US
20-35 years of age
Queen Elizabeth National Park is a must to add to your bucket list.
The wildlife was great, though no lions were spotted. That was a big disappointment for me. The weather was cooperative, and the accommodations were good at the Mweya Safari Lodge.
The guide was great. It was a guy named Ham. He was extremely friendly, and we had many deep life talks. He became more of a friend than a guide. It's pretty great when you get a hug goodbye from somebody that only shook hands with the rest of the group.
Needless to say, Queen Elizabeth National Park hasn't seen the last of me.
IL
under20 years of age
Addo Elephant Park full of lions.
Addo Elephant park is a beautiful park that have a nice nature view plus a nice wildlife scene. When I been in the park I thought I will come and because it's called "Elephant park" I will see a lot of elephants but actually my all time there I saw only two Elephants, but I saw a massive amount of lions.
When we drove in the park in the beginning we didn't see much animals or birds but then after couple of kilometres we saw couple of cars gathering in one place, we got there slowly and what we saw was one of the most beautiful scenes I ever saw, A lion mom I guess and her two grown old cabs (In a size of grown male but acting young) Playing with each other like they practising a fight; Every couple of minuets also the mom joined them and rested. after about half an hour we kept driving and we saw another male lion alone walking and after another short drive another group of lions sitting beside a tree.
The weather in Addo was clear and the road is very comfortable to drive on your own without 4X4.
Maybe I didn't see a lot of Elephants like I thought I would see, but in less then one day I saw a lot of Lions.
NL
20-35 years of age
Review about Botswana by TjibbeD
Botswana has some very beautiful areas, such as Makgadikgadi, Chobe, Moremi and Okavango Delta, with loads of wildlife. However, it's close proximity to South Africa makes it a busy place. Many campsites in National Parks need to be booked more than a year in advance. This pre-arrangement doesn't give the country a real 'bush-vibe', although some gems, such as Makgadikgadi still feel very much like the real deal.
IL
under20 years of age
Hluhluwe - Umfolozi a great park to find vegetarian animals.
I live very close to Hluhluwe (2 hours drive) so I am going to this game reserve a lot because is the best in the area.
Hluhluwe - Umfolozi is not with a lot of predators so it's give the opportunity to see animals that are vegetarian and even there is not a lot of predators you can see them sometimes (about 1 a day). In the park there is a lot of elephants and massive amount of Rhinos, and a same as any other park a lot of Impala and Niala.
In the game reserve there is a nice view on the river and there is a big chance to see animals drinking from the water, in the park there is also huge amount of birds that is perfect for birding. In the game reserve there is also a lot of reptiles to see such as monitors and even some snakes.
The park is little comparing to Kruger National park but there is a lot less visitors which give you your enjoyment of nature without other people. This game reserve is perfect if you want to see vegetarian animals and a bit of the predators.
IN
20-35 years of age
Review about Nyanga National Park by pranavten
Nyanga is a beautiful place that has few animals but offers a great view and extremely lovely natural beauty.
20-35 years of age
Review about Lake Bogoria National Reserve by JASPAL SEMBI
the hot water springs coming from underground was very relaxing place to visit right in the centre of the rift valley.
20-35 years of age
Beaten track, but beaten for a reason.
Unfortunately we missed the migration at the park, but it was still busy with tourists. The landscape is open and expansive, meaning you're not constantly surrounded by other vehicles - unless you come across a pride of lions, in which case expect a steady build up of tourists.
There's a great number of animals to be seen at the park, and you'd have to be pretty unlucky not to come away with several decent sightings. Being driven around certainly makes for a relaxing tour, and there are plenty of extras to consider including camping or staying at a hotel within the park and balloon tours.
Our guide was interesting, we really liked him though I would imagine more professional ones are available. He was good at spotting wildlife but wasn't overly knowledgeable about each species. He compensated for this by being a fun and hardworking guide. The food provided was ok - not exactly fine dining, but we weren't expecting that anyway.
