Archive for the ‘Tanzania’ Category

Are you looking to travel with your family, but can’t find a group tour to your destination of choice? Do you prefer to have the flexibility and spontaneity a private tour affords? The travel experts at Boundless Journeys can design the perfect adventure for your family to any of our destinations.

With family friendly guides, and activities designed to suit your family best, you will return from a Boundless Journeys adventure with memories that will last a lifetime. But don’t just take our word for it. Here is what some recent families have said upon returning from their “Boundless” experience.

“Yet again, you have provided an exceptional travel experience! Our trip to Turkey was magical – a window into the heart of Turkish culture! We could not have had a better guide than Yunus. He interacted so well with both Dave and I and the girls. Our daughters, 12 and 16, were blown away by the history and were never bored – a feat with teenagers! Yunus timed our arrivals at sites to avoid the crowds, found shady places to stand, and added a few lovely stops that were not on the itinerary. He was funny, thoughtful, and professional at all times, and we would highly recommend him. His passion for his work is obvious and his enthusiasm contagious. Our days were full of excitement and wonder.”

- P.R., The Woodlands, Texas; Turkey Custom Family Tour, June 2012

“Thank you for putting together the best family vacation we have been on thus far! Everything flowed seamlessly. Our accommodations were beautiful, our guide Alex was excellent, and the itinerary was perfect. We felt like wherever we went we got special treatment because we were on a Boundless Journeys trip. Alex was so good to us and great with the kids – we all loved him. I sang praises to all I met on vacation about Boundless Journeys! Thank you for such a memorable vacation!”

- H.H., Keene, NH; Costa Rica Custom Family Adventure, Feb. 2011

“This is a much delayed thank you for an amazing trip! It was the best family vacation we have had. Everything was so well planned and organized. Thanks for all you did to pave the way when we had our delay and were stuck in Maun. The staff at Xigera bent over backwards to make our stay fantastic! We loved all of our celebrations along the way and our lovely upgraded suite in Cape Town. We can’t wait for our next Boundless Journeys vacation!!!”

- S.C., Amherst, NH; Southern Africa Custom Safari, May 2012

To plan the perfect trip for your family, to the destination of your choice, contact our Trip Specialists at 1-800-941-8010, or send us an email to get started.

About Boundless Journeys
Boundless Journeys is an award-winning small group adventure tour operator. With a diverse collection of locally guided, small group itineraries and Private Collection trips around the world, Boundless Journeys offers “The World’s Great Adventures.” The adventure trips for 2-16 guests are active, ranging from leisurely cultural explorations and wildlife safaris to challenging trekking ― with plenty of easy to moderate walking and sea kayaking in between.

"Relentless Enemies," the Cape Buffalo and Lion

While they may not have the name-droppable fame of a George Clooney or Brangelina, Dereck and Beverly Joubert are celebrities in the safari community.

Filming, researching, and exploring Africa for over 25 years, these award-winning filmmakers from Botswana have 22 films to their credit, including the famed National Geographic film “Relentless Enemies,” about the precarious predator-prey relationship between the Cape buffalo and lion prides of a remote corner of Botswana’s Okavango Delta.

Their mission of wildlife conservation will soon be covered on CBS’ 60 Minutes program. After a week of shooting with correspondent Lara Logan and the 60 Minutes crew in Duba, Zarafa, and Selinda areas of Botswana, the 12-minute segment will air in March or early April 2012 (exact date is unknown at this point). With a reach of 30 million U.S. viewers, plus many more via the internet, this program promises to be a great opportunity to highlight current challenges facing Africa’s big cats.

We hope you’ll watch, and perhaps be inspired to plan a journey of exploration too. Boundless Journeys offers low-impact, high-quality safaris to all of the places shown in the story. Visit our new safari planning web site www.Boundless-Safaris.com and contact us to start planning your dream safari in Africa!

About Boundless Journeys
Boundless Journeys is an award-winning small group adventure tour operator. With a diverse collection of locally guided, small group itineraries and Private Collection trips around the world, Boundless Journeys offers “The World’s Great Adventures.” The adventure trips for 2-16 guests are active, ranging from leisurely cultural explorations and wildlife safaris to challenging trekking ― with plenty of easy to moderate walking and sea kayaking in between.

