Africa Safari Resorts Combine Luxury And Adventure

If you are searching for a vacation that will combine luxury and adventure for the experience of a lifetime, perhaps an Africa safari resort vacation is the choice for you. There are a number of luxurious lodges and resorts that you can select from in various regions of Africa that will offer plenty of pampering and relaxation. At these resorts there are numerous opportunities for wildlife viewing and education about the culture and people of the area.

Keep in mind that Africa is not just about the wildlife either; there is ample opportunity to soak up the sand and sun at many of the beach resorts throughout the African coast as well. No matter what type of vacation you are looking for, you will undoubtedly be able to find a satisfying experience at one of the many Africa safari resorts.

Kruger National Park

One of the best places to find an Africa safari resort is in the Kruger National Park, located in the southern region of Africa. Not only is this a perfect location to spot the ?big five? of Africa (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino); it is also a spot that offers a number of luxurious Africa safari resorts to meet all of your vacation needs.

For example, two of the lodges in this area, Ebony Lodge and Boulders Lodge, offer understated luxury and plenty of amenities, combined with ample opportunity for wildlife viewing. These lodges each offer nine suites that include private baths, a double-side fireplace and a game viewing deck complete with a private plunge pool. The staff is trained to meet all of your needs by offering first-class accommodations, food and vintage wines.

Advantages to Africa Safari Resorts

There are many advantages to selecting an Africa safari resort as opposed to mobile safaris where tent camping is the primary accommodation. First, an Africa safari resort makes it possible for you to experience an African safari no matter what your age and physical ability.

You can go directly from your lodge to an air-conditioned vehicle that will transport you to some of the best wildlife viewing areas, allowing you to have the best of both worlds in your vacation.

You can bring your entire family, without having to worry about comfort or safety with the youngest of your bunch. You can enjoy the beauty and adventure of this amazing region without sacrificing your creature comforts.

You can even indulge in a swim or round of golf at many of these Africa safari resorts. If you are hunting for a vacation that will offer your family an experience to remember, look at what an African safari resort can give to you.
Ann Marier has written articles about African safari trips providing helpful tips and advice. Another favorite topic of hers is camping where she writes about camping gear and equipment

How To Turn Your Own African Dream Safaris Into Reality

You are soon to be married, and this is one of the most exciting times in your life. However, you and your fianc? have yet to decide where you would like to go on your honeymoon. You two have already taken the standard vacations to tropical places, and would like to make your honeymoon different. Thus, one idea that you could try is an African dream safari.

About African Dream Safaris

African dream safaris are different for each person, because everyone has their own definition of what an African dream safari is. For some people, an African dream safari is a safari that involves a lot of adventure, and lots of action in terms of travel and seeing animals that they have never seen before.

Other people think of an African dream safari as being more of a luxurious vacation, with air conditioned vehicles that leisurely drive through safe roads. After which, the passengers get to go back to their hotels for a massage.

Since this is your honeymoon, it is a better idea to go the luxurious route. After all, African safaris in general would be very tiring, and no couple wants to be exhausted throughout much of their honeymoon!

Thus, for your African dream safari, begin by picking a safari that includes comfortable transportation, and only lasts for part of the say. The more serious safaris begin early in the morning, and last the better part of a day.

There are some hotels in African that offer special excursions that allow you to see some of the exotic animals of Africa, while at the same time being completely safe. Thus, the next step is for you to fins a romantic hotel to stay in.

When it comes to finding the right hotel, it is important to note that upper-lass hotels mean paying upper-class prices. However, many of these hotels have the most unique views of Africa that you ever hope to find.

So if you want to stay in a luxurious African hotel, be sure that you book the honeymoon suite a considerable amount of time in advance. This way, not only are you guaranteed the suite, but you also have time to save the money!

If you would like more information on an African dream safari, consult your local travel agent. You can also search various travel sites on the internet. You are sure to find the right African dream safari for your honeymoon with the proper research.
Ann Marier has written articles about African safari trips providing helpful tips and advice. Another favorite topic of hers is camping where she writes about camping gear and equipment

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.

This content is provided by Low Jeremy. It may be used only in its entirety with all links included. For more information on safari & other useful information, please visit http://safari.articlekeep.com

Ten Tips for a Top Safari

For many people, an African Safari is an experience they want to cherish forever, and for good reason. A Safari experience is a special, soul-awakening adventure. It will excite. It will inspire. It is the experience of a lifetime.

