Safaris Like They Used to Be
SELOUS GAME RESERVE
Tanzania
When Teddy Roosevelt needed help outfitting his legendary 1909 safari, he turned to Frederick Courteney Selous, a British explorer he later called “the most fearless yet the gentlest and straightest of men.” Selous was a soldier, a hunter, and a naturalist, and when he died here his name was given to Africa’s second largest game reserve (the largest is the central Kalahari Desert Game Reserve; see p. 398). More than three times the size of South Africa’s Kruger Park and twice the size of the Serengeti (see p. 421 and next page), the lesser-known, 21,000-square-mile Selous Game Reserve is home to Tanzania’s greatest elephant population, along with over a million other animals, the Great Rufiji River, and Stiegler’s Gorge, a canyon more than 300 feet deep and 300 feet wide.
Portered walking safaris (with just a few porters, not like those of Roosevelt’s day) are still possible here. You can book one for a few days, or you can spend two weeks venturing deep into the reserve’s remote corners, either on foot or by boat. Porters carry your lightweight fly-camps (little more than mosquito-net cubes that serve as tents), allowing you to sleep safely under the stars while still enjoying the luxury of fine linen sheets, a hot shower, and meals prepared by a traveling chef.
If you prefer an utterly luxurious lodge that still captures some of that open-skies feeling, settle in along the banks of the Rufiji at the Sand Rivers Selous (seven rooms and suites, and a private honeymoon cottage) or its sister lodge, Kiba Point (with four open-fronted cottages). Even more remote is Lukula Camp (four magnificent tents in 300,000 acres of privately owned wilderness), which overlooks the Luwegu River.
WHERE: 94 miles/150 km southwest of Dar es Salaam. HOW: U.S.-based Africa Adventure Company arranges custom trips. Tel 800-882-9453 or 954-491-8877; www.africa-adventure.com. SAND RIVERS SELOUS AND KIBA POINT: www.sand-rivers-selous.com. Cost: Sand Rivers Selous, from $750 per person, all-inclusive, 4-night minimum (off-peak), from $950 (peak). Kiba Point, from $525 per person, all-inclusive, 4-night minimum (off-peak), from $700 (peak). LUKULA CAMP: Tel 255/767-755-537; www.greatplainsconservation.com. Cost: from $615 per person all-inclusive, 3-night minimum (off-peak), from $1,450 (peak). All three lodging options offer 1- to 14-day portered walking safaris. BEST TIMES: Jan–Apr for bird-watching; Jun–Nov for best weather and greatest opportunity for wildlife viewing.
Magnificent Migration in the Cradle of Mankind
THE SERENGETI
Tanzania and Kenya
The Serengeti, one of the oldest ecosystems on earth, is Africa’s No. 1 World Heritage site. It has barely changed since early humans first appeared about 2 million years ago, a fact that remained unknown until Louis and Mary Leakey began excavation work in the Olduvai Gorge in the 1950s. It remains an important region for the study of human origins, but what brings in the Land Rovers packed with wide-eyed nature lovers and shutterbugs is the grandest of all wildlife shows: the great migration.
In Tanzania, the Serengeti region encompasses Serengeti National Park, most of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (see p. 427), Maswa Game Reserve, and the Loliondo, Grumeti, and Ikorongo Controlled Areas as well as the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya (see p. 408). Every year, more than 1.5 million wildebeests circle these vast grasslands in order to graze and calve, starting in the northern hills of the Mara in November, then chasing the rains south and lingering for months in the Serengeti until heading back north in the summer. Zebras, Thompson’s gazelles, and other ungulates join in, creating endless, teeming vistas of animals.
The Serengeti—Masai for “flat endless plains”—is home to a number of beautiful wilderness properties scattered over its 10,000 square miles. Among the very best of these is Singita’s Grumeti Reserves, which is made up of three handsomely designed lodges: The nine stunning contemporary suites at the Faru Faru Lodge are the picture of laid-back rustic elegance; while Sabora Tented Camp, with nine luxury tents, evokes the golden age of safaris with antique chests and Persian rugs; Sasakwa Lodge’s nine breathtaking cottages and villa were built in the style of an Edwardian manor.
Since the path and timing of the migration are not entirely predictable, Nomad Tanzania offers two luxurious mobile lodges: the Serengeti Safari Camp, with six tents, and Nduara Loliondo, with six yurts. Both move to follow the migrating animals and either one can give you the chance to be right there where the action is.
Blue wildebeests have been following the rains to the Serengeti for millennia.
