I just finished a long trip from Nairobi to Cape town – 49 days safari covering some of the best birding and wildlife areas of Africa. From the vast grassland of Serengeti – absolutely magical and dotted with a quit impressive number of Antelopes and predators – to the island of Zanzibar, absolutely loved historic town that is now a =UNESCO world heritage site and also the last Slave Market, – to South Luangwa with its unique Giraffe subspecies and a zebra species that is endemic in the area – to the famous Okavango delta, a fantastic water channel that is a lifeline to the giants of Africa and many birds species a well as local people – Our Safari crisscrossed from lush places of Masvingo in Zimbabwe through the famous Victoria fall to the oldest desert in the World, A landscape that boast some of the world’s highest sand dunes.
We climbed the famous dune 45 for an early sunrise, where the blue sky painted herself with gold colors and joyfully danced to the music of a morning breeze. There was plenty to keep us occupied and I can only share the experiences of this trip through the lenses. Check out some images. A highlight of the Safari! National parks were Outstanding in all respects. Some were green and lush after good rain and some were dry which gave us unbelievable opportunities to Observe some of shy and hard to find animals such as black rhinos that got attracted to the only waterholes available nearby. National parks visited were, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro NP and Mikumi NP in Tanzania. South Luangwa National Park in Zambia, Chombe National Park and Okavango delta in Botswana. Etosha National Park and Namib desert in Namibia.
. A list of animals that kept our necks stretched and eyes wide open included large heards of Elephants, Black and White Rhinos Southern Oryx (Gemsbok), Southern giraffe, Maasai giraffe, Angolan giraffe Cape buffaloes, Impalas including the Black faced Impalas, Elands the largest Antelope on the continent, Springbok the only gazelle in southern Africa, Thompson &Grants Gazelle, common & Deffassa Waterbuck, Loads of monkeys including three species of baboons, Chacma baboon restricted to southern Africa, Olive baboons restricted to E Africa & yellow baboons, the widely distributed Plain zebra, Crawshey zebra restricted to South Luangwa, Hartman’s Zebra & southern Zebra, loads and loads of Lions , leopards, wild dogs, golden jackal or the African wolf, Silver backed Jackals and loads of cheetahs. For birds lovers, Africa as whole region is a paradise for whoever is interested in our feathery friends.
Africa boast an impressive number of 2300+ species of birds recorded. Though were not entirely focused on birds, we attained a stunning list of 400 + species. This included the few of endemics of Usambara mountains such as the Usambara Thrush, Southern red bishop, Rosy-faced Lovebird, Crimson-breasted Shrike and Black- Babbler. We met great people on this trip and I must agree that they are the biggest thrill of any traveler. We stayed in many different types of accommodations stayed in fancy lodges and camped in many bush and special campsites. All the people we met treated us well and looked after us in splendid fashion. Of the people I met, I must mention the Bushmen, San people who are known as Bushmen. I have come to gain a huge respect to this people that I only knew from movies and books. Bushmen are one of the oldest living indigenous group of people in the world.
I was particularly impressed on their bush knowledge; They have perfected the art of tracking and hunting animals for many years and they have unmatched i knowledge and understanding of the animal behaviors than any other group I have met. They possess an intimate knowledge of medicinal plants and their use to treat ailment both physical and spiritual well-being. Their practices reflect their holistic understanding of health, where the body, mind and spirits are connected. They are true testament to the intricate interplay between humanity and nature. We were really privileged to have spent some time with them tracking animals and learning their amazing way of life. I have lumped up some of landscape, people and wildlife pics together for you to enjoy.
