While scouting for the first descent of the Baro River in Ethiopia, a tributary of the White Nile, I heard about a Peace Corps volunteer, Bill Olsen, 25, a recent graduate of Cornell, who decided to take a dip in the river at Gambella, a village near the South Sudan border. The locals warned to stay away from the river, which they claimed was busy with monsters. Bill ignored the cautions, and swam to a sandbar on the far side of the muddy river, … [Read more...]
What you’re missing while looking for the Big Five
When animal spotting on safari, people tend to get obsessed with the Big Five game, as though they matter above all else. I’m not going to stand here and talk down the beauty of the lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros, but I will say our admiration for the Big Five can distract us from the other equally wondrous creatures in our midst. So let’s imagine you’re on a luxury African safari with the view to collecting all five of the … [Read more...]
Learning to Fly at the End of the World: Travels Down the Yucatan Peninsula
A second huge palm frond hits my left shoulder, catching a little of my face this time. It smacks the woman behind me dead on. She squeals and leans down to her daughter, placing the girl’s little hand on the offended cheek. The salsa pounds and the colored flashing lights pulsate to the beat of the blaring music. The top of the bus sways as we follow the curve on this part of the Bahia Boulevard, a beachfront drive that snakes down the peninsula … [Read more...]
Ashley Colburn: Travel Host, Producer & Writer
We first saw Ashley speak in Los Angeles where she was on a panel of travel influencers discussing current trends in travel. She is a prolific traveler who has turned her passion for travel and adventure into a career. Recently we had a chance to interview her about her travels, TV shows, and adventures. Q. Briefly tell us about your background and what first attracted you to traveling? I come from a family of travelers. My … [Read more...]
Ngoma Safari Lodge Botswana
Ngoma Safari Lodge is located on the edges of Chobe National Park in Botswana. This fairly new property opened in May 2011 and was officially dedicated in July 2011 with his Excellency, Botswana's President Seretse Khama Ian Khama attending the opening ceremonies. This is isolated luxury at its finest and rawest; the lodge is accessible by any of 3 dirt roads - which are more like 4wd tracks among the bush - there are no signs and you must … [Read more...]
Countless Conservation, Community and Charity Initiatives With The Selous Safari Company In Tanzania
Comprising two remote safari camps and a beach retreat in southern Tanzania, The Selous Safari Company ( www.selous.com ) is involved in several partnerships with local communities and conservation organizations, from the preservation of endangered species to the sponsorship of college scholarship programs and "adoption" of schools. The Selous Safari Company's ethos centres on the fact that the future of Africa's wild places ultimately lies in … [Read more...]
The Power & Beauty of Sub Saharan Africa
Upon finalizing my flights to South Africa from Bangkok, I told a good friend who has traveled extensively in Africa that I would kiss the African soil for him. He replied, "Kiss Africa's ground for me, but remember: Africa always wins. No matter how much you try to make sense of all the nonsense, it'll never make sense. Thus Africa wins." Winning or not, the unpredictability of adventure travel in Sub Saharan Africa has always appealed to me … [Read more...]
Chobe National Park
Today we visited the interior of Chobe National Park with our intrepid guide Shime - a Botswanan who hails from a small village 7 hours away near the city of Maun. We are staying at the luxurious isolated Ngoma Safari Lodge located on the edge of Chobe on the Namibian border. The Chobe game drives are the main activity offered by Ngoma - and along with their lodge, these drives are first class. Their guides are super knowledgeable, have eyes … [Read more...]
Livingstone Zambia
Greetings from the Jollyboy Backpackers Guesthouse. Long gone are the old days of backpacking - where amenities were basic and services on the light side. Here you have excellent Internet access (by sub Saharan Africa standards), a pool, full kitchen and a variety of falls and safari related activities to choose from. The backpackers lodge in Victoria Falls we stayed at even had several onsite masseuses! The "no man's zone" - the area between … [Read more...]
Nisela Safari Lodge Swaziland!
We arrived at the Nisela Safari Lodge after crossing one of the smaller southern border post crossings. We immediately found ourselves on dirt roads before reaching the main tarred highway leading north. Swaziland is very small and driving distances are not what we had become accustomed to in the much larger country of South Africa. The Nisela Safari Lodge was the perfect stop for us - reaching it at dusk. At first it appeared somewhat … [Read more...]
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