WHERE: Northwestern Tanzania. HOW: U.S.-based Africa Adventure Company arranges custom trips. Tel 800-882-9453 or 954-491-8877; www.africanadventure.com. SINGITA’S GRUMETI RESERVES: Tel 27/21-683-3424; www.singita.com. Cost: from $1,000 per person, all-inclusive. SERENGETI SAFARI CAMP and NDUARA LOLIONDO: www.nomad-tanzania.com. Cost: from $850 per person, all-inclusive, 4-night minimum. BEST TIME: Wildlife abounds throughout the Serengeti year-round. Jun–Jul are typically good months for the migration in the Grumeti Reserves.
Island Outpost of Old Araby in the Indian Ocean
ZANZIBAR
Tanzania
The very name Zanzibar conjures up images of romantic spice islands, and—like legendary Timbuktu or Kathmandu—the name alone is almost reason enough to make the trip. The historic center of its capital city is known as Stone Town, a maze of narrow streets, crooked passages, and crumbling houses once owned by Arab traders, with enclosed balconies and carved, brass-studded doors. The merchants built homes here after amassing their wealth by trafficking in gold, ivory, cloves, and—most lucratively—slaves destined for Arabia and Persia.
Zanzibar was once the largest slave market on Africa’s east coast. Today an Anglican church, erected to celebrate the end of the slave trade in 1873, stands on the grounds of the old slave market, the main altar built where the whipping post once stood. More clues to the island’s history can be found everywhere, from the Arab mosques and forts to the British and Portuguese Colonial architecture to the pulsing Swahili market, with its colorful fruits and spices (in particular, nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves), grains, and fish from the surrounding waters. At the center of it all is the Zanzibar Palace Hotel boutique in a renovated Arabic town house with nine rooms (three on each floor) wrapped around a bright atrium. Persian rugs, hanging lamps, tile work, beaded pillows, wood carvings, and silk drapes transport guests to the early days of the spice trade.
The two main islands of Zanzibar—Zanzibar Island (or Unguja), where Stone Town is located, and Pemba—have become popular beach getaways to tack onto the end of mainland safaris. While their coasts are thick with hotels, the finest retreats are on smaller satellite islands, like Chumbe where a stone lighthouse and thatched eco-bungalows are the only landmarks you’ll see. With its pristine coral garden, it is the place to drop off the map and enjoy snorkeling.
Tiny Mnemba, not even 1 mile in circumference, peeks out from a perfect coral atoll and beckons honeymooners, divers, and all lovers of barefoot indulgence. Ten romantic and understated bandas line the white sandy coast lapped by clear waters. Dinner on the beach follows lazy days of kayaking, sailing, and scuba diving.
Traditional carvings frame a wooden door in Stone Town.
WHERE: 22 miles/35 km off eastern coast of Tanzania. ZANZIBAR PALACE HOTEL: Tel 255/24-223-2230; www.zanzibarpalacehotel.com. Cost: from $170. CHUMBE ISLAND: Tel 255/24-223-1040; www.chumbeisland.com. Cost: from $260 per person, all-inclusive. When: closed mid-Apr–mid-Jun. MNEMBA ISLAND: Contact &Beyond in South Africa, tel 27/11-809-4314; in the U.S., 888-882-3742; www.mnemba-island.com. Cost: from $1,150 per person, all-inclusive (off-peak), from $1,500 (peak). When: closed Apr–May. BEST TIMES: Dec–Feb and Jun–Oct for dry season; early Feb for Sauti Za Busara African music celebration; Jul for Stone Town’s Festival of the Dhow Countries, with film, art, and cultural events.
The Last Great Apes
TRACKING THE MOUNTAIN GORILLA
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda
The narrow valleys and lush, steep slopes of Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest offer the chance for an encounter of the closest kind with a rare mountain gorilla in its last remaining habitat. It is only here, and just across the border in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, that these powerful but gentle creatures are still found. Poaching has gravely diminished their numbers to barely 700, half of which live in Bwindi, while political unrest has curtailed the efforts at preservation made by the late Dian Fossey at Rwanda’s Karisoke Research Center.
