Current Specials
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Stay 3 nights and pay for two at Zambezi Kulefu Camp in Zambia. Offer valid for travel through November 15, 2009.
Stay 4 nights and pay for 3 or stay 8 nights and pay for 6 at any of Tanzania's Asilia camps. Camps include Oliver's Camp, Sayari Camp, Olakira Camp and Matemwe Bungalows on Zanzibar.
Save on our African Trilogy in South Africa, which includes 3 nights at the luxurious Twelve Apostles near Cape Town (just named top #15 hotel on the Travel + Leisure World's Best List), 3 nights at Bushmen's Kloof and 3 nights at Parfuri Camp. Call for pricing details.
Book 6 nights at a combination of Cheli & Peacock properties in Kenya and receive 15% off. Camps include Tortilis Camp, Elsa's Kopje, Cottar's 1920 Camp, Joy's Camp and more! Or, book our Unforgettable Kenya and qualify (price reflects discount). Valid for travel through Dec. 19, 2009. Click here for more details.
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Phil and Gretchen Healey took these great shots while on safari in Zambia and Malawi.
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Top 10 Reasons to Buy Travel Insurance
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Whether you take one vacation a year, or travel internationally on a
regular basis for your business, a good travel insurance plan will
cover you for virtually every unexpected contingency. From travel
delays
due to bad weather or a missed connection, a lost piece of luggage, or
a medical emergency in a foreign country, help is only a phone call
away. TODAY Travel Editor, Peter Greenberg, recommends purchasing
travel insurance to protect your investment and your peace of
mind. In a recently article, Greenberg lists nine reasons why
he thinks travel insurance is a must-have accessory, and we've added a
10th reason of our own: click here to read more.
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Airfare Specials and Safaris in East Africa!
We've seen some incredible airfare deals recently:
SFO-Nairobi in October: $1546 per person
Denver-Kilimanjaro in September: $1815 per person
Washington-Dulles to Addis Ababa in September: $1430 per person
JFK-Johannesburg in October:
$1125 per person
Call 1-866-778-1089 for more details on these flights and other routes.
Visit East Africa this Fall to view the Migration in action! Our favorites include:
Unforgettable Kenya: An off-the-beaten-path exploration of Kenya's remote parks and private reserves, ending with a stay in the Masai Mara to witness the dramatic river crossings of the Migration!
Tanzania Deluxe Tented Safari: Walk in Tarangire (now through October is prime game viewing with the elephant migration passing through the park), gaze down on the Ngorongoro Crater and relish the remote Northern Serengeti at the new Sayari Camp.
Kenya Value Safari: This safari offers an excellent value without cutting quality and includes Amboseli, Laikipia and the Masai Mara.
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August 2009
Greetings!
Now safely behind my desk for over a month, I find myself reflecting back to our recent safari to Tanzania. We sat in the middle of Ngorongoro Crater--with no other vehicles around, I might add--watching a lone female Cape Buffalo surrounded by a group of 10 spotted hyenas. At first, we thought they were considering an attempt to take her down. Then she charged them! Turns out they had killed her calf and wer e nibbling on what was left of the skull. The female buffalo was not willing to let go, however, and chased the hyenas until they dropped the skull in the grass, at which point she stood guard, fending them off with vicious swipes of her sharp horns. Within minutes, the hyenas grabbed it again and the whole thing started over. Chase. Drop. Defend. Chase. Drop. Defend. Eventually, the buffalo was forced to give up and leave the carcass, running dejectedly back to the safety of the herd. (Photo by 'Bibi' Bev Jones).
Later on this same trip, we were fortunate enough to see the great migration making its way through the Serengeti towards Kenya. This is always a favorite wildlife experience for me, not only for seeing the massive herds, but also for the drama that it creates. River crossings are happening right now and the herds are moving from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara, where they will stay for about two to three months. In October and November, they should be making their way back down to Serengeti, making the fall a wonderful and inexpensive time to visit.
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East Africa's Great Migration
Throughout the year, the grazing herbivores of East Africa migrate between Kenya's Masai Mara and Tanzania's Serengeti--actually one massive eco-system. The migration includes about 1.5 million wildebeest, 200,000 zebra and 500,000 Thomson's gazelle.
The availability of green grass determines where the animals go and when they move. While the clockwise motion of the migration follows the rains and the green grass, the entire cycle can be somewhat unpredictable as the timing and direction are totally dependent on local weather patterns and conditions.
During our summer months and peak travel season for North America (June to August), the migration is in the north-western and northern reaches of the Serengeti, moving into the Masai Mara for August-October. In October and November, the animals begin returning to Tanzania from Kenya and the eastern corridor and the Loliondo area are again filled with the herds.
Our highest recommendations for viewing the Migration in the coming months? Our Unforgettable Kenya Safari, Deluxe Tented Safari in Tanzania and the exciting Tanzania Camping Safari!
Photo courtesy Asilia Lodges
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Fascinating Wildlife Facts!
 The grey headed kingfisher utilizes a movement known as "jaw-stretching". This keeps the muscles of the beak supple and in good condition, so that it can hold and manipulate its prey.
The "yawn" of a hippo is often an aggressive, dominance gesture known as "gaping"? Bull hippos will intimidate rivals with their impressive "ivories"!
Next time you hear a lion roar while you are in your tent at night, remember that a lion's roar can be heard up to 8 kms away! Also, after a big meal lions sometimes sleep for up to 24 hours.
Facts courtesy of Zambia's Bushcamp Company
Photo by traveler David Keeling
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Listen and Watch: An African Thunderstorm
Watch this a cappella choir from Slovenia reinvent an 80s pop hit, but the kicker is the opening where the group simulates an African thunderstorm with their hands. Click here to watch the YouTube video. Our client Ken Czerwinski sent this on to us. Thanks, Ken!
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News From the Bush: Recent Wildlife Sightings
Just this week we received a report from some of our travelers staying at the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge in Tanzania saying that they watched a cheetah pull down a Thomson's gazelle! This is just one of countless stories to be told of a  mazing wildlife interactions witnessed by our travelers in Africa. When we aren't traveling in Africa it's easy to stay up on what's going on in the bush. Thanks to today's technology guests can send reports from their camp, we update our blog frequently with wildlife sightings and migration updates, and many camps and lodges we work with have guide blogs (a great guide blog is the Mahale Greystoke's blog) - all great ways to follow along from here! Recent sightings include swimming lion cubs in Zambia, click here to read more; hyenas robbing lions of an elephant calf kill, click here to read more, and a black rhino confronting lions in Namibia, click here to read more.
*photo by Lyndsay Harshman
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On site in Africa: Pictures From the Bush
Phil and Gretchen Healey relax in the Kapamba River, Zambia before enjoying sundowners (above) and meet local children in a village near South Luangwa (below). Both photos by the Healeys.
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