To help ensure that your African Safari is all these things, we've put together:

Ten Tips for a fantastic Safari experience

Plan

Vital to any successful travel experience is proper planning. This is as important for an African Safari as it is for an intercontinental overland adventure trip. I will of course concede that the latter may take a fair bit more work...

Clothing

This is Africa and casual clothes are the order of the day. Neutral-colours are recommended such as beiges, browns and khakis to avoid alarming the game. Comfort is key to a pleasurable experience, so take along lightweight comfortable clothing.

Footwear Comfortable enclosed walking shoes are advisable. This especially important if you intend to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of a bush walk.

Sun Protection

Take along a hat, sunglasses and sun protection cream.

Photography

Whether you're planning on getting that once-in-a-lifetime Safari snap or merely looking to have some kind of photographic record to share your safari experience with friends back home, remember to pack plenty of extra film or digital storage media and batteries.

Passports, Visas and customs concessions

Ensure that you have your valid passport. In some instances a Visa may be required as well. Confirm the specifics with your travel agent to ensure a trouble-free experience.

You will also need to acquaint yourself with the customs restrictions of the country you are visiting as well as your own country so that you don't experience any problems when entering either country.

It's also usually a good idea to make copies of all your important documentation and note down your traveler's cheque numbers. Store this information separately from the originals as a backup.

Time differences

Southern Africa is seven hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. If you are traveling across time zones, your body will need to adjust during the first few days of your trip. Bear this in mind when planning your trip.

Malaria precautions

Umlani is situated in a medium-risk malaria area. Proper precautions are therefore recommended.

Most brands of malaria medication need to be taken at least a few days before you are to be exposed to a malaria risk. Consult your doctor or pharmacist for detailed advice about the type of protection best suited for your situation.

Visitors are also advised to use insect repellent and wear long sleeves and pants to limit the risk of mosquito bites. This is especially true during the dusk to dawn period, when mosquitoes are most active.

Game Viewing

Wild animals are by their very nature potentially dangerous. The animals you are likely to see while out on safari are not pets. Of course, your guide will know all about this and will advise accordingly to ensure maximum safety and maximum enjoyment for all concerned. Listen to your guide at all times.

When is the best time for game viewing?

At Umlani game reserve, wildlife viewing is highly enjoyable throughout the year.

In the main wildlife areas, most rain falls during the South African summer encouraging lush vegetation but making game harder to spot.

From May to Nov, the grass is short and game is easily spotted. From August through to mid October, the last months of the dry season, game tends to concentrate near waterholes, making these ideal game viewing areas.

The Umlani Bushcamp was founded in 1989 in the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, now part of the Kruger National Park. This luxury game lodge represents the ultimate in combining five-star comfort with the adventure of an African safari.

Guitar Lesson: Make A String Safari On Your Guitar

It seems like many guitarists have a hard time reading sheet music. Let's start by learning to know the fretboard!

I think the most important part in learning to know the fretboard is to make a concentrated effort.

To be a poor sight reader is not part of your personality. Maybe it has become a habit to not doing something about it. Let's start with step one!

In this guitar lesson you will learn to find your way around the guitar fretboard and learning the notes on the six strings.

I call this a string safari as it might be a thilling experience to at last understand what you can find on the guitar fretboard.

Let's start by taking a look at the note E. Where can you find it on the fretboard?

With the conventional tuning of your guitar you will have the note E on the first open string. I guess you are aware of the fact that you can find the same note on the second string too.

This is the strength but also the difficulty with fretted instruments. You have a choice as to which string to choose.

On the second string you'll find the note E on the fifth fret. When you play E on the first and second string you'll find that they will have the same pitch but they sound a bit different.

On the third string you will find E on the ninth fret. Now you can practice playing the E notes on these three strings just to get used to the positions. It will help you immensely to know the positions for these notes as you play guitar sheet music.

You can proceed learning more of the guitar fretboard in a similar way. Let's continue!

On the fourth string you will find E on the second fret. This E will be one octave lower. On the fifth string you will find this E on the seventh fret.

On the sixth string you have the open E one octave lower. Let's make an exercice:

Try to play the note E on all the strings going from the first string, nearest your feet, up to the sixth string. What frets do you have to press down?

Using numbers indicating what frets you will have to press down we will get the following row of numbers:

0 5 9 2 7 0

0 means that you play the open first string. 5 means that you play the fifth fret on the second string and so on. Let's make the sequence a little bit longer.

