Safaris of the past.....

In a couple of words; for those who can remember way back... many moons ago... when the most feared animal roaming our wild undiscovered lands was the great Tyrannosaurus Rex (how are you doing Kipper…. ) ….

Briefly write the best safari you experienced, what you saw (which single animal or place you remember well) and which country it was in.
If you want – roughly the year
If you recall the company that organised it – just the name and if you want the website or information on the company / organisation as well.

Will be interesting to see which countries are nominated and also the year!
Just a few lines or more if you want -

Cody, what a great ides for a thread!

OK, Tobi's favourites: Concerning the classic savannah safaris I really love Southern Tanzania and Zambia due to their wild, remote and tranquil atmosphere. No scenes like in Ngorongoro or some Kenyan parks where 20 or more vehicles surround a pitiful rhino or cheetah.

I had a great time in Katavi NP (Southwestern Tanzania, very remote, it'll take days to get there from Dar es Salaam by car, there's no road connection from Arusha) and saw lions, elephants, leopards, roan, herds of several hundred buffalso, etc. The real stars of Katavi are its hippos that congregate at numbers of several hundreds in the last remaining water holes in the dry season. Katavi only receives a few hundreds of tourists a year. Ruaha (Southern Tanzania) is a lso a very beautiful park with tons of elephants, many lions and an amazing landscape that's dotted with baobab trees.

Zambia's parks are also much calmer than their East African counterparts. I went to the Luangwa Valley (North Luangwa is great for walking and wildlife encounters are assured - don't step on the lion's tail !), Lower Zambezi and Kafue National park that harbors the great Busanga Palins in its far north that supports much plains game and lots of carnivores.

Concerning the "forest safaris" I really recommend gorilla trekking which I have done In Uganda's Bwindi and Rwanda's Volcanoes NP - I think Kipper has also been there...? - unforgettable experiences to me and very sensitive community run tourism. Bwindi is beautiful primary rainforest and Volcanoes harbors Afro montane forest - very different but fascinating areas!

Still on the list: Botswana, DRC and many more - may be anybody has some useful information or recommendations on that?

Whow - thank you for that.
Can I ask when you did these - which year?
Did you do this on your own or through a travel agent / safari tours?

Sounds super interesting and a couple dream safaris to do!

Southern Tanzania: 2004 and 2005 (What I have heard is that tourists start to discover the south but it's still very calm.), Zambia in 2006, Uganda in 2007 and 2008 and Rwanda also 2008. The way of travel was very different:
from driving by myself, sleeping in a tent and feeding on ravioli out of cans for days
to flying in and staying in an upmarket camp - it simply depended on my time and money.

It's definitely possible to visit all the parks by yourself. All Tanzanian and Zambian parks are accessible by plane. I think there is even a schedule now to Katavi. If you travel by yourself it might work out much cheaper as park fees of Katavi and Ruaha or the Zambian parks are much lower than in Kenya or Northern Tanzania.

I'm not sure whether there is a plane schedule to Bwindi or Volcanoes NP in Rwanda.

Would be great to hear about favourite safaris or experiences of other bushdrummers? What about you, Cody?

Our very first Cheetah at Phinda in 1996. WHAT A SIGHT. favourite of the big cats since. Same lodge, same year a black mamba lighting from the elevated deck towards the bush. 20 m in a fraction of a second it seemed.

bush babies (2) sitting in a tree during daylight when we arrived at elsa'skopje in 2005. They were sitting there like buddies: one arm around the neck of the other.
first and fatal mistake of a wannabee-wildlife photographer: left it for "later". Of course they were gone then.
could still kill him ;) but the memories last forever - knock wood we don't get Alzheimer ;)

same year amboseli: 5 green mambas in a acacia tree.

2004: wilddog kill right in front of Savute Elephant camp Botswana

2006 massai mara: supuu and her 2 cubs in a lugga. watched her/them for ages. now kai has got a painting by Elsa Rabe of supuu hanging over the couch. (birthday present for his 60th)

2006: our very first wildebeest crossing the Mara river. Almost started crying when I witnessed it: dust, noise, panik ........truly a spectacle

2007: again the migration - one crossing estimated 5000 animals. again very emotional

2008: lion with tripled head size due to a puffadder bite in Madikwe. we learned later on the lion survived the attack.

2009: Londolozi 2 lionesses with 6 cubs in kopjes. still hiding their cubs. the eyes were still blue-ish. we were searching for them (the guide had previously seen 2 cubs briefly on top of that kopje) and looking all up the kopjes while slowly driving around the hills when all of a sudden both lionesses were at the foot of the kopje with all 6 cubs. at the beginning they were extremely shy. slowly they became accustomed to our vehicle - the mothers were extreely comfortable with our presence. we watched them for almost 4 hours. one lioness carried one cub in her mouth. that was a very special sighting.

2009: Ulusaba we were able to watch and touch lions which were darted for vaccination against rabies. that also was very special. it was pitch dark and only the head lamps of the crew were shining. spooky - but wonderful.

2009: tiger sightings in Ranthambore and Bandhavgarh. these gracious cats in the wilds is quite a sight.

To memorize all safaris is really tough. that is much more lively while watching the video or pics.
Any safari in Africa is special. the smell alone is worth the travel

You're right, Pippa! But what a great summary of your safari highlights! Very interesting to read!!!