on camps, guides and lots of photos. Find us on Twitter @BushbuckSafaris, Facebook and, of course, our soon-to-be-updated website www.bushbucksafaris.com.

Next week we will be in Botswana seeing a number of camps to refresh the memory and see what developments have taken place since my last visit. Blogs, details and photos to follow. Watch this space!

Into the Wild - Zambia July 2015

Scheduled Private Guided Safari - 'Into The Wild' led by Peter and Soren Lindstrom - Zambia July 2015

Our association with the brothers Peter and Soren Lindstrom, living at opposite sides of Africa, goes back 25 years. Soren is a legendary safari guide in Southern Africa, Peter the best in his home country, Tanzania. Our guests, usually in private parties of friends or family, have been going on safari with either Peter or Soren for decades.

A privately guided safari is often prohibitively expensive for a singleton or couple. Now Bushbuck Safaris has introduced scheduled privately guided safaris which singletons and couples can book into, joining a small group. Soren and Peter welcomed the idea of guiding together and leading our scheduled safaris. Our first safari was in February - The Great Migration Safari in Tanzania. One guest commented that they were not sure who enjoyed the safari most - the guests or the guides - they all had a great time together and another guest wrote "I cannot say enough on behalf of Peter and Soren in germs of exposing us to all manners of wildlife, birds and even insects and explaining how they relate to eachother and the environment. We had a thoroughly fascinating trip..and enjoyed ourselves enormously".

Following on from this success, we have arranged a return match - this time Peter joins Soren in Southern Africa, leading our Into the Wild Safari to Zambia in July 2015. The itinerary is a combination of what we know to be the two best remote wildlife areas and camps of Zambia, ending with a few nights at Victoria Falls and with an optional extension into Botswana. There are just eight places on this unique scheduled privately guided safari. There will come a time when safaris with this calibre of guiding are a thing of the past, please don't miss out and book in soon.

Detailed itinerary on request from info@bushbucksafaris.com, outlined itinerary as follows;

INTO THE WILD + THE LINDSTROM BROTHERS - ZAMBIA JULY 2015

Sunday 19 July - Arrival Lusaka Airport, Zambia

On arrival Lusaka Airport, welcomed by Soren and Peter Lindstrom, driven to the small exclusive Latitude 15 hotel in Lusaka. Remainder of the day at leisure or time for some shopping.

Monday 20 July - Fly to South Luangwa National Park, 4 nights at Lion Camp

Fly from Lusaka to Mfuwe for your 4 night stay at one of our favourite camps in Africa - Lion Camp, located in the remote northern sector of the South Luangwa National Park, with incredible gameviewing, elephant wandering through camp, lots of predators, one of the best places in Africa to view leopard, and here walking safaris are an option to gamedrives. Fabulous chalet accommodation raised on stilts with wooden walkways, great camp staff and excellent cuisine. From your verandah you look out directly onto a wilderness area and wildlife.

Friday 24 July - Fly to Northern Kafue National Park and the wilderness area of the Busanga Plains, 3 nights at Busanga Plains Camp

Only accessible from July to October the Busanga Plains is one of Africa's wildest wildlife regions, truely remote for a real Africa safari experience. Walking is also an option here to gamedrives.

Monday 27 July - Fly to Livingstone for Victoria Falls, 2 nights at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge

Fly to Livingstone, and driven to Victoria Falls for your 2 night stay at the wonderful Victoria Falls Safari Lodge on the Zimbabwean side of the Falls, the best side for viewing The Falls at this time of year, and one of our favourite lodges in the region.

Wednesday 29 July - International departure from Victoria Falls

International departure from Victoria Falls, via Johannesburg and home from there, (alternatively continue your safari into Botswana for the 4 night optional extension, as detailed below).

Safari Price:

US$10,800 per person with maximum of 8 participants

US$11,450 per person with 7 participants

US$12,250 per person with 6 participants

US$13,400 per person with 5 participants

Single Supplement: US$1300

Inclusions:  Services of professional wildlife guides Soren and Peter Lindstrom, private charters Mfuwe/Busanga and Busanga/Livingstone for Victoria Falls, scheduled flight Lusaka/Mfuwe, all accommodation (including exclusive use of both camps for a party of 8), all meals, all gameviewing, all drinks in camps, all road transfers, all conservation, park and reserve fees, tour of Victoria Falls and dinner cruise on the Zambezi, laundry in camps and flying doctor insurance.

Exclusions: International flights to Lusaka and from Victoria Falls (via Johannesburg is usually best routing) and airport departure taxes, travel insurance, visa fees, bar bill at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, champagne, cellar wines, premium brand spirits throughout, tipping and items of a private or personal nature.

OPTIONAL 4 NIGHT EXTENSION TO BOTSWANA

Wednesday 29 July - Houseboat, Chobe River, Botswana

Driven by Soren Lindstrom across the border into Botswana to join the Zambezi Voyager Houseboat for a relaxing lunch, afternoon and night cruising the Chobe and Zambezi Rivers, watching wildlife on the riverbanks.

Thursday 30 July - fly to the Okavango Delta, 3 nights at Shinde Camp

Fly to Shinde Camp located in the heart of the famous Okavango Delta, in a scenery of islands, palms, woodland, open plains, channels of water, open lagoons so characteristic of the unique Okavango Delta. Enjoy four days here with varied activities  - gamedrives and walking safaris on the open plains or canoeing and boating the waterways.

Sunday 02 August - International departure

Fly to Maun and from Maun there are daily connections to Johannesburg for onward travel home.

Price of 4 night Extension to Botswana:

From $4355 per person in a party of eight to $5155 per person in a party of two.

Inclusions: Services of Professional guide Soren Lindstrom, scheduled flights from Kasane to Shinde and Shinde to Maun, all accommodation, all meals, all drinks, all gameviewing, all conservation, reserve and park fees, flying doctor insurance.

Exclusions: International flights and departure taxes, travel insurance, champagne, cellar wines and premium brand spirits, tipping and items of a private or personal nature.

A Honeymoon in Heaven - the Zanzibarian Collection

The Zanzibari Collection is made up of 3 adjacent sister hotels on Bwejuu Beach on the east coast of Zanzibar. These excellent properties are different in character and between them, there is something for everyone.

First the Baraza, which is very expansive, stylish and serene with low cream coloured buildings and collonades, billowing white linen, acres of bungalow in fabulous gardens, a state of the art spa, gourmet dining and an excellent Kid's Club, all with a high price tag.

Next door is The Palms which is small, exclusive and private with just 6 villas placed in an arc around a central driftwood bar beside a crystal clear mosaic pool, with your own 'banda' shelter on the beach for complete privacy. The Palms is favoured by couples, parties of friends and honeymooners.

Beyond The Palms, is The Breezes which has a fun, lively atmosphere with busy restaurants, and attractive central areas with tasteful and welcoming interiors.  The Breezes is undoubtedly the best place for families to stay on the island, with lots of different restaurants and bars, swimming pools, gym, tennis courts and plenty of activities.

Guests at The Palms can move freely  between all 3 hotels for a change of restaurant or bar, to play
tennis, use a gym or spa - this is a fun concept and the perfect solution if you are looking for exclusivity but after a few days, would enjoy a wider choice of restaurants and activities.

The Water Club sports centre has equipment and instruction for windsurfing, kite surfing and sailing, there is also a Rising Sun Dive Centre. Cultural visits around Zanzibar and to Stone Town and fishing trips to the north of the island can be arranged.


Boo's Best because.....

• Great beach
• From The Palms - access to amenities of all 3 hotels
• Excellent cuisine
• High standard of service
• Stunning accommodations in Zanzibar style