We will play the strings from the sixth string down to the first and then back again. Remember to start with the sixth string!

Here you have the sequence written out:

0 7 2 9 5 0 5 9 2 7 0

You might want to invent other small exercises on you guitar fretboard, like playing all A's on all six strings until you can play them with ease.

Playing all A's on the fingerboard starting with the sixth string down to the first and back again will look as follows:

5 0 7 2 10 5 10 2 7 0 5

Knowing the notes on the guitar fingerboard will be a great help for you when you sight read guitar sheet music as you don't have to guess or search for the note on the fretboard anymore. It will also help you when you try to play a melody by ear or when improvising a solo.

Peter Edvinsson is a musician, composer and music teacher. Visit his site Capotasto Music and download your free guitar sheet music and learn to play guitar resources at http://www.capotastomusic.com

Kenya Camping Safaris: Biribiriet, the haven for camping & nature addicts

The valley opens below. Cliffs and high valleys stand in the midst of a sky pregnant with moisture. The rains are about to come. We stop at the Kerio Tingwa Ecotourism camping site for a stretch and to admire the beautiful landscape. We are on our way to Eldoret via the Eldama Ravine road and then to Chepkiit waterfall.

A map on the sign board points to the interesting features in the view. We can see Tongwoto caves, Tingwa hills at 2,700 meters and somewhere below are the Kabilet waterfalls and Kerio River. At the next viewpoint, we can see the white rug on the terrain of the Fluorspar mines.

It?s nearly midnight and we are camping just off the turning from Biribiriet near Eldoret on the Eldoret-Kapsabet road .The night air is cold but stunningly revitalizing. This is the ultimate forest camping experience. The gurgle of the stream running at the bottom of the field, is inviting. The moon, hidden in the clouds, send a little light in the terrestrial grounds but our eyes have become accustomed to the darkness and we are no longer daunted by it. Instead, warmed by the camping fire, we are suddenly animated when somebody suggests a midnight walk with Beryl to the rivers edge in search of frogs! This may be my proverbial chance to kiss the frog and end up with prince charming, so I join in.

The trouble with frogs is that you get to see them more at night and so much of Beryl?s field work is stalking the wilds in the dark armed with torch and plastic bags to catch the jumping jacks.

We tread the grass softly so as not to frighten the amphibians. Ringed by the glow of the torch light, a tiny reed frog tenderly perches on a thin grass. It?s quite a piece of art, this delicate scene.? That?s a reed frog,? Beryl says as our torches beam on many more in the shallow edges of Kipkeren River which thunders over the nearby Chepkiit waterfalls and onwards to Kingwal swamp. Many of the tiny water frogs are breeding and their throat sacs are ballooned enormously to call out female mates. It?s quite a busy little scene by the banks of the river. In contrast, the bigger grass frogs look quite monstrous and scary.

?Frogs are a good indicator of a clean environment ?says Beryl.? Any disturbance of the water quality effects their populations. ?There is no long term national data on the amphibians to compare the state of the environment or the diversity of frogs. Beryl is one of the few young Kenyan?s studying frogs.

It?s amazing. In the light of the following morning, where the scene was busy the night before, there is not a single frog to be seen. I take a leisurely stroll to a secluded water pool surrounded by massive rocks for a morning bath. The water is cool, the early morning clean and pure and the sky is lit with diverse colurs. The Ross?Turaco with its bright scarlet under wing has everybody taken ?under its wing ?it?s a bird of the old forests and quite rare to many birders.

This place is a find for camping nature lover groups. We are camping in this beautiful place surrounded by trees and open glades sandwiched between a picturesque Nandi homestead and the river overlooking a stone buff, all thanks to Mary, who has been researching in the vicinity for six years. ?Everybody keeps running to coast for their holidays. They should come here for a once in a life time camping experience,? she says vehemently. ?You won?t believe the number of stunning places like these.?

We lumbered early out of our camping gear and after the private bath in the rock pool and a leisurely breakfast, Mary gets us up on our feet again. This time, it?s a walk to the Chepkiit waterfall. There is so much to see walking through the glades of grass and forest, its like being in a wonderland.

The turacos awe us time and time again. The harrier hawk, glides to perch on a rock while the tiny leaf-loves and green doves fly about. Black and white casqued hornbills send noisy trumpets in flight while the graceful crowned cranes spread their feathers in elegant flight. There is life everywhere .Even on the rocks ?I wonder what these are? ?Mary asks as she kneels to gently touch the white straw-like threads weaving a pattern on the rocks. I have no idea either. Silk threads touch our bare faces as we walk the jungle part to the waterfall. Its sound reaches us faintly and we step over a border to see this most amazing scene of giant rocks and water and through the wide split in the gorge, a forest stretching into the horizon.

