LC
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Nxai Pan National Park by Horst M. Vogel
Gosh, we enjoyed this park too with elephants at the campsite and a leopard sitting on top of a termite mound. It's remote and that's what makes it very beautiful indeed ... provided you love solitude. Nxai Pan was also once our springboard for an adventureous trip along the historic cattle trail all the way up north to Pandamatenga. Afterwards, our radiator needed a thorough cleaning from seeds though.
LC
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Moremi Game Reserve by Horst M. Vogel
Again, the Moremi GR is another pearl in the string of Botswana's game reserves and national parks. Don't miss it!
LC
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Mokolodi Nature Reserve by Horst M. Vogel
Mokolodi is a little gem, in particular if you wish to see rhinos. And, I also loved to stay in their lodges.
LC
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Mashatu Game Reserve by Horst M. Vogel
Mashatu is a sure place to see leopards. No where did I see so many leopards in a short period of time.
LC
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Makgadikgadi Pans National Park by Horst M. Vogel
Let me state at this point that all the parks and reserves in Botswana are awesome. Yes, they differ in scenery and wildlife composition but their uniqueness is always nature and wildlife pure. If you got a chance to visit several parks, then just do so but choose the time of the year carefully. Because, the Makgadikgadi Pans are very treacherous during the rainy season!
LC
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Linyanti Concession by Horst M. Vogel
Linyanti is nature pure. I always felt like having returned to the Garden of Eden!
LC
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Awesome destination and one of the last paradises left on this crowded plant!
I visited the Okavango Delta on many occasions over a 10-years period between 2000 and 2010. The wildlife is simply awesome and the scenery breathtaking and adventurous. Where on earth may you still be an integral part of nature and wildlife if not in a place such as the Okavango Delta? I mainly did camp at public campsites, where wildlife including elephants and lions were regular and wild dogs occasional visitors. Once in a while, I also enjoyed tented camps, which is luxury pure! What you need is a good 4x4 vehicle, ideally including a winch and a snorkel, and definitely some reliable GPS and a good GPS map, e.g. Tracks 4 Africa, including pre-determined waypoints and routes. If you’ve got the chance to visit Botswana and the Okavango Delta then just go for it. You won’t regret!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Often described as a good introduction to the wildlife and birds of Kenya, this park is a must see.
We were originally planning to skip Nairobi National Park in favor of other destinations, but something came up forcing us to remain in Nairobi an extra day. I'm very glad we visited. It's so much more than just the juxtaposition of megafauna in view of the Nairobi skyline. We saw nearly 100 species of birds in a few hours, and we got to see a lot of large mammals easily, including a lion with blood dripping from its mouth, having just come from a kill. You can actually get out of the vehicle and walk around the hippo pools trail -- the park has a guard at the trailhead who will take you for a tip -- which allowed us to see insects, a nile crocodile, and a number of birds up close in the tall acacias there. It was great because visitors aren't allowed to leave their vehicle in many Kenyan parks. If I make a return trip to Kenya, I will make a point to visit Nairobi National Park again.
LC
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Botswana by Horst M. Vogel
What I said about the Okavango Delta applies to virtually all destinations in Botswana. Their remoteness gives you the feeling of being one with nature even if only for a short period of time. Enjoying a campfire under the nightly glitter of the overarching Milky Way is somehow surreal.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Mind blowing Safari & Beach adventures with Original Tanzania
We booked our safari adventure with Original Tanzania as a once in a lifetime holiday experience to celebrate a 40yr milestone birthday. This was a lifelong ambition of mine, my husband had visited Kenya many years ago and my 13yr old stepson was a perfect age to have his mind completely blown...
The three of us had detailed communication with Sarah and Elias about our best options, must see places, preferred modes of transport and accommodation and they came up with a stunning itinerary to maximise our time in the North of Tanzania before flying to Zanzibar for a relaxing luxury week on the tropical sands.
Original Tanzania were recommended to us by friends who had experienced their Kilimanjaro treks and backpacker safaris so to hear Elias' first hand experiences of various lodge accommodation and National Parks got us really excited and looking forward to our trip. All of our questions were answered in detail and we were given plenty of useful hints and tips prior to departure.
We were met at Kilimanjaro airport by our guide Deo at an ungodly hour & taken to our hotel in Arusha. After a lazy morning acclimatising Deo met us again and took us into Arusha for a look around and for some haggling at the local Masai market.
Early next morning we were on our way! Our private vehicle was fully kitted out with plenty of room, a fridge, a ton of bottled water and USB phone/camera charging points, and so we set off on our adventure.
Deo was a fantastic guide, he and our son hit it off straight away. He was very knowledgeable and patient which paid off for us getting the best views and photos of all the wildlife. We also had a good giggle along the way!
We visited Lake Maynara, the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire National Park. All of the accommodation chosen for us was spot on with each being very different from the last but still providing us with exactly what we wanted at the end of each day. The food and service were great. My son has a nut allergy and each lodge was pre-warned, very accommodating and each morning he had his own specially prepared lunchbox to take out with us. My personal favourite of all the accommodation being Kati Kati tented camp where we experienced lions and elephants and god knows what wandering through camp at night - amazing!!! We were all completely blown away by the variety of landscapes, the number of animals we saw and how close we got to them. Only missed out on the elusive Mr Rhino..
At the end of our safari we were due to fly from Arusha to Zanzibar. Our flight was overbooked, however Deo had stayed with us until check in and the internal flight operator had arranged for a group of us to be transported to Kilimanjaro airport for a later flight. All we needed to do was ask Deo to contact Original Tanzania to let our pickup in Zanzibar know we would be late. Despite this hiccup, it was easily and painlessly resolved and as soon as we were in wi-fi reach Elias contacted us directly to make sure we were OK.
On arrival in Zanzibar we were met by our driver and a guide who gave us lots of information about tours and sights and activities in Zanzibar along with his number should we wish to organise anything. Our beachfront hotel was rustic yet charming and we thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful scenery and took a well earned rest after the full on, non-stop week in a truck.
We loved Tanzania and its people and would not have changed a single thing about our trip. We would like to thank Elias, Sarah and Deo for providing us with such a memorable and amazing experience and also for their little personal touches which made it an extra special holiday.