Tag: africa

6 must-do wildlife experiences across the world

By Meenakshi Shankar

Giraffe: In Masai Mara

Not much can come close to that feeling when you spot an animal in the wild, especially when you’re not expecting it: awe-inspiring, breathtaking and wonderful and always a moment you will never forget.  With so many wildlife vacations on offer in so many fabulous locations it’s hard to decide where to go or what animals to see.

We’ve put together our top six  favorite must-do wildlife experiences across the world.

1. The Alaskan wilderness beckons you

A must-see for adventure seekers, explore the pristine national parks abundant with wildlife.  From the soaring mountaintops to low land fjords and valleys – Alaska is one of the most remote and remarkable wilderness destinations in the world.

For the wildlife enthusiasts:  Whales, Dall porpoise, sea lions, otters and puffins

2. The Serengeti Migration : The Greatest show on earth

Nowhere in the world can we watch such a spectacular scene, nowhere do we have such a large number and diversity of large mammals.

More than just “endless plains” which is what ‘Serengeti’ name means in the language of the Maasai.

Nature at it’s best: A Lioness with her cub

The great annual Serengeti National Park migration is a must do – one of the most amazing wildlife spectacles on earth involving millions of animals migrating from the Masai Mara in Kenya down is a breath taking and a heart pounding moment.

For the wildlife enthusiasts:  Wildbeest, zebra, elephants, lions, cheetahs, crocodiles…the list goes on.

3. Birding in Meghalaya

In a forest teaming with birdlife – Meghalaya is your one stop destination.
Head out on a 6 day trek deep into the forest…look out for interesting new species, in forests teeming with birds.

For the bird lovers: Black breasted Parrotbill, the White-belied Heron, Snowy-throated Babbler, Rufus -Vented Laughing thrush, Rufus-backed Sibia , Beautiful Nuthatch, Rufous-necked, great and wreathed hornbills, Black-necked crane, Emerald cuckoo , Blood pheasant, Monal, Ibisbill, Purple cochoa…our list goes on.

4. On a Tiger Trail

To look into the eyes of a tigress is a wonderful, truly mystical experience. For that instant, the elemental beast and you are one in soul and spirit, the tawny eyes staring deep into your very being. You are enraptured, unable to break your gaze, so totally in the moment. You are intensely aware of even a blade of grass moving, of the leaves falling around you, of the wild bird’s call. Yet, she has you enthralled; she is the only focus of your being. Such is the magic of a tigress sighting in the Bandhavgarh National Park.

For the wildlife enthusiasts: The elusive tiger, the sambhar, hyenas

5. The Borneo Jungles

The jungles of Borneo are reputed to be deep, dark and full of secrets. In the thick maze of tropical vegetation, head out to a sanctuary for the care and rehabilitation of orphaned or injured Orang-Utan.  From a vantage point you can watch an assortment of the endangered animals come to keep their appointment with their ten o’clock brunch of bananas and milk.

For the wildlife enthusiasts: Head out into Sabah Wildlife Reserve, go on a boat journey into the virgin mangroves  – a treat for bird lovers, watch the green turtles lay eggs and catch the crocodiles sunning themselves.

6. The South African wildlife trail

Discover, experience,explore a world of diversity in one Park

The wildlife sanctuary is a must do for every wildlife enthusiasts. Deep within the shadows of the dense valley bushveld of the Sundays River region of the Eastern Cape lies the Addo Elephant National Park. Here, the evenings are punctuated by the strident howl of the black-backed jackal, and the francolin’s call heralds each new dawn. Safe from relentless persecution in the past, the grey leviathans of the bush now roam in peace.

And if the Big Five is on your agenda – head out to Imfolozi Game Reserve.

For the wildlife enthusiasts: This  finely tuned ecosystem is sanctuary to over 550 elephants, lions, buffalo, black rhino, spotted hyena, leopard, a variety of antelope and zebra species

Check out our next adventure in Masai Mara

Kenya Safari with a twist

By Farah Bode

WILDEBEEST MIGRATION

No wild life documentary or anything you have seen on National geographic can truly capture a firsthand migration experience which I was fortunate to see and ‘hear’. The wildebeest are called gnus and they make a sound just like their name. I can imitate something very close to it.