On 17 December 2011, Wilderness Safaris Abu Camp in Botswana announced the wonderful news – Shireni had given birth to her third calf, Warona.

So far she’s been a thrill a minute as guests have been able to watch her antics and how the whole herd interacts with her. Enjoy this fabulous YouTube video (courtesy of AfriScreen) of Warona at three days old, getting used to her surrounds and trying to work out how to use her trunk!

About Boundless Journeys
Boundless Journeys is an award-winning small group adventure tour operator. With a diverse collection of locally guided, small group itineraries and Private Collection trips around the world, Boundless Journeys offers “The World’s Great Adventures.” The adventure trips for 2-16 guests are active, ranging from leisurely cultural explorations and wildlife safaris to challenging trekking ― with plenty of easy to moderate walking and sea kayaking in between.

Planning an African Safari: When is the best time to go?

Migration time

With expert advice, it is possible to plan an unforgettable African safari at nearly any time of year. That being said, each country, and specific regions within each country, have high seasons and low seasons, and varying highlights at different times of year. If you’ve been contemplating a safari in Africa, the following is a primer to help you get figure out that most common of questions: When is the best time to go?

Best time to go to Botswana: Year-round; June-October for easiest wildlife viewing

The classic safari route from Maun, Botswana to Livingstone, Zambia threads through the famed Okavango Delta to the Linyanti/Selinda reserves, and ends in the vicinity of Victoria Falls just over the Zambezi River in Zambia. For this itinerary, the best game viewing is from June-October, but really the game viewing is very good year-round in these regions, and we can help you select the very best places to go based on your specific dates.

Best time to go to Kenya: Year-round; July-September for the Great Migration

Kenya is a year round destination and has many highlights to offer visitors throughout the year. In January and February the animals gather around water sources, making for easy game viewing. There are also large concentrations of bird life on some of the Rift Valley lakes around this time. From July to September the famous wildebeest migration is traditionally present in the Masai Mara. The incredible migration only happens in East Africa, and around this time the grasslands of the Masai Mara are often covered by massive herds of migrating wildebeest as far as the eye can see. For those who want to extend their safari with some time at the beach, October to January is also a good time for snorkeling and diving off the coast.

Best time to go to Namibia: Year-round; June-October for peak game viewing in Etosha

Namibia is a year round destination with coastal areas offering excellent game-viewing all year. Mainly comprised of the Namib desert — the oldest desert on the planet and one of the driest on earth — Namibia offers unique desert-adapted wildlife, landscapes of startling beauty, and well-preserved Himba culture.

Best time to go to the Republic of the Congo: December-February and May-October

The Republic of the Congo is a small Central African country that is not to be confused with the larger, and currently unsafe for travel, Democratic Republic of Congo (or DRC, formerly known as Zaire). Enjoying peace since a cease-fire ended a civil conflict in 2003, this country is slowly developing its tourism infrastructure. Although facilities are limited, there are some very exciting developments happening in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park, where Western Lowland Gorilla trekking is offered with several distinct advantages over gorilla trekking in more traditional places like Uganda or Rwanda.

Best time to go to South Africa: Year-round; July-November for peak game viewing in Kruger’s private reserves

South Africa can be a year round destination with careful planning. In addition to great game-viewing opportunities (particularly in the private reserves bordering Kruger National Park, such as Mala Mala), South Africa offers diverse adventures and an important cultural heritage. A stay in Cape Town is a worthy addition to any safari in Southern Africa.

Best time to go to Tanzania: December-April (Migration in the Southern Serengeti) or July-October (Migration in the Western Corridor and Northern Serengeti)

Tanzania is a year round destination. Due to its close proximity to the equator there are only subtle climatic variations throughout the year. Generally the coastal areas have a tropical climate, the highlands in the north a temperate climate and the vast central plateau is hot and arid. The great migration arrives in the southern Serengeti by December, and during February and March the wildebeest give birth to their young in the southern Serengeti.

Best time to go to Zambia: July-October

The national parks and private reserves in Zambia are best for wildlife viewing during the traditional safari-going months of July-October. A visit to the Zambian side of Victoria Falls (Livingstone) is best during the high-flow months of February-May, but due to its proximity to the prime safari areas in Botswana, an overnight or two in Livingstone to see the falls and have a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River is a worthwhile add-on at any time of year.

