Campaign for Real Safaris

I can still tell you exactly where I was when I saw my first African elephant. I can tell you who I was with when I saw my first glimpse of a leopard, a pride of lions and even the Victoria Falls. This underlies what a privilege it is to visit such wonderful unspoilt areas and see for yourself the wildlife and the people who live, work and survive in these stunning places. It was while I was working in Zimbabwe that I saw so many of my firsts.

Several friends and work colleagues were trainee or newly qualified guides, so on our days off we would spend more time in the bush. It was enthralling, and very addictive. When I finally returned to the UK a year later I knew I would get into the safari business somehow.

It is now ten years since I arranged and sold my first tailored itinerary and I still enjoy it to this day. But the one trend I feel rather uncomfortable about is the need for more luxurious & extravagant lodges. It seems to be out of control and somehow missing the point. So often the luxurious nature of a lodge is sold as its most important virtue over and above the unspoilt location, excellent game viewing and, most important of all, superb guiding.

A good safari operation should be run by experienced enthusiasts, not just business and marketing gurus. I feel very strongly that staying in a remote unspoilt area, in a simple camp only accessible by light aircraft, is a luxury. In an area where you can witness great game through the eyes of good guides with comfortable camp conditions, this is the true privilege.

Why not allow us to come up with a real safari for you? It can be as comfortable or as strenuous as you wish. Please don?t be led only by the glossy brochure, slick website and promise of the Big Five. Often the best guides and safari operators are not that proficient at marketing themselves. They often generate business though word of mouth alone.

Some of the ?real safaris? we are particularly excited about:

Mokoro Trails (Botswana)
See wonderful game and birds as you glide quietly through the channels and flood plains of the Okavango Delta by makoro (dug-out canoe).

Mahale (Tanzania)
In a dramatic location at the base of the Mahale Mountains overlooking Lake Tanganyika, lies this stylish rustic camp from where you trek into the forest in search of chimpanzees.

Palmwag Rhino Camp (Namibia)
A mobile camp that has been set up in conjunction with ?Save the Rhino Trust? in rugged northern Damaraland to help track and monitor the desert Black rhino.

Olivers (Tanzania)
Located close to Tarangire National Park Olivers has a simple base camp, fly camps and mobile camps which allow you to enjoy the diversity of terrain, the wide variety of wildlife species and the migration from December to February by vehicle or on foot.

Katavi (Tanzania)
In one of the most remote parts of south west Tanzania, with some of the greatest concentrations of game, including sable and roan antelope, is a simple tented camp from where you can game view by vehicle or on foot.

John Spence originally cut his teeth as a cocktail barman in Cape Town and white water raft guide in Zimbabwe. This unorthodox first travel to Africa buried a strong seed of love for that continent which has grown and grown. Endless weird and wonderful trips to Africa on horse back, by canoe, on foot, light aeroplane and behind the wheel of his own Land Rover have yet to fully satisfy his thirst for knowledge of Africa. John?s two children are also set to become safari experts and are beginning to accompany him on some of his less adventurous trips so he?s a good person to talk to about family holidays as well. An itinerary to Africa designed by John will be based on a huge bank of knowledge and a big injection of enthusiasm and adventure.http://www.aardvarksafaris.com