And The Winner Is...

And The Winner Is...

Africa is blessed with a myriad of marvellous destinations and wonderful experiences just waiting to be enjoyed, so we asked some of the team at Africa Travel about their most memorable wildlife experiences and their favourite African destinations.

Elephants feature strongly with the staff. Christine’s most memorable experience was encountering these beauties on the banks of the Zambezi in the Mana Pools National Park when gently paddling a canoe downstream, whilst Emma’s favourite moment was seeing a herd of over 100, including many babies, walking in the Amboseli National Park against a backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro – so special she recalls witnessing it ‘in the now’ rather than through the lens of her camera.

Felicity recalls an elephant charging down an embankment towards her safari vehicle in the Sabi Sands in South Africa, and of once being so close to one that she could see the veins in its eyes. She also has fond memories of narrowly avoiding a lioness in the Madikwe Reserve, and of watching a pack of wild dogs in the Chobe River taking down a kudu.

For both Julia & Sigrun the Kruger National Park was the scene of their most memorable moments. Julia was enthralled by the sight of a pack of wild dogs joyfully playing alongside her vehicle as the sun was setting on the horizon, with Sigrun coming across two panting & bloodied leopards having a territorial dispute before she had even checked in to her lodge!

Gerard has great memories of spending time with the meerkats in the Tswalu Desert Reserve and whilst Chris may have a long list of encounters – being charged by a hippo in the Okavango Delta, walking with elephants in Zimbabwe, swimming with turtles in Comoros, spotting lemurs in Madagascar, getting up close to the whales at Grootbos – for him, nothing was better than meeting the mighty Mountain Gorillas of Rwanda & Uganda; worth every penny.

When it comes to favourite destinations, the votes are definitely split. Although she loves Zimbabwe & Namibia, Cape Town resident Christine is a big fan of her home patch, with the wide open spaces and wildflower displays of the Western Cape firm favourites of hers. South Africa, and in particular the Greater Kruger Area is also top of Felicity’s list although she is also fond of the jaw dropping scenery of Namibia, which just happens to be Sigrun’s number one spot – she just loves the incredible landscapes; deserts, dunes, ravines, barren coastline and the endless white expanse of the Etosha National Park.

East Africa wins the vote for both Julia, whose top destination is Zanzibar, (she adores the delicious food, beautiful views, friendly locals & Arabic influence), and for Emma, where Northern Tanzania will always be special for her as it played host to her first ever safari.

Gerard goes West when asked for his all-time favourites – Ghana, Togo, Senegal & Sierra Leone, whereas for Chris, although he has some terrific memories of destinations as varied as Malawi, the Seychelles, Ethiopia, Rwanda & Zimbabwe, it is South Africa and Cape Town which wins out every time.