The weather during our time there was good - hot but not too hot, and sometimes cloudy. It didn't rain.
The highlight was probably the lions, as we saw them close up and with the male, who came and lay down right next to our vehicle. Just as we were about to leave a female arrived and called to her cubs, who arrived through the long grass. They were very cute. I also loved the hippo pool, where there was loads of activity.
All in all we had a fantastic time at the park, and would thoroughly recommend it to others who have an interest in wildlife.
20-35 years of age
Gorilla Tracking Day at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
The day started very early at our campsite on the border of Bwindi Forest. Around 4am we were guided towards one of these Toyota people carriers, Hiace. Not very comfortable, but heey, it was only going to last for 1 hour or so. The reason we needed transportation is that the Gorillaclan we were tracking (something you don't decide yourself, you get assigned to a group of Gorilla's) were on the North-Western side of the Forest (close to the Entrance Gate) and we were lodged on the South-Western side. The name of the clan we were about to meet was Nkuringo.
Now, the forest is only about 10K wide and the quickest way around was clearly through DRC, this being far too dangerous and the forest being "impenetrable" (a 6 hour hike), we had no other option then to go all the way round in what later became known as the "torture Toyota". All the way around a park which is an estimated 20K wide, couldn't take much longer than 1, maybe 2 hours. So after 3 hours of incredibly windy and headbashing dirt gravel roads on a seat that made your bum sleep, we started asking where we were going. The answers were served in true african style: "we a almos the", "just a littel bit furder"... Anyway, it took more than another hour to get there! So after this we were convinced that we had to rewarded with something incredible, something that would far exceed all expectations.
At the entrance we were briefed and asked to put our trousers in our socks to avoid termites and to use mosquito repellant. The whole entrance area has guarded by military men. We set off with a few trackers / guides and carriers into the impenetrable rain forest. It was absolutely astonishing to enter a microcosm full of birds, flowers and trees. We saw other monkeys high up in the trees and listened to several very special birds. The news came that Nkoringo, our Gorilla hosts for the day, had been seen not very far from where we were (I assume the eye that saw this, circles somewhere around the earth). Soon enough the guides halted the group and we were let very close to them to take some pictures. Family Nkoringo did not pay much attention to us as they were feeding. Circling around the big family feedfest, we found an older Silverback on the border of a small creek resting after his lunch, together with a baby gorilla that clearly was in playmode, amazing spectacle. Anyhow, as tourists can't stay longer than 1 hour we had to make a move, and seemingly the gorillas were doing the same. Most of them had left the feeding site and were waiting on the path we came from, when a few older boys and a Silverback that had stayed behind join up with the group! Whis particular scene can be seen in the video. The guides said we were very lucky to catch this.
Fully Recommended, including the car-ride!
Nick
35-50 years of age
Review about South Luangwa National Park by africadunc
South Luangwa National Park was fantastic. The road there was in bad condition, but Flat Dogs camp was one of the best camsites ever, right on the river and beautifully maintained and run. Many animals crossed right into the camp and some days we just sat and watched without going into the park itself. We even saw leopard on the park side of the river from camp. Game drives into the park were great.
35-50 years of age
Can only improve with time (review from 2004)
It's an adventure just getting to Lower Zambezi National Park. You must cross the Kafue River on a hand-winched punt and in some places the road and bridges are washed away (floods in 2003). A highlight was the community campsite just outside the park, which was in a wonderful location to relax on the banks of the Zambezi. It was wonderful watching the full moon rise over that great river with the hippos grusting nearby.The sunrise through the door of the tent, just meters above the river was great as well as was the visited by an inquisitive elephant, which Philip the campsite manager expertly dealt with when it got too close. To get into the Park you drive through a river, which can be tricky if the water is high. In 2004 the animals were quite wild and ran from cars on the west side of the park. Further in, near the more expensive lodges, it may not be the case, but it seemed that there must have been poaching going on. Over time hopefully things will improve and Lower Zambezi National Park will be more accessible. It would be great to visit again.
