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At lodges in the wilds and national parks in Africa, general activities
centre around the many opportunities to see and experience wildlife, the
indigenous populations and the flora in all their different shapes and forms. As
it is very hot during the middle part of the day, activities and forays out of
camp take place early mornings and late afternoons, into the early evening when
you return for dinner at the lodge.
Driving your vehicle, or hiking along with you on a game-walk will be a fully
trained (and armed) ranger and tracker. They are good at imparting their
knowledge and are easy to communicate with. They are entertaining about the
things you will be learning - the animals, birds, trees, topography, local
history, folklore and legend, their African tribal cultures and lots more.
Your experience each day and at each lodge is quite different. Animals in one
region behave differently than those in another - this is for reasons of
vegetation and topography, the balance between predators and prey, mating
seasons, the proliferation of young and many others. Each sighting of wild
Africa will be different and very rewarding……
When in lodges and safari-camps, at about 4.30pm, we start the "night" drive
- a couple of hours in your game-viewing vehicle to see the animals, much more
active at sunset and at night. Sundowners on a hill overlooking a waterhole or
riverbed - game movements all around in the unforgettable African sunset.
Continue with spotlights directed by your tracker. More than likely he'll spot
the signs of predators and you'll come across a pride of lion stalking their
live prey, or a leopard munching on an Impala up in the branches of a Rain Tree.
The night is alive with movement, sounds and the glint of eyes in the darkness.
Somewhere around first light we wake to coffee and rusks. With
blanket-comforters to ward off the morning chill, our "dawn patrol" catches the
first rays of the sun as Africa awakes. Superb photographic opportunities in the
early light. We find evidence of the night action - signs of desperate
skirmishes, spoor (tracks) of predators following prey, vultures circling
overhead - all lead us to the kill-site. Primeval Africa sends you its enduring
message - this is a land of survival of the fittest. There are wonderful vistas
over plains filled with grazing game, acacia trees and tall grasses thick with
birdlife as you warm yourself in the rising sun. We return after a few hours,
back to camp and a welcome "brunch".
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