 

It was the last day in the Masai Mara. We had seen a vast herd just before our lunch and were hoping to see them do the river crossing. Post lunch to our good luck the herd had reached the river.  We were on one side and they were waiting on the other..restless must say.  Some of them had made it half way to the river but no one was taking the lead to cross it. We could see hundreds of them walking in single file, coming in from nowhere on the horizon, all heading for the river.

We inched closer. The disturbance caused by our vehicle sent them back and to our dismay, the ones that had come half way to the river suddenly started going back. Our guide, Ben, then relocated us further away. There were some zebra at the start of the herd. Ben told us that the zebras are a bad sign and the crossing won’t happen.

The Zebras are smart you see  and will not just go headlong into a crocodile infested river.The herd started following the zebras and moved down the river bank. We were quite disappointed but then our guide told us to watch for more signs. The herd that was coming in from the horizon was ready to cross. They were all grunting the ‘gnu-hmmm’ anthem and there was  a lot of shuffling as the herd was  restless ..

Suddenly they started crossing and it awesome an sight to see them plunging, swimming or lunging across the river and safely reaching the other bank. Suddenly we saw a thrashing movement..a zebra was caught by a crocodile. All I could actually  see with my binoculars was a huge crocodile with its mouth agape and the zebra thrashing and being sucked down into the water. An NGC moment! About a 1000 animals crossed while we witnessed what may have been the only zebra death that day at the crossing.

We couldn’t stop talking about the experience and all the locals we met thought that we were truly lucky to see the spectacle of an actual crossing, which despite the frequent ‘Animal Planet’ sightings on TV are quite rare in reality. Many of the locals have come and waited for hours at  the river bank and witnessed no crossing.

Giraffe at 6 oclock

Beg, borrow, steal but you must have your  own set of binoculars. I was lucky to have borrowed my own set and could point out giraffe at 6 o’clock and elephant at 9 ‘o’. Hence I was designated the official giraffe spotter for my vehicle. We were really lucky and saw giraffes, countless zebras, cheetahs (twice), the elusive leopard once and a pride of lions – twice. The beginner’s luck, they would have me believe!

Traffic jam in the jungle

The drivers are all contactable on the radio and can hear each other so if one car has seen a leopard then all the other vehicles will come to the same place and if you see my pictures you will get an idea on the traffic jam that happened over our leopard spotting. The feline then lumbered down the tree and the whole convoy of gawking tourists started following him and slowly but surely he just melted into the tall grass and was nowhere to be seen. Then he emerged on the other side and crossed right by the other groups vehicle and they got a real close up view of him.

Mofassa and me

We had just started our evening game drive when we were alerted to a sighting of lions. The male lion was sunning himself when we first spotted him. Our 4WD vehicle moved quite close to him. We  named him Mofassa, after Simba’s dad from the Lion King animated movie. We observed him and his family for long. The cubs playing around. The mothers keeping a close watch. Another NGC evening!

Croc meat is very chewy!

On our last night we were all set for the famous Carnivore restaurant which has a huge spit with all possible meats on it and the exotic list featured crocodile and ostrich meat. Ostrich meat was nice and tasty, but the croc was a tough cookie I was unable to digest. Every table has a  small flag, so when you are full and can’t gobble, munch, chew or gnaw anymore, you need to lay the flag down in a gesture of surrender! Just for your knowledge, Zebra meat and other exotic meat is banned since the last 3 years.

Shopping

Well, we all got ripped off and paid much more for everything except at the Masai market where we spent too little time. You will see souvenir shops during your ‘comfort’ stops. One really needs to bargain here. Start at 25% of the cost quoted. You will see at least one fancy souvenir shop at your hotel. Avoid, unless you are desperate and will not go to any mall in Nairobi which will have the same stuff at more reasonable prices. Last, but not the least, there is a Masai market on different days of the week at different malls . It’s the local Masais selling their wares laid out on mats in one area like a terrace in a mall. They sell directly to you for the best prices. We caught it on a Tuesday  at the Westland mall. For my rhino mug I paid 1300 at a mall shop. It was 2200 in the hotel shop, but I paid only 570 at the masai market for another one. So much for the learning curve.

Travel tip:

The order of an itinerary should  be start with Mt Kenya National park followed by Lake Nakuru and its flamingoes, then Lake Naivasha and finally Masai Mara. The Mara experience can’t be bettered!

Check out our latest package on Kenya