Tarangire - Oliver's Camp

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We enjoyed a fabulous stay at Oliver's Camp: http://www.asiliaafrica.com/Olivers/

Oliver's Camp is located in the remote south of Tarangire National Park, guests in Oliver’s Camp enjoy a privacy and exclusivity rarely found anywhere inside a national park. Tarangire boasts large herds of elephants and buffalo roaming around mystic baobab trees, plus a large concentration of big cats and arguably the best bird diversity in East Africa.

Ideal for those who really want to experience nature in its purest form, Oliver’s Camp offers undisturbed open vehicle game drives, adventurous private fly camping and walking safaris that allow for a rare chance to stalk elephant on foot.

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When Paul Oliver first came to Tarangire in 1985, he found what he had been looking for in his years of travelling through Africa: a wild and unspoilt national park. Paul guided and travelled for 7 more years and in 1992 he started a small camp in Tarangire, aimed at offering his guests an authentic African experience.

Having started just outside the national park, Oliver's Camp moved into the Tarangire National Park in 2001. Although walking safaris were previously not allowed, the national park authorities have since allowed camp guests to walk inside the park. In 2004, Paul handed over the camp to Asilia Lodges & Camps. The atmosphere of intimacy and a true bush experience prevail in this wonderful small camp in the wilderness of Tarangire.

Located in the middle of the Tarangire wilderness, Oliver’s Camp has one of the most wonderful settings one could imagine and offers an unparalleled bush experience. From the camp, a much wider eco-system can be overlooked: the Ngorongoro highlands, the Great Rift Valley, the Lame Manyara region and of course Tarangire National Park itself.

Walking safaris are the specialty of the camp, and the depth of knowledge and experience of the camp naturalist guides makes the experience one to never forget.

The camp features 8 beautifully furnished guest tents. Every evening, guests relax or read in the lounge and library tent, or drink sundowners at the fireplace.

You can read more about Asilia's philosophy on sustainable tourism here: http://www.asiliaafrica.com/Olivers/Our-Philosophy.aspx

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Mt Shasta

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Mt Shasta is a special mountain and has been since our college years. Mt first attempt at this mountain was unsuccessful and so for more than 5 years I have been determined to conquer this peak!

Mount Shasta is located at the southern end of the cascades in Siskiyou, California and at 14,179 feet is the second highest peak in the Cascades and the 5th highest in California.

Shasta is a stratovolcano made up of deep glacial erosion. The biggest glacial valley is Avalanche Gulch where the main climbing path rests. The last cone to be formed from flowing lava was Misery Hill just below the summit.

During the last 10,000 years Shasta has erupted an average of every 800 years but in the past 4,500 years the volcano has erupted an average of every 600 years. The last significant eruption on Shasta may have occurred 200 years ago.

Beginning in the 1820s, Mount Shasta was a prominent landmark along what became known as the Siskiyou Trail, which runs at Mount Shasta's base. The Siskiyou Trail was located on the track of an ancient trade and travel route of Native American footpaths between California's Central Valley and the Pacific Northwest.

By the 1860s and 1870s, Shasta was the subject of scientific and literary interest. In 1877, Muir wrote a dramatic popular article about an experience in which he survived an overnight blizzard on Shasta by lying in the hot sulfur springs found near the summit.

The lore of some of the Native Americans in the area held that Shasta is inhabited by the spirit of a chief who descended from heaven to the mountain's summit. Many other faiths have been attracted to Shasta over the years more than any other Cascade volcano, including a Buddhist monastery founded in 1971. Some people believe that races of sentient or spiritual beings generally considered to be Lemurians, superior to humans, live in or on Shasta, or visit the mountain. Mount Shasta is known as one of a small number of global "power centers". It remains a focus of 'New Age' attention.

Personally it was the first mountain where I was able to discover complete silence, no wind, no sound, just pure still silence - definitely a powerful moment of Zen, of just being, nothing else matters but this moment in nature...

Phinda

From Durban it took us 3 hours to get to Phinda Private Game Reserve.