Today, Uganda and Rwanda are courting tourism to help protect these magnificent beasts. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, on the edge of the western Rift Valley, allows a limited number of visitors accompanied by authorized guides to track the gorillas. The trail through the tropical rain forest, while not exactly impenetrable, is challenging. It is punctuated throughout with a legendary variety of birdlife (23 species are endemic to the western slopes of the Rift Valley) and primates, such as baboons, chimpanzees, vervets, and colobus monkeys. There is no guarantee of a gorilla sighting, but local guides are experts at interpreting every broken twig and second-guessing the daily routines of the four family groups that have been partially habituated to human presence. Gorilla families are ruled by a dominant male silverback, who acquires a harem of females loyal to him until he dies or is ousted by a rival. The guides, many of whom are affiliated with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, are primate specialists and enhance these trips by explaining gorilla behavior and speaking about the history and ecology of the region. If you are staying at Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, the trek back will end at the door of one of the lodge’s ten stone cottages, which are situated on a ridge with views of the verdant forest canopy below and the silhouettes of the Virunga volcanoes in the distance.
Despite their fierce reputation, mountain gorillas are gentle and peaceful by nature.
WHERE: 330 miles/530 km southwest of the capital city, Kampala. CLOUDS MOUNTAIN GORILLA LODGE: Tel 256/41-425-1182; www.wildplacesafrica.com. Cost: $470 per person, all-inclusive; gorilla permits an extra $500 per person, per trek. HOW: U.S.-based Natural Habitat Adventures offers a 10-day safari. Tel 800-543-8917 or 303-449-3711; www.nathab.com. Cost: $9,795. Originates in Entebbe. When: Jan, Jun, and Aug. BEST TIMES: May–Aug and Dec–Feb to avoid the rainy season, when roads are often impassible and the forest is hot, humid, and muddy.
Through the Eye of a Needle
MURCHISON FALLS
Uganda
Winston Churchill wasn’t the first to describe Uganda as “the pearl of Africa,” and in a country on the mend from past political upheaval, visitors may sometimes feel they have the bevy of natural wonders he had in mind all to themselves. Murchison Falls has been called the most exciting thing to happen to the Nile in its 4,200-mile stretch. It is a fitting East African counterpoint to the massive 5,600-foot expanse of cataracts at Victoria Falls (see p. 435) along southern Africa’s Zambezi. Here, in Uganda’s largest national park, the mighty Nile explodes through a rock cleft 23 feet wide before plunging 131 feet with unimaginable force. It is a mesmerizing sight, whether approached on foot or by boat. If you choose the latter, you’ll slip past massive animals along the way—sometimes 100 grunting hippos appearing around a bend, and everywhere some of Africa’s largest crocodiles, immobile, watching. Keep an eye out for the distinctive-looking shoebill, a very rare cousin of storks and pelicans, with its almost cartoonishly large beak—Uganda is one of the few places outside Sudan where they can be spotted. If the landscape looks familiar, it may be because it was used as a location for the 1951 Hollywood classic The African Queen.
There are few concessions to the 21st century here (or even the 20th), and it takes little to imagine yourself a Victorian explorer on a quest to find the source of the Nile. Choose among three fine accommodation options: At the ten-room Nile Safari Lodge, riverside chalets and tents incorporate natural, local materials and blend seamlessly with the surrounding papyrus forest. The hillside 54-room Paraa Safari Lodge is more traditional, decorated in a Colonial style and featuring a swimming pool and rooms overlooking the river. The refurbished Chobe Safari Lodge is the largest and most opulent (though farthest from the falls), with 36 guest rooms and 21 luxury tents, each with modern furnishings and a balcony facing the river, where dozens of hippos and buffalo gather.
The falls are named after Roderick Murchison, a Scottish geologist who presided over the Royal Geographic Society.
WHERE: 186 miles/299 km north of Kampala. HOW: Kampala-based Let’s Go Travel arranges trips throughout Uganda. Tel 256/41-434-6667; www.ugandaletsgotravel.com. NILE SAFARI LODGE: Tel 256/41-4258273; www.geolodgesafrica.com. Cost: from $150 per person, all-inclusive. PARAA SAFARI LODGE: Tel 256/31-226-0260; www.paraalodge.com. Cost: from $160 per person, all-inclusive. CHOBE SAFARI LODGE: Tel 256/31-226-0260; www.chobelodgeuganda.com. Cost: from $160 (rooms), from $175 (tents) per person, inclusive. BEST TIME: Dec–Mar for cooler, drier weather.