Best time to go to Zimbabwe: July-October

The national parks in Zimbabwe are best for wildlife viewing during the traditional safari-going months of July-October. Walking and canoeing opportunities abound with Zimbabwe boasting some of the most experienced walking safari guides on the continent. Zimbabwe is a great choice for an adventurous safari that will get you up close and into the wilderness!

For more safari planning advice, see www.boundless-safaris.com, or call 1-800-941-8010 to speak with a Boundless Journeys Africa Specialist today.

About Boundless Journeys
Boundless Journeys is an award-winning small group adventure tour operator. With a diverse collection of locally guided, small group itineraries and Private Collection trips around the world, Boundless Journeys offers “The World’s Great Adventures.” The adventure trips for 2-16 guests are active, ranging from leisurely cultural explorations and wildlife safaris to challenging trekking ― with plenty of easy to moderate walking and sea kayaking in between.

December 2011 – Sherini, one of the famed elephants of Abu Camp, is to give birth to her third calf in mid to end December 2011. Sherini is one of the original six young elephant orphans saved from a cull in the Kruger National Park. Known for her maternal attributes of calmness, patience and a loving nature, she has given birth to Pula and Abu, and all at Abu Camp are waiting with bated breath for the latest arrival of the Abu elephant family.

This wonderful event however means that certain steps have had to be taken at Abu Camp to ensure the safety of both humans and animals, from Sherini herself (to ensure a healthy birth) to the herd as a whole.

Therefore, prior to the birth, and in order to have as little stress as possible on the expectant mother, Sherini will not be ridden from the end of November 2011 until the end of January 2012 – only three guests at a time will be able to ride over this period.

Because elephants tend to become very excited at the birth of a calf, as well as very protective – particularly for the first few days of a calf’s life – no elephant experiences will take place for five days following the birth. After the initial five days, the calf should be stronger and move more confident, allowing guests to participate in our elephant activities. We believe the arrival of a new born calf will provide guests with an exciting and personal window into the life of a family herd of pachyderms. Of course the activity is immeasurably enhanced as the focus of the herd – and the guests – is all on the newest member of the Abu family. As with all our elephant safari activities, the safety of the herd and our guests during this exciting time takes precedence.

For the first few days while the calf “finds its legs,” the elephants will remain close to camp and guests will be able to participate fully in all the other elephant activities in camp – game drives, mokoro excursions, the Star Bed and more – aside from the once-in-a-lifetime experience of watching the herd interact with the days-old calf – something only a privileged few get to witness.

About Boundless Journeys
Boundless Journeys is an award-winning small group adventure tour operator. With a diverse collection of locally guided, small group itineraries and Private Collection trips around the world, Boundless Journeys offers “The World’s Great Adventures.” The adventure trips for 2-16 guests are active, ranging from leisurely cultural explorations and wildlife safaris to challenging trekking ― with plenty of easy to moderate walking and sea kayaking in between.

I have the best job in the world. Last month, for work, I was sent to visit some of Kenya and Tanzania’s most spectacular areas, and discover their most exciting and classic safari activities. I went horseback riding, mountain biking, walking miles through incredible wild areas, and experienced some of the most unforgettable game drives ever. It was, in a word… awesome. All this so that I can come home and provide our travelers – you – with even better advice about where you should go on safari, when you should go, and the all important, WHY you should go.

For many, the huge continent of Africa is an intimidating mystery. If you only watch mainstream news, it would be easy to think that much of Africa is a dangerous mess, and that all of the wild places have been destroyed by careless management and the pillaging of Africa’s natural resources. In truth, there are places where that has happened. But there still remain immense tracts of unspoiled wilderness, full of inspiring wild animals, and dedicated naturalist guides striving to protect these great places for their kids and ours. It can seem like there is a huge disconnect between the incredible comfort of a deluxe African safari, and the challenging lives that many people in Africa lead. That brings me to WHY a safari is a great way to travel, and how tourism dollars can effect change in Africa.

