Travel Africa

It is always fun talking to you, our readers, but it has been especially so over the last couple of years. I love hearing what Africa means to you and how much you are looking forward to getting back. Conservationists, communities and safari operator

Travel Africa is published quarterly by: GECKO PUBLISHING LTD 14 Simpson Drive, Upper Heyford, Bicester, Oxfordshire OX25 5BB, United Kingdom (ISSN 1561-2783) travelafricamag.com facebook.com/TA.magazines @Travelafricamag travelafricamagazine Tel +44

Increasing numbers of tour operators are considering the environmental impact of the holidays they offer. In one of the more committed examples, UK-based Far and Wild has launched a carbon scoring initiative to ensure clients are able to make sustain

ARE YOU AN OPERATOR OR AN AGENT? In many jurisdictions, including the UK, there is a distinction. A booking made with an operator who acts as the legal principal gives you a contract with that company, while bookings made through the many companies w

The most important reason to use a specialist operator is the expert advice that is freely available from them. This takes two parts. First, practical advice and specialist knowledge on where to go and what to do, usually with a level of insight well

Change, pivoting, re-engineering, transforming. These and other words have been repeated constantly over the past 20 months as our industry has tried to quickly adapt to the daily episodes of this pandemic. As a membership association representing th

My mum Jean and I had a truly special time when I took her to South Luangwa. Aged 75, she’d never been to Africa before, although she always loved wildlife stories and documentaries, and I wanted her to see the natural world I loved. Everything was n

I have been guiding for over 25 years and I’ve used many different field guides in my career. For us safari guides, these are as important as a good pair of binoculars, particularly for birding as it helps to discuss the differences between species,

Eswatini is a small and compact kingdom, yet has a diverse range of habitats and wildlife all within an hour of each other. Want to get away from the crowds of Kruger? Then Eswatini is the place for you. Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary is a great place t

Madagascar’s network of 50-plus national parks and other conservation areas practically all offer guided walks in search of endemic lemurs, chameleons and birds. If you visit only one, Andasibe-Mantadia ranks highly in terms of diversity, amenities a

With the plethora of national parks and game reserves available across Africa for wildlife-watching, you’re spoiled for choice. Each has its own characteristics, and every one of us has different interests and experiences, so it’s impossible to say i

Kafue National Park is a big place. If you’re planning a safari there, dauntingly so. Zambia’s oldest national park, named after the river that forms its lifeblood, it sprawls across the west of the country for a full 22,500sq km, making it larger, f

● Where? Kasanka National Park, Zambia ● When? October-December ● What? Welcome to the biggest mammal migration on Earth. From mid-October, intoxicated by the seed-rich fruits that fill Kasanka’s trees, enormous colonies of fruit bats descend on a sm

Porcupines can be found almost anywhere, in nearly all types of terrain. But the savannahs of East and southern African are a good a place to start your search. During the day, they may cohabit with warthogs in holes in termite mounds; they also like

Don’t go with a list of all the animals you want to see. Wildlife never appears on demand and you can never be sure exactly what you’ll find. STEFANIA MANCINI, SAN MARINO Take a silent two or three minutes. Switch off the engine, no chat, no fidgetin

I’m back from my game drive, just settling down to check my photos. Suddenly I hear a squeal of terror from the waterhole. A kill! Peering closer, I can make out the gleam of writhing coils: a stripe-bellied sand-snake has just captured a frog and is

Rangers (or “game rangers”) act as custodians of wildlife and the environment, managing animal populations and dealing with issues such as breeding, population control and diseases, as well as working on practical tasks ranging from maintaining trail

Pyramids of Life is the annual three-week refresher training course for Alex Walker’s Serian guides in Maasai Mara and Serengeti. Guests can take part too – all you need is a strong interest in wildlife. Over five days, our classroom was Mara North C

1 The guides at Porini Camps in Kenya stand out as the most knowledgable, open and friendly that we have encountered. They are all local Maasai, brought up on the conservancies but put through guide training by Gamewatchers Safaris. They delivered su

With young cubs stalk and kill a warthog, plus meeting the famous Scarface in February 2014. BEN NEALE, UK ILONA STRULL, USA Seeing vast herds of elephants in Botswana, being charged by a bull elephant and watching a pride of lions gorge themselves o

Let’s be clear: there is little to no conservation value to breeding and keeping wildlife in commercial captive facilities. Ask any reputable conservation agency, researcher or scientist, and the answer remains a firm no! Typically, these operations

AWF rangers share the importance of their role and what they have learnt from watching wildlife Mana Pools, Zimbabwe l am proud that I have broken barriers in a male-dorminated field and now act as a role model to fellow females within conservation.