A Drive To Hidden Valley
This has been the driest February in the vast Serengeti that I can remember. We had poor short rains in November and it has rained very little since. Most of the open "short grass" plains are parched, and there is little surface water for the game to drink. It amazes...
A Learning Curve
One morning, while we were out in the Serengeti Plains looking for cheetah, we came across a solitary female who looked hungry and appeared to be working the scrubby bushes as if she was hunting hares. We watched as she swept the area for some time, until she suddenly stopped...
Start to the Day at Ngorongoro Crater Lodge
Steaming coffee was delivered to my room in the pre-dawn. I quickly got ready and made my way up to the dining area, ready for our early departure. We were staying at the luxurious Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, and today were driving down into the magnificent wildlife-packed caldera. My guests hadn’t...
Murchison’s Falls National Park, Uganda
Uganda is not a big cat destination, and becomes a place we often visit to track the rare mountain gorillas. This is a fantastic experience but, whenever I am in a country, I have a yearning to see more of it. In January I was guiding a safari there tracking...
Manyara Ranch and the Honeyguide Foundation
This was one of the rare occasions when us three brothers could do something together. My younger brother, Sam, lives in Australia, I now live in Spain, and Damian is the only one left in Africa – in Tanzania. Damian Bell started and runs a non-profit organization (Honeyguide Foundation) that...
Mating lions
My younger daughter has been on safari several times. However, since she was two years old, when we moved to Spain, these experiences have been far apart. This time, two years since her last visit, I watch her become totally immersed in the activities of this African world, its smells,...
Predators in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area
The Serengeti Plains are divided into two conservation areas - the Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The Serengeti National Park provides full protection to all the wildlife, and humans are only permitted there as either researchers or employees of the national park, or as paying guests (tourists),...
Lions in Laikipia – Kenya
In October I was on safari in Laikipia County in Kenya. This multi-use area covers about 9,500 km2 (3,700 mi2) and straddles the equator between Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Mountain range. Although most of Laikipia is at high altitude, it is fairly dry country and is generally more suitable...
Ebola outbreak
We offer custom safaris in eastern and southern Africa. The recent outbreak of ebola in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia in West Africa has hit the world news, and consequently we have been asked by folks coming on safari about health safety issues. Our clients' safety is paramount, and if...
A Small Cat Hunts
The Land-cruiser stopped so that we could watch a group of chattering banded mongooses rushing across the track. Every now and then one would stand on his hind legs and look around in case there was danger. While there one of us noticed a water monitor lizard lounging over an acacia branch above us. He seemed to have an ideal spot to enjoy a cool breeze, and we wouldn’t have noticed him if we hadn’t been parked underneath him. Then something flashed past the front of the Land-Cruiser, and a second later we heard the squealing of a distraught mongoose.
The Upside Down Tree
I am back in Ruaha national park in central Tanzania. The last time I was here was a couple of years ago. I am not sure why I like this park so much, aside from the stunning amount of wildlife I usually see here. Perhaps it is something to do...
The rarest large cat in Africa
Most people who come on safari hope to see some of the big cats – lion, leopard and cheetah. Nearly everyone will see a lion, and more likely several. Depending on where you are on safari, there is a good chance of seeing one of the other two large felines....
