Wildlife and conservation new, wild travel information and links for booking
Ivory, sometimes known as white gold is a real problem. Often valued as much as gold, the rewards for killing a wild elephant can amount too many decades, sometimes the equivalent of a lifetime’s wage to a poor African or Indian.Â
Unfortunately, in many parts of the world wild animals and humans are coming closer and closer in where they live. Due to our wasteful lifestyle, our leftovers can provide good pickings for wildlife though this often leads to conflict.
From the top to the bottom, there are members of the force that are fighting to stop the wildlife trade, which are perpetuating it and indeed financially growing rich on the back of it.
Police, prosecutors, airlines and even diplomats are involved in the smuggling of rhino horn in south east asia. The sanctity of the diplomatic bag is incredibly important, however, when it is being used as a way to smuggle animal parts out of the country things need to change.
Continue reading “Rooting out corruption is necessary to halt the illegal wildlife trade”According to the latest census, the elephant population of the Selous is now over 15,000! which sounds fantastic. Of course, you have to remember that this huge untamed wilderness once hosted over 100,000 elephants and that number comes into focus.
Initially set aside as a hunting reserve, increasing numbers of the concessions are going to those interested in photographic safaris.
Continue reading “Elephants still under threat”For the first time the population of elephants in addo elephant park in South Africa has been counted from space using computer learning.
The satellite images now taken are detailed enough to show each individual elephant has a separate grey blob. Then by using computer learning, a program can be taught to count these accurately.
Continue reading “Elephant counting from space”
Camp Ndlovu lies within the Welgevonden Game Reserve, and sits alongside the Marakele National Park in South Africa.
These protected areas and some other reserves are collectively called the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve, which covers around 4,000 square km of bush.
Sitting just two and a half hours from Cape Town, this is a perfect place to drop into for a few days during a Cape holiday. One of the big advantages of going on safari here is that there is no Malaria, which is rare for a safari destination.
As a Big Five reserve you will have an action packed visit (cheetah are also present).
For those interested in birds there are also over 300 species that are present including blue cranes.
Camp Ndlovu is a luxurious way to do safari, and with only guests of one of the lodges allowed onto the reserve the number of cars is kept relatively low. With just five suites (one of which is suitable for families, though children under 12 by arrangement only) even when the lodge is full, it will not feel crowded.
With each suite being very generously sized and being air conditioned, they will be a welcome refuge from the heat of the bush. Each has its own plunge pool and outdoor shower and bath. They each have extra long king sized beds, and a sitting room with a fireplace. Also included is a minibar and a nespresso machine. There is also a sizeable deck around the plunge pool with comfortable pool loungers, allowing you to relax in comfort and watch the world pass by.
Despite the camps remoteness there is also WIFI within the camp. They also have extras such as bathrobes slippers and forgotten toiletries.
Each air-conditioned luxury unit suite comes complete with its own plunge pool, outdoor shower and outdoor bath, air-conditioning and fan, king size extra length bed, a lounge with fireplace, Nespresso coffee machine with complimentary coffee pods, a mini bar, outdoor shower and bath and an extensive wooden deck with pool loungers and private dining areas. Extras include bathrobes, slippers and complimentary toiletries and Wifi.
This coupled with a history of wildlife never having been legally hunted here makes for far more relaxed animal encounters than you can experience elsewhere. Anti-poaching efforts continue behind the scenes to make sure that this remains the case as much as possible.
Apart from those animals listed so far the reserve hosts around 50 mammals in total. Night time safaries are usually the only way to see them and brown hyena, aardwolf, pangolin and aardvark are present to be looked for on night drives.
With a long history of human habitation within the area, there are also 2 san rock paintings within the reserve. There is a booking/questions form below the video, and below this is pricing information in south african Rand (at the time of writing £1 is about 20 rand
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To ask questions or enquire about availability or book please fill in the form below
Fitzpatrick at Jocks is a small lodge perfect for groups and hired exclusively to one group at a time. Consisting of 3 Luxurious suites each with its own viewing deck. This allows people to enjoy the luxury of a lodge, but with the intimacy of being just a small group.
Lying in the game dense south of the Kruger national park, this private concession covers around 23 miles which only your group and the main lodge will have access to. The lodge is built on the river bank, which means that often the wildlife will come to visit you so you can enjoy watching the world go by from the comfort of your suite.
Beautifully equipped and set up for a group of up to 6 to share, this is an incredible place for friends to go together or for family time away from everyone else.
With places to eat inside and out, and with its own staff, a visit can be fully molded around the group visiting- both in terms of food preference and activities.
Things to do include bush drives, bush walks (which will include learning the beginning of tracking) sun downer drinks in the bush, as well as time simply relaxing in the lodge.
Being in a game rich part of the park, it is also wonderful to lay back on a lounger and watch the animals move past.
The above video gives you a good introduction to the lodge and the area around it.
Below is a more detailed look at the lodge and the feel of the place.
Fully inclusive pricing starts at
If you are interested and would like to book or enquire about availability fill in the form below.
Silvan Safari lodge lies in the northern portion of the Sabi Sands private reserve.
It is the newest luxury lodge, sitting within the Leadwood forests and beside the waters of the Manyeleti River. It also won the leading world lodge in 2019 from world travel awards.
The Sabi Sands is particularly game rich, especially with the big cats. While you will definitely see these on game drives, you may also spot them walking past the lodge.
With just 6 spacious fabulous suites, and a family unit, even when full it is never going to feel crowded, and giving fantastic views out into the bush around it.