Just one example of the change tourism dollars can bring to the local population is perhaps best told by my accomplished Maasai guide from Olonana Camp in Kenya’s Masai Mara, Joseph Koyie. He shares his incredible story on the Web site for the school he co-founded, Loita Hills Academy, describing how as a Maasai warrior, he was mauled by a lion and ultimately inspired by his doctors and parents to seek out a different life. His career as a naturalist guide has allowed him not only to provide a more comfortable life for his family, but also has enabled him to co-found a school in his village, some 100 kms from the Mara, which now educates 300 local children who previously had few resources. It is an inspiring story – just one of many – and a great reason to consider travel to Africa.

About Boundless Journeys
Boundless Journeys is an award-winning small group adventure tour operator. With a diverse collection of locally guided, small group itineraries and Private Collection trips around the world, Boundless Journeys offers “The World’s Great Adventures.” The adventure trips for 2-16 guests are active, ranging from leisurely cultural explorations and wildlife safaris to challenging trekking ― with plenty of easy to moderate walking and sea kayaking in between.

I received a piece of mail in my inbox this morning, in a hand-addressed envelope made of recycled brown paper. Inside was a beautiful handmade card adorned with beads and bits of wood, with a wood-block print of a smiling African woman tending to her fields.

The card came from deep in the wilds of Botswana’s Okavango Delta. It was written by a client of mine to tell me what a wonderful time she and her husband were having on her second safari at Mombo Camp. They were already wanting to plan their third trip (they’ll be going back in September, 2012). The thing is, she wrote this card in January, a full nine months ago.

I’ve been musing all morning about how one delayed piece of mail can remind me of the magic of Africa, a place where, as often as not, things don’t go as planned, and yet the experiences are always more than expected. As I prepare for my next trip to Africa next month, I think of the journey this card took. Starting from the undeveloped and pristine world of Mombo Camp in the Okavango Delta, it bumped down a dusty dirt track in the back of a Land Rover to a remote airstrip, where it was tossed on a small provisions plane. From there it probably flew to Maun, where it was bundled with other mail onto a larger jet, and then continued on through Johannesburg and on to the bustling modern world of the USA. I can’t wait to make my trip in reverse next month… from traffic and airports to the peaceful landscapes of Kenya and Tanzania.

About Boundless Journeys
Boundless Journeys is an award-winning small group adventure tour operator. With a diverse collection of locally guided, small group itineraries and Private Collection trips around the world, Boundless Journeys offers “The World’s Great Adventures.” The adventure trips for 2-16 guests are active, ranging from leisurely cultural explorations and wildlife safaris to challenging trekking in remote regions ― with plenty of easy to moderate walking and sea kayaking in between.

With the rebirth of the Savute Channel, and greater inflows into the Linyanti River itself, the waterways of the Linyanti Concession area are now offering new opportunities to explore. It is possible to create unique combinations of activities like canoeing, walking and boating, depending on time of year and water levels.

At Savuti Camp canoeing is proving to be an extremely popular activity depending on local water conditions. This camp also has boat activities on offer. Game viewing can be excellent from the boat, with elephant, giraffe, buffalo and hippo sighted frequently. There have even been sightings of lion and leopard and on one occasion to date, cheetah! Boat rides can be taken in the morning, at midday, or as an afternoon activity.

At Kings Pool Camp a barge is on hand to explore the Linyanti River. Late afternoon cruises are most popular, when the possibility of encountering animals coming to the river to drink is at its best. The barge is also able to be used for special occasion activities.

DumaTau Camp offers boat cruises in the Linyanti River. These trips offer excellent bird watching, as well as the possibility of seeing mammals. During midday and afternoon cruises, there is always the chance of seeing elephant drinking at the river, or even crossing the water.

About Boundless Journeys
Boundless Journeys is an award-winning small group adventure tour operator. With a diverse collection of locally guided, small group itineraries and Private Collection trips around the world, Boundless Journeys offers “The World’s Great Adventures.” The adventure trips for 2-16 guests are active, ranging from leisurely cultural explorations and wildlife safaris to challenging trekking in remote regions ― with plenty of easy to moderate walking and sea kayaking in between.