?This is Chepkiit waterfall,? announces Mary proudly. Everybody is bowled over and with a new lease to life; we explore the vistas, moving from rock to rock as the water crashes down. This water will flow on Yala swamp and finally into Lake Victoria.

?The Nandi area is very rich in bio-diversity,? says Mary.? There are lots of places like these.? What we need is to manage these places through researches that they are sufficiently protected.?

We visit the nearby homestead; Janet is busy with the usual house hold chores. The sheep and goats have been let out, the cows have had there morning drink at the river having to walk around the tents, and the cooking is going on. Inside the kitchen, the hand-made stove is ablaze with the firewood, little escaping from the sides so as to make the most efficient use of the precious fuel. Above are the calabashes, adding a dash of deco in the earth walled kitchen. The ?botet? or calabashes are used to store ?mursik? the traditional sour milk of the Nandi. I buy a couple, not to store milk but as a small token of the place.

For more information on the area, you can email; Robert

To explore more of the outdoors and discover all that?s wild, visit a local operator for more information on camping tours. You get to explore places that are off-the-beaten track with people who make every trip an unforgettable forest camping event.
Robert Muhoho is a tour consultant in Kenya and has planned business and vacation safaris for over 10,000 tourists in the East African region. He is a tour operation- major and involved in National tourism policy development in Kenya.

For more information please visit:
http://www.landmarksafaris.com/planner/
http://www.eastafricasafari.blogspot.com

Kenya: The True Safari Country

It is said that the word 'safari' began in Kenya. Indeed Kenya has all the aspects to justify that it is in fact the number one safari country. Safari did not only start by the arrival; in hordes, of the camera wielding, cigar smoking, boot wearing and rifle carrying European tourist in search of the elephant tusk or the lion's mane. It is a given fact that safari is deep rooted in the Africa culture. The African culture is extremely social and going on safari to visit distant relatives and friends is a normal mode of life.

In the lives of the 21st century, safari to the foreign tourists is one that takes them deep into the African jungle where they encounter the wild animals in their natural habitat. This is in most cases the highlight of every tourist on safari in Kenya or any other African country. But; there is more to safari than just seeing the animals in the wild and this is where Kenya remain the only country in the world; where one can experience the true nature of safari.

Kenya has been a safari country for many centuries. With this kind of experience, Kenya has mastered all the little details of safari organization and comprehensive capitalized on the important aspects.

Hotel Infrastructure: Kenya has invested heavily on hotels and lodges across all the national parks. It always comes as a pleasant surprise to the foreign tourist how comfortable they can stay right in the middle of the jungle. Accommodation units are available to cater for all kinds of tourists. A camp site will be available for the back-packer and a 5 star jungle resort will be available for the luxury seekers. Having been a bilingual courier for many years, I witnessed with great awe the wonder in many a tourist on how enormous jungle resorts can be run with the perfection of a city hotel.

Human Resource: Kenya has invested enormously on the training of the personnel who work in the tourist resorts and any other safari related discipline. This will range from the waiter in the city hotel to the manager in the jungle resort; from the porter who will pick your luggage from your room to the driver-guide who will show you the impalas and lions in the bush.

Diversity: Kenya is an extremely divers country. One gets practically any adventure of his choice. Kenya is endowed with a coastal line for those who love to relax on the sandy beaches. The savannah and the forests offer you a perfect spot for viewing the wild animals. The mountains provide the more adventurous ones with a hike of a life-time. The deserts of northern Kenya provides you with a perfect setting to enjoy the hot sun and see the rare animals only found north of the equator. The Rift Valley provides some of the most unique landscapes in Africa; not to mention the Rift Valley lakes that are home to millions of flamingoes.

Smile & Friendliness: This is one aspect that every tourist who has visited Kenya will attest to. There is no where else in Africa where you will be received and served with so much happiness and grace. This is probably why Kenya has remained the number one safari country. The friendliness and the smiles on the faces of the people will remain permanently imprinted in your minds. There is nothing more comforting to a foreigner than to be received and served with so much happiness.