With places to eat the incredible food both inside and out, and afterwards plenty of space you can choose how to spend your evenings.Â
Also expect incredible food and drinks sun-downers out in the bush on your evening drives
Lying in the northern sabi sands, this is a less densely visited area. While this means that there are fewer people so it will feel more truly wild, it also means there are less other cars to direct to wild animals.
However I would always choose fewer people. If your vehicle is the first down a road in the morning, or for a long time there will be many tracks to spot, as well as on occasions lions stretched out on the ground. As there are few people in the area it is also highly likely that you will often be in the first vehicle on the road each morning on your morning game drive.
The “rooms” are individual suites (6 standard and one family suite) stretched out along the banks of a dry river bed (apart from perhaps after extreme rain, although the water is not visible much of the time, there will be water underground. This means that there will be many large trees around this area- attracting many animals to eat and leopards to rest up in the trees..Â
Below is a video of one of the suites, There are a few videos of silvan safaris including other suites that are available.
From delicious food, and incredible accommodation, to incredible trips out on foot or in the car, and with the ability to tailor your visit to meet your interest. With all of the luxuries available but surrounded by the incredible wildlife of Africa.
Each suite comes with a plunge pool allowing you to soak during the hot periods of the day, as you watch the wilderness wander past.
The pricing starts from for this luxurious destination.Â
To ask further questions or to enquire about availability and book, please fill in the form below and we will get back to you.
If you wish to return to the Limpopo transfrontier park click here
Madikwe game reserve is the 5th largest reserve (it covers 68000 hectares) in South Africa, but far less known than most other national parks.
Containing the big 5, as well as cheetah and wild dog there is plenty of wildlife to be seen. With a variety of biomes, including grassland, forest and the rocky Tshwene hills, the reserve plays home to a variety of wild animals. These include the big 5. The reserve also has a population of wild dog and cheetah, animals often not seen in smaller reserves such as this.
The reserve’s grassland, forest and rocky Tshwene Tshwene hills are home to a variety of wildlife and you can spend hours watching the local wildlife. Hundreds of bird species include ostrich, vultures and the large kori bustard. Animals often gather at the Madikwe Dam to drink at sunset.
It sits just 40km from the Botswana border.
Jamala Madikwe Royal Safari Lodge Is set in the Madikwe Game Reserve, a reserve covering 290 square miles. This malaria free reserve contains the big 5, as well as a range of other interesting animals waiting to encounter you each time you venture out of the lodge. It was used as a cattle ranch until 1991 before being transformed into the wonderful reserves that is there now. The big 5 are present, as well as some wild dog if you are lucky.
The lodge is well known for its fantastic food, it also has a wonderful location, right beside a watering hole. This means that even when not on a safari drive, there is a constant flow of animals nearby, so it is possible to sit in a chair and watch the as the animals come to you. As this is a private reserve, you can be sure that there will be few few other guests and that you will therefore experience the wilderness away from the crowds.
In terms of the lodge itself, it only has 5 villas each for two people. If you are travelling as a group the lodge can be booked for private use, but this is not necessary to have a fantastic time. The lodge is big enough for groups to spread out and have their own space if they wish.
If you don.t feel like leaving the lodge, you can sit in the shade, in the heat of the day as you watch the animals coming for a drink. Indeed some have said it is among the best “sofa safari ” destination there is.
With fantastic chefs, the food and drink you will eat will be impressive and will make you forget how wild a place you are in.
To see ask a question, there is a form below the video. Below the form is pricing information. Please note that while all efforts will be made to keep these up to date, pricing should be checked on booking. Pricing is in rand, which is currently valued at roughly 20 to a pound (14 to a USA dollar) though this will get out of date quickly.
South Luangwa National park, lies at the tip of the Rift valley that runs from the red sea. It centres around the Luangwa river and teems with Cape buffalo, hippo and elephant.
With an area of almost 10,000 square kilometers it is a large place and is fairly respected as one of the great wildlife reserves in Africa.
One of the first bits of land set aside in Africa for photographic safari (rather than hunting)Â it has been known for generations as a fantastic place to photograph wildlife in its natural habitat. It is also one of the last large reserves largely unfenced, though natural barriers play this role effectively along much of its borders.
In more recent times, it was also the place that the walking safari was developed.
Chikunto Lodge lies surrounded by rolling plains, plateaus, river banks and miombo vegetation.
Chikunto Lodge has 5 suites- 4 luxury suites and a family suite. As such, even if it is totally full, it will never feel packed. With the expansive patio areas and different places it is possible to eat, you can choose spend time with the other guests, particularly around the fire in the evening, or to find a space to sit with the group you came with.
The lodge is set on stilts on the edge of an area of grassland and water. This means that you can see a great deal of wildlife, sitting in comfort eating your meals, or having a cool drink.Â
Chikunto Safari lodge lies within the South Luangwa national park of Botswana. with the whole lodge built on stilts, raising it about 1.5m above the plains, you get a particularly good view of the animals walking past and the Luangwa river.
With a wide range of activities to enjoy, and different ways to see the local wildlife, from game drives and boat rides, to eating outdoors watching the wildlife walk past, or a wonderful picnic when out on an excursion.
Alternatively for a change, you can go for a walk with highly experience guides. Not only will they be able to show you things that you would not usually notice, but they will protect you should you have a particularly close encounter with a wild animal.
Each suite is separate, and gives you a luxurious amount of space. The rooms feel like an expensive hotel room, however because you are actually in a tent, you can hear all the animals from the surrounding area.
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