For those of you who have explored parts of southern Africa with Boundless Journeys and our local partner, Wilderness Safaris, you know that Wilderness offers exceptional, conscientious wildlife experiences in some of Africa’s most pristine areas. We are very excited to let you know about a new safari opportunity that will be available beginning in May 2012: an eco-project in the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) with the aim of introducing guests to tracking of the Western Lowland Gorilla from two new, low-impact camps in and near the Odzala-Kokoua National Park. In addition to lowland gorillas, guests will also be able to discover forest elephant, forest buffalo, bongo, sitatunga, red river hog, slender snouted crocodiles and other primate species, to name but a few…

For those who have considered gorilla trekking in Rwanda or Uganda, consider the following:

• No permits will be required to visit the gorillas; this allows you much more flexibility in terms of dates. If the camp is available, you are guaranteed to have the opportunity to see the gorillas.

• The camp will have exclusive viewing of six groups of habituated gorillas in a 5km by 5km area of the rainforest.

• Although still physically demanding, the altitude is low and the terrain is not as mountainous.

• The park is home to primates other than gorillas, allowing for a more diverse primate experience.

• Navigable river systems meander through the rainforest, allowing for easy wildlife viewing from the water.

More information on the camps, pricing, and itineraries will be available in the coming weeks. If you would like to stay updated on this amazing new opportunity, and if you would like to be one of the first travelers to visit the Western lowland gorillas of Odzala-Kokoua National Park, let us know and we’ll keep you in the loop. In the meantime, you can find preliminary details at www.odzala-kokoua.com.

A few years back a group of Boundless Journeys guests on our Tanzania: Migration Safari shared a special experience. They engaged in volunteer work at the Foundation for African Medicine & Education (FAME). FAME was created to improve the quality of medical care in East Africa, and it endeavors to help bridge the gap between a critically under-resourced healthcare system and first-world medicine. FAME is currently focused on improving the quality and accessibility of medical care in Tanzania and making a difference in the day-to-day lives of the Tanzanian people.

FAME has come quite far since Boundless Journeys guests first spent time there. The facilities they have created, and the scope of their work and the number of people they can now help is nothing short of miraculous. Here is an updated from their founders about some of their current projects that I would like to share:

Greetings from Karatu, Tanzania. The last few months have been very exciting for FAME. Our patient load at the clinic is growing by leaps and bounds. Our new diagnostic facility is off to a fantastic start. We are taking our mobile medical services deeper and deeper into the bush, where children have never been vaccinated let alone had access to medical care when they get sick. We hope these stories capture the spirit of our work over the last few months. Thanks for sharing the journey with us.

Outpatient Services at FAME Medical
Since January of this year, 5,261 patients have been cared for at FAME Medical. While we have seen fewer cases of malaria this past quarter, we continue to see endless numbers of patients suffering from acute respiratory infections and waterborne diseases. We are also beginning to see more diabetes, even Type I. We suspect many children with juvenile diabetes simply die in rural Tanzania due to limited access and resources. Needless to say, we are thrilled to see these little patients finding their way to our clinic on the hill, where they can receive the care they deserve. We have also seen our fair share of burns, snake bites, injuries and wounds over the last few months. Dr. Duane Koenig, a long-term FAME volunteer, had an immeasurable impact on our community during his six-month stay, during which we could rarely persuade him to take a day off. As a family practice doctor and general surgeon, he treated hundreds of patients at FAME Medical and on mobile clinic, saving the arm of one Maasai woman and the foot of another along the way. Dr. Duane worked tirelessly, alongside our Tanzanian nurses, recognizing from the start what the lives of these women would be like in a Maasai boma without two good hands and two good feet. Every day for weeks on end he debrided and dressed their wounds and gave antibiotic treatment until their infections healed and they were able to return home to their families.

Due to an outbreak of measles and whooping cough in the neighboring District of Ngorongoro, we’ve treated a number of Maasai patients suffering from these diseases as well. In fact, the District recently hosted a meeting for all clinicians where we learned that the National Vaccination Program for measles and polio will be rolled out in our District in October.

Dr. Ken Karanja recently joined our clinical team as well and is helping us keep pace with our growing patient population. We have also hired Monica Koillah, a Maasai nurse, who is serving as a translator for the many Maasai women coming to FAME Medical who do not speak Kiswahili.