Organization and eye to detail: With a vast safari experience, Kenya has sharpened its skills on safari provision. Every little details will be taken care of; to your amazement and pleasure. From the time you arrive at the airport and all through your safari experience, you will always have someone taking care of your interests. Everything shall have been planned in advance and all shall be ready. In Kenya, you can always be assured that your comfort is important to everyone.

Felix Koskei is the editor of www.safariafrika.com and an experienced tour operator offering safari vacations to various African countries. Travel Connections has provided hundreds of travelers with highly personalized safari packages. For more details visit Travel Connections' website: http://www.safariafrika.com

Preparing An African Safari, Safety Tips And Guide.

If you feel you are ready for an African safari, think again. Even if you are travelling to a country you are familiar with, it is still very important to be aware of the physical conditions and safety. This is very important if you are considering a visit to most of the African countries. Here are tips on what to do before leaving home and while you are abroad.

Before leaving home

Make sure you have enough Information about the country you are visiting, including that on traditions and security concerns. This can be got from the travel guides and Directory. Ensure that you are updated on the current issues and changes in the politics.

Remember to make a computer scan of your passport, write your passport number down and potentially learn it in case you lose it. Its important that you note down the diplomatic mission offices to the country you are going to. This ensures easier processing of your documents in case you lose or misplace them.

Photocopy any official documents you might have with you, scan them and email them to your self so that you can access them wherever you are. The internet cafes are almost in every Major and small centre districts of Africa so you would have no trouble over this.

It is very important to have a medical check up to prepare for a healthy holiday. Remember you are looking forward to having the best time, so you would not like a simple illness to distort every thing you planned. if you have a chronic illness( like diabetes, high blood pressure, sinus problems or even nervous disorder), check with your doctor, who can at the same time give you a letter explaining the same problem in English and the details .

Its important to read the health tips for the traveler. Diseases like Malaria have to be avoided. Some of the things you will eat won?t go down well. Be armed!

Make sure you have seen your dentist recently. And it is also advisable to pack a medical kit with pain killers , repellants , bandages , and an antiseptic cleaners, for your self and children travelling with you If you are on regular medication , take care to pack enough to last the travel time.

Ensure that you?re insurance coverage is valid in case you become sick or injured abroad. Some insurance campanies specialize in overseas travel insurance and may allow you to buy short-term coverage.

It is recommended that you attend practical training courses to equip your self with the skills and state of mind for a safe and productive mind for a safe and productive trip.

Check out the political situation in the country you are to visit and get psychologically prepared. Official web sites on the Internet will provide you with the ideal information. Inform your self on the quality of public transport at your destination.

Set a limit on your credit card, so if it is stolen, thieves will be unable to takeout a large amount of money on it.

Clothing is very important. Please get to know the climate and weather conditions before you take on a safari. If you have hired a safari operator, contact the company for recommendation on clothing during the specified period of your travel. Remember that decency is preferred by all the African countries.

At the destination

After you get to your destination, there are more important points worth considering to avoid illness so as to enjoy your holiday .

To relive symptoms of jetlag, eat lightly, drink a lot of fluids but avoid alcohol and caffeine a few days after your trip.

Try to relax and sleep on your flight so you can be energetic nonce you reach your destination .Try to sleep when locals do in order to get used to the local time.

Watch out for road signs: the most common reasons for death abroad is car accidents. Visitors are not always aware of the driving culture at the place they visit.

Use two wallets. Hide one of them with essential belongings in your jacket pockets. Fill the other with a small amount of money. In case of an assault you can hand this one over.

Do not count your money in public, as you might become a target for thieves

Know what notes you have in your pocket and wallet. Keep larger denominations away from prying eyes.

It is better to book an earlier flight than a later one. It is easier and safer to find your hotel and the people you may need to meet during the day than the night.

Try not to stand out in the crowd and if you have an expensive laptop, cover it so it is not apparent.Do not use or take an expensive mobile phone; an older one, reliable model will do.

Learn to identify what the uniforms of the local police look like.

Do not take any taxi you find ? check to see if it belongs to an official company . Ask the hotel reception about rates you can expect to pay when you use a taxi.

Always set a price before getting in the taxi or ask for a meter to be used . Pick up the hotel?s business card. You can always present this to a taxi driver if you cannot find way back especially in the local language.

This presents a just a few tips on Travelling to Africa. If you are planning a Safari, some countries not to miss out include Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Botswana and Rwanda.

Richard Dickson is a free lance journalist in Africa. More of his articles can be found at the website, http://www.aboutuganda.com