One of the struggles that I face when planning itineraries
is the balance between visiting areas with great wildlife concentrations and at
the same time avoiding areas plagued with tour operators and safari vehicles.
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| The waterhole in front of the lodge attracts a huge variety and number of animals. This place would work great as a luxurious break or strenuous trip. |
On a trip that I should have blogged about 2 months ago, our
itinerary included a few challenging nights at the Four Seasons in Serengeti
National Park. On this particular itinerary, the Four Seasons made sense, but if
you understand my style of guiding you’ll understand that I place a huge
emphasis on the experience of safari- the wildlife, vistas, and on the magic
that the African bush can create. Now, while the Four Seasons service and view
was, well, Four Seasons worthy, but despite its killer view, its location made
it quite a challenge to offer the safari experience I believe in. Being one and
a half hours away on a very corrugated transit road from the core of Serengeti
known as the Seronera valley, I cringed at the thought of having to transit
3hrs a day to have a good wildlife experience so I broke the rules* and went
exploring.
*
Whatever some of the camps and safari operators tell you on green-washed
websites, driving off-road is not allowed in Serengeti National Park. I love
being off-road and justify where I do it, how I do it, and when I do it because
I also care about the environment. I will never off-road in a core area because
it is not environmentally sound, but there are too many drivers who do not have
the same environmental understanding or ethic.
With all the other vehicles driving to Seronera from the
Four Seasons, I decided it might be ok to sneak around and took a little track,
and still within sight of the lodge found 3 leopards blending into a rocky
outcrop. Our explorations later took me to this beautiful spot and this photo
might evoke an atmosphere of beauty, adventure, and solitude.
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| Alone in the Serengeti. A Ficus sycamorus on the edge of a seasonal river that attracts a lot of game. |
