Month: February 2011

Botswana Safari- the Haven of Wildlife Sanctuaries

Vast lands… wildlife… well, anyone may have those two in Africa but not definitely like the experience that may be had from Botswana Safaris.

This vast piece of land is only one of the few where wildlife need not compete for land and resources with man. The land area is as large as France yet the population counts only to mere 1.6 million people. As an outcome, wildlife has increased in great number that the place becomes a sanctuary for the finest games in all Africa.

Being the world’s largest exporter of diamonds, Botswana no longer has to compete with the tourist market. Yet as grand as its land offers for safari fanatics, it can’t help but attract as many tourists as its resources may allow. However, the government decrees the limited number of people allowed to penetrate Botswana safaris, thus the significant increase in prices, which ultimately made it as an exclusive safari destination.

Kalahari dessert dominates 84% of all Botswana. Though it is a dessert by name, Kalahari is not much like a dessert, as we may perceive Sahara. Except for occasional sand dunes, Kalahari is mostly covered with vegetation characterized by bushes, grasslands, trees and scrubs. However, water is meager thus the dessert label.

Visitors of Botswana safaris are almost always amazed at how creative and genius the creation and maintenance of its wildlife sanctuaries.

The finest games in the whole region are found in the Chobe National Park which is located somewhere in the north east side of the country. It harbors the most varied games in the country and is refuted to nurse the largest group of elephants in a single place. Elephants here are estimated to have reached up to 80,000 individuals.

Savuti Marshes, on the other hand (which is located in the Chobe National Park) is refuted to have the largest density of predators found in all Africa. Hundreds of wildlife species are found here, both preys and predators.

Its resources for water encourages buffalo, antelopes, zebras and the likes that are followed by predators such as the leopards, cheetahs, wild dogs, lions, and jackals. Some predators here have the tendency to become lazy and living in Savuti Marshes sounds more like a gift than anything else.

Botswana safari is simply a unique place for wildlife conservation. But this act is took time to accomplish. Botswana is a country that is bordered by neighboring countries. While great efforts and done to protect all its wildlife, it still needs other countries’ collaboration to make everything working. After all, animals do not comprehend international borders.

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Behind Safari Vests and Pockets

We recommend you to bring one safari vest during your trip. And that’s it.

Leave all your dressy clothes at home unless you are to attend a special function in Africa while on a trip.

The trick in safariing is to be as lightweight and functional as possible. Lightweight, due to the fact that you cannot (and must not) carry as much gears as you prefer while on the field. Despite from being too impractical, too many luggages would only cause you terrible mess and less ease of travel.

In the early years of African safaris, people are fond of taking with them unnecessary materials (a huge wooden chair for example) that are obviously unneeded. Well, travelers are far more comfortable with such form of practice since they have carriers to do the works for them. after all, most early safari guests came from the up society.

Yet, for the present, no one is truly certain that she can walk as comfortable while goofing around with extra (and unnecessary gears) while transferring from one vehicle to another or while crossing a remote trek.

Wearing safari vests, while treated more as a traditional part of all safari trips should be viewed as something practically important.

The rule of thumb is to apply casual comfort. Carry an average of 3 to 4 shirts for your entire trip and those must be pure cotton. On top of these, you need to have a safari jacket or safari vest.

A safari vest is vital for carrying with you small but essential gadgets such as a Swiss knife, extra films or a pocket size camera. In fact, anything will do so long as they fit in the pockets of your vest.

From 8 to 10 pockets, it would be impossible that a safari vest would not hold enough of your stuffs.

You may place them in your backpack off course but accessibility makes everything less complicated.

Actually, because of this specific property of safari vests, they are also popular among photographers and other professions that require the use of extra pouches.

Safari vests typically appear in neutral shades, following the idea of not being too loud when on the trek.

This practice can also be observed for your long sleeves, shirts and other safari clothing. Not only do neutral shades lessen the possibility of attracting animals, these may also allow proper ventilation. They are not as heat absorbent as other darker colors and they somehow help heat bounce back away from your body.

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Back to the Basics of Safari

Safari in Swahili primarily means “journey”, normally pertaining to hunting for survival and exploration of lands that may be turned into communities by the local tribes. However, in the modern sense, safari seems to have changed its meaning into discovery and adventure amidst wildlife and nature and the habitats of animals, birds, plant species that thrive in the vast pieces of land.

The most common form of safariing is taken by means of walking which are designed specifically for hardy people. Hardy are the natives here and so they were adopted to the forms of living. They maintain walking trails that explorers use until these days.

Nonetheless, with the advantages in transportation modes of safariing are becoming more and more comfortable which features hot air ballooning, fly-in safaris, driving safaris, canoeing safaris, horse back riding safaris, and elephant back safaris (Oh how exciting is that!).

As for the categories, African safaris normally offer three basic types namely permanent tented safaris, lodge safaris, and mobile safaris. Nonetheless, if couples would want to avail of the honeymoon safaris, they may be granted the choice.

One complete safari that will travel from the East region towards the Southern parts take around 10 to 21 days.

If you are planning to make an African safari adventure, it would be best if you avail of a local tour operator or an experienced specialist so you would have the assurance that they know all the know-hows.

It is vital that you also have knowledge of some practices, cultures and etiquette so you would be able to avoid mishaps with the local people. For your safari package, never forget some essentials like meals, accommodation, transportation, driver/guide service, excursions and the likes.

There certainly is an overwhelming, endless arrays of choices for safari travel. There are hundreds of conservation parks and wildlife sanctuaries, continuing display of life and death dancing as the game goes on between the prey and the predator, marvelous places to witness, vast savannas, camping grounds and plant and animal species.

Visiting African safari is more like visiting another planet when we perceive it against the modern day sense. It is home to thousands of species that are only found in Savannah. It offers sights that may only be seen in its confines. It displays activities that we don’t normally see everyday. Desserts and mountains that are out of the context of what we typically understand. And unique cultures that mark how rich African history is.

It is like Africa and its safaris are the remembrances of how the sixth day of creation looks. It is the living remembrance of how the Creator intended things to be. The perfection, the diversity, the coexistence between man and his nature and the life that surrounds everything.

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