Set within easy reach of the Indian Ocean coastline and the famous iSimangaliso / Greater St Lucia Wetland Park in northern Kwa Zulu Natal, Phinda Private Game Reserve is known for its abundant wildlife, diversity of habitats and wide range of activities. Thanks to its coastal rainfall pattern, Phinda enjoys a lush green environment that contains seven distinct ecosystems - a magnificent tapestry of woodland, grassland, wetland and forest, interspersed with mountain ranges, rivercourses, marshes and pans.

This fascinating variety of landscape and vegetation shelters an abundance of wildlife, including not only the Big Five but many rarer and less easily spotted species, such as the elusive cheetah or the scarce black rhino. With only a handful of lodges sharing an area of 23 000 hectares (56 800 acres) and careful trained rangers and trackers in search of prime wildlife sightings, guests are assured an exclusive game viewing experience.

Our first accommodation was Vlei Lodge: http://www.andbeyondafrica.com/luxury_safari/south_africa/phinda_private_game_reserve/and_beyond_phinda_private_game_reserve/accommodation/and_beyond_phinda_vlei_lodge

Set on the edge of the forest and overlooking an open meadow (or vlei), complete with watering hole, this wildlife playground brings your game encounters up close and personal. Each morning and early evening the animals appear, dotting the sweeping vlei in a never-ending wildlife parade.

Elegant and serene, the gracious spaces of Phinda Vlei Lodge are designed for quiet contemplation of the African wilderness. With each suite’s deck opening up onto a dazzling view of the clearing beyond, combine your game viewing with a refreshing dip in your private plunge pool, but be prepared to share it with a thirsty elephant or impala!

Each suite boasts not only a private sitting area and ensuite bathroom, but also a dressing room and game viewing deck, so you may not ever want to leave, even for meals. Not that you will have to - private dining in your suite can be arranged, as can more social meals on the dining deck or even on the edge of the vlei. On clear, cold winter nights keep the chill at bay relaxing in front of a roaring fire in the sitting room before retiring to the comfort of a warm bed.

After a couple nights the group moved over to Forest Lodge: http://www.andbeyondafrica.com/luxury_safari/south_africa/phinda_private_game_reserve/and_beyond_phinda_private_game_reserve/accommodation/and_beyond_phinda_forest_lodge

Set in rare sand forest, the glass walls of Phinda Forest Lodge offer a sweeping view of one of the most unique ecosystems on the planet. The dainty forms of dwarf forest antelope dart among and below the suites, raised on stilts to float between the sandy forest floor and the leafy canopy above. Waking up to rustling forest sounds and bird song, surrounded by delicate leaf-filtered light, a pervading sense of peace and calm will set the tone for your entire day.

Invite the tranquility of the forest inside with you and take a soak in your oversized bathtub with huge glass windows offering yet another perspective on the play of leaves and light outside.

Phinda also has a variety of other accommodations including Mountain Lodge, Rock Lodge, and Zuka Lodge - all very well appointed.

Phinda and the andBeyond experience is a truly first class safari experience in South Africa.

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Botswana - Kwando Camps

Botswana is a quick flight up from South Africa. For many years we have wanted to expand into this area, but have been so East Africa focused for so long. Botswana has been appealing in that it offers the massive endless landscapes - where plains surround your 360 degree view, making you feel timeless and at nature. Finally we have decided to offer Botswana and our first reconnaissance trip involved the Kwando circuit.

Kwando offers an amazing game experience! Vintage African Safaris : Intimate Camps With Personalized Service.

What makes Kwando Safaris unique?

• 100% citizen owned
• 97% of all Kwando staff are Botswana citizens
• We pride ourselves on the personal attention from committed staff and in providing our guests an all encompassing safari experience. An African safari is not just about the wildlife and décor in your camp, but equally about our people and culture
• Kwando Safaris offers a true Botswana safari!