An Eccentric Brit’s African Utopia
SHIWA NG’ANDU
Zambia
In one of the remotest areas of Zambia, visitors can not only delve into the country’s natural wonders by foot, boat, or bush vehicle, but can lodge in an intriguing monument to the historical British obsession with taming earth’s wildest places. Shiwa Ng’andu is an extraordinary manor house that has inspired writers for years. Christina Lamb, in her 1999 book The Africa House, describes arriving for the first time: “We drove through and up a long steep drive bordered by Italian cypress trees, of all things to find in Africa, passing terraced gardens ablaze with colours. . . . And then there it was . . . . In all my travels in ten years as a foreign correspondent in Africa, Asia and South America, I had never seen anything like it.”
Shiwa was built by Sir Stewart Gore Brown, born to wealth in London in 1881 and sent off to join the Boer War in southern Africa at the age of 19. In 1914, he visited Shiwa Ng’andu, the “lake of the royal crocodiles,” an uninhabitable place in what was then Northern Rhodesia. Immediately enchanted, the eccentric Gore Brown began building his African utopia in 1920, not stopping until the late 1950s. There were no roads, and the nearest railroad was 400 miles away, but hundreds of laborers and teams of oxen hauling materials produced a brick house with a tower, a gatehouse, porticoes, and courtyards surrounded by nurseries, walled gardens, and tennis courts. In true English aristocratic style, the property became an extended community and included two schools, a hospital, shops, playing fields, a post office, and 80 houses for the workers who serviced the estate and its 60,000 acres of wilderness and farms.
Upon Gore Brown’s death in 1967, the house and estate were left to crumble, and the surrounding community slowly lost its access to jobs, health care, and education. Gore Brown’s eldest grandson, Charlie Harvey, and his wife, Jo, couldn’t bear to see it all fall apart. So they undertook the herculean task of restoring the estate in 2002, including bringing the schools and hospital back to serve the 11,000 villagers. They also opened Shiwa Ng’andu’s doors to guests, filling eight bedrooms (divided equally between the main manor house and a nearby farmhouse) with original furnishings to provide a taste of life from the estate’s heyday. They arrange boating on the lake, soaking in hot springs, horseback rides, and game walks and drives to spot lesser-known birds and beasts, such as the palm nut vulture and two reclusive antelopes: the marsh-dwelling sitatunga and the diminutive blue duiker. On a rainy day, you can sift through history in the extensive Gore Brown family archives.
WHERE: 497 miles/800 km northeast of the capital city of Lusaka. Tel 260/97-666-4090; www.shiwangandu.com. Cost: farmhouse rooms $220 per person, all-inclusive (off-peak), $270 (peak). BEST TIME: May–Oct for cooler, drier weather.
Hippos, Bee-Eaters, Leopards, and Much More
SOUTH LUANGWA
Zambia
Every moment in Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park has its highlights, from the lush “emerald season” following the January to March rains, when the best mode of transpo
rtation is boat, to the dry months from July to October, when massive herds of big game gather around the shrinking Luangwa River and waterholes. This is also when spectacularly colorful carmine bee-eaters use their beaks to dig thousands of nest burrows in the vertical river banks of the river. It’s not uncommon to drive around an oxbow bend of the river and encounter red-faced yellow-bills and other storks mingling with startlingly white egrets fishing from giant green lily pads as buffalo, pukus, impalas, and waterbucks look on. A raft of semisubmerged hippos (Zambia is thought to have more hippos than any other nation) can often be seen as well, resembling stepping-stones along the river-banks. And South Luangwa is celebrated as being Zambia’s big-cat country, so you are almost guaranteed to see a leopard during its twilight hunt, along with one or two lion kills in one day during the hot summer months.
The late Norman Carr pioneered walking safaris in Zambia and set guide standards in South Luangwa that are now respected by all of Africa. His remarkable fostering, teaching, and freeing of two orphaned lion cubs in 1958 is the stuff of legend (and of literature with Carr’s 1962 memoir Return to the Wild). Carr died in 1997, but the safari company he founded runs Kapani Lodge, a well-appointed riverside retreat with eight suites and two lagoon houses. For multiday safaris you can stay put in the lodge or start there and move on into luxury bush camps in remote areas. Staying outside the lodge allows you the luxury of walking from camp to camp and surprising (or being surprised by) herds of up to 1,000 buffalo or as many as 100 elephants making their way to the water. If the entire family is in tow, Flatdogs Camp, just outside the park on the other side of the river, may be your best choice. With six en suite safari tents, six two-storied stone chalets, and the stilt-supported Jackal-Berry tree house, it offers friendly surroundings to a few dozen guests (and to the elephants, which are known to come and sip from the freshwater swimming pool in the evenings).
1,000 Places to See Before You Die Page 69