FAME Mobile Medical
With the help of Malaria No More Netherlands, Rift Valley Children’s Village, and Mwangaza, 0ur Mobile Medical Team continues to spend roughly 10 days a month in the field, bringing medical care to those who would otherwise go without. In our new locations of Endesh and Gidamilanda, we are seeing patients primarily from the DaToga and Hadzabe tribes. Neither village has electricity, so we continue to run our laboratory via our solar powered mobile bus. The village of Endesh has no running water, so we bring our own water supply when we provide services there. Our health education program continues to incorporate a local drama troupe and educational DVD’s to convey important health messages. Patients are visibly engaged in learning, particularly the children. One of our biggest challenges is the road, particularly during the rains. Many of the roads turn into rivers in the days after a heavy rain. You can imagine how completely isolated and cut off the people of this region feel when a child is sick or a loved one injured. Our advance team makes every effort to make the roads passable for our mobile clinic bus. The District Medical Officer continues to insure that we are supplied with malaria drugs, as well as a government nurse to carry out the Mother Child Health program for pregnant women and children under five in the area. We also continue to spend two days every other week at Rift Valley Children’s Village, providing medical care for the 70+ children there as well as people from the surrounding village.

New Diagnostic Service
The new diagnostic facility at FAME Medical opened its doors to the community in April of this year. The generous support of the Izumi Foundation made this possible. Dr. Joyce Cuff, a Professor of Microbiology and Parasitology, is nearing the end of a one-year volunteer stay with FAME. She has made an incalculable contribution for which we will be eternally grateful. Between helping with the layout of the new lab, mentoring and teaching our Lab Team, and spending countless hours working along side Yusufu, Julius, and Josephat, she has taken our diagnostic service to a whole new level for the people of Karatu and greater Arusha region. She will be sorely missed but has forever left her mark on FAME Medical and our team.

FAME Volunteers
FAME has taken great pleasure in already hosting 22 volunteers in 2011. Our volunteers represent a variety of specialties and backgrounds, including pediatric infectious disease, neurology, cardiology, pediatrics, general surgery, internal medicine and family medicine. The exchange of medical information between our Tanzanian doctors and American physicians this year has been vital to the growth of experience and knowledge for everyone involved. A father daughter team from Washington DC recently spent time at FAME, he a cardiologist, she a pediatrician. They worked in tandem on our monthly mobile clinic in the bush. Together, they walked away knowing that they would be returning to FAME to volunteer when they again had the time. Back in the US for only a day, Dr. Reed was already coming up with ways he could help from abroad. Reed and Rachel remind of us of how lucky we are to have such giving, loving volunteers. Additionally, a mother daughter duo, Janet Hamilton and Emily Boone from Maine, did massive amounts of data entry for our lab in June, helping us to analyze trends with our patient populations. As we enter the latter part of 2011 and look to the future, we will need general surgeons, family practitioners, internal medicine and ER docs, pediatricians and OB/GYN’s. A retired hospital administrator keen to rough it volunteering in Africa for an extended stay would bring a smile to our faces as well.

TALES FROM THE BUSH
by Katie Williams, MD

Perhaps the most striking thing about working at FAME was the rhythm of the day. I woke up with the sun to the serenade of birds and other morning sounds. After a leisurely breakfast with my volunteer bungalow roommates, we walked around the hospital construction, through the red clay, to the clinic, arriving as the staff pulled in. Working side by side with Tanzanian providers, nurses, lab technicians and interpreters, I helped to take care of a range of patients with a multitude of problems in an efficient, cost-effective manner relying a great deal on clinical skills. It really did feel like the way medicine is meant to be practiced, unfettered by appointment schedules to follow, e-mails to return, insurance issues to deal with, prescriptions to refill. By the end of each clinic day, there was an unmistakable feeling of collective accomplishment, perhaps most profound during the busy days in the bush. Nights were short. After enjoying a prepared dinner, I crawled into bed, reading by flashlight so as not to use electricity, before falling asleep to the nighttime sounds of Africa.

It is hard to come up with a single word to describe the experience. It covered a range of emotions from inspiring, beautiful, and amazing to sad, upsetting, and desperate. I feel this reflects Tanzania, and the contrasts its tribal and western cultures hold. Returning to California has been jarring. We are so spoiled with lives made busy by self-imposed schedules and possessions. We have lost the rhythm of the day, rising and retiring with the sun. It is my hope that I will be able to hold onto a piece of this experience each day, to simplify, and to focus on what is truly important.

Learn more about FAME and the great work that they do at www.fameafrica.org.