The Kwando wildlife experience

• The essence of Kwando guiding is to provide the ultimate game viewing experience and holistic understanding of Botswana’s wildlife and habitats
• Exclusive concession areas offering some of the most consistent high quality game viewing in the country
• Each of our spectacular camps are set in unique and diverse wildlife destinations
• Kwando Safaris was voted runners up for ‘The Good Safari Guide’s’ ‘Best Guiding Team in Africa’ in 2008
• In private concession areas (four of our camps) guides can move off road and drive at night
• A unique guide and tracker system – a Kwando Safaris’ forte, providing guests the benefit of two sets of searching eyes that miss nothing as you traverse the wilderness of northern Botswana! The guide is also able to concentrate on imparting to you interesting information and bush folklore while the skilled tracker guides you through the undergrowth and across the open plains
• Game drive times are entirely flexible – also a well known characteristic of Kwando Safaris. Guests have come to Botswana to explore our wilderness areas and not to sit in camp! We believe that game activities and sightings should dictate the times of meals and not the other way round! Should you wish to spend more time at a beautiful spot or awesome sighting, then meals will be kept hot or even brought to you, to ensure that your time is best spent - out having an adventure of a lifetime!
• Environmental best practices throughout all areas of operation – Kwando Safaris is pioneering the use of renewable energy within the Botswana safari industry and expanding wholesale use of renewable energy generation and sewerage treatment in all of our camps. Due to this investment in our wildlife areas, our guests know that they are leaving only their footprints in the dust.

Our first stop was Kwara Camp: http://www.kwando.co.za/kwara.html This well known camp is set overlooking a secluded lagoon in the northern Okavango Delta. This region offers a contrasting experience, as its location allows access to the permanent waterways of the Delta as well as expansive dry land areas, admired for their quality game viewing. We enjoyed makoro rides in the waterways and game drives on the savannahs. Inclusive, was a great boat cruise exploring the Okavango Delta and Moremi Reserve. This area is a must for first time travelers to the Okavango Delta.

From here we went up to Lagoon Camp: http://www.kwando.co.za/lagoon.html Lagoon is perched on the banks of the wild Kwando River, overlooking the Mudumu National Park in the Namibian Caprivi Strip. The camp is nestled beneath towering ebony and marula trees.

Lagoon has a well-earned reputation for big game and large herds of elephant and buffalo, especially in the winter months, when herds of up to a thousand are not uncommon. This vast concentration of game attracts the attention of large predators. The Lagoon wild dog pack regularly den close to the camp and the excellent viewing opportunities have led to Lagoon's reputation as the place to see wild dogs in Botswana.

We had one of the more memorable and special game drives from Lagoon. In the evening we stumbled upon a pack of wild dogs sleeping and being lazy. A couple of them began to get restless and initiated a 'greeting ceremony'. Wild dogs are the most social of all canines and the bonds between pack members are reinforced by these 'greeting ceremonies'. Before a hunt, wild dogs will greet each other with leaps, grunts, squeals, and tail wagging in the morning and afternoon. Most guides know that a pack of wild dogs will begin to hunt after they see this behavior. For us we saw two of these greetings and then as predicted, they were off in single file line and then spreading up almost like a military unit - on the hunt! First they went after an impala and missed the opportunity and then a baby elephant, but were scared off by two big female mothers protecting their young. Finally, they surrounded a warthog den and caught the one that ran away - they killed a warthog. From this point the friendly frenzy began to devour the warthog. Nearly 80% of wild dog hunts end in a kill - they are very successful and ferocious killers, known to disembowel their prey. This is a rapid way of killing and known to be quite brutal, but this is their style. Hunting behavior is passed on from generation to generation. As soon as the pack was getting close to the end of their meal, we heard an insane noise coming from animals, squeals, barking like we have never heard before - hyenas were coming to steal their food; 2 hyenas against 12 screaming wild dogs!! This was chaos, dirt flying everywhere and finally the wild dogs actually left, as they saw no reason to fight over the small quantity left - this was absolutely the most amazing wild life experience we have ever had!! Dinner this night was chat about what had happened on the game drive...

Our next stop was Lebala Camp: http://www.kwando.co.za/lebala.html Lebala is situated in the south of the Kwando concession, adjacent to the head waters of the Linyanti marshes that form the boundary between Botswana and Namibia. The southerly flowing Kwando river disappears into the vast marshland before emerging as the Linyanti river. The triangle formed by this vast wetland is home to the Mamili National Park in Namibia. The guest tents are spacious layouts and one of the more romantic settings of the circuit - we really did enjoy this camp the most.

We did not cover Nxai Pan and Tau Pan, but definitely have more to see from the Kwando circuit. We highly recommend these camps for their service, guiding, and excellent game viewing experiences - let us know if you want to book a Botswana safari!

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