Times Online: A roaring success
5 February 2008
 I love going on safari - I just can't get enough of the big beasts of Africa. I've had close encounters with them - a bit too close, on a
couple of occasions - in Tanzania, Botswana, Kenya, Zambia and South Africa.
My last expedition, with my son Toby, 16, was to Simbambili, a lodge with just eight luxury suites on the Manyeleti river in Sabi Sand
game reserve, part of Kruger National Park. We saw elephants, zebra, leopard and rhino plus the usual exciting mix of lions, impala,
wildebeest, bushbuck, crocodile and great herds of buffalo.
If you're thinking of following in my paw prints, my top 10 rules of safari may help:
1 Use your ears. Tuning in to the soundtrack of the bush will give you a vivid picture of the wildlife that surrounds you, especially at
night. Often the big cats will hardly move in the day and only stir themselves to start hunting as the light fades. The roar of lions still
makes my skin tingle every time I hear it.
Listen, too, for heavy footfall around your room or tent in the wee small hours - it could be an elephant, lion or rhino. Don't worry about
them; just be aware. In some camps, you should expect a deafening din as monkeys use your roof as an adventure playground for
predawn acrobatics.
2 Take your teenagers - though not your very young children, who might not take happily to the rigours of long drives in safari trucks
and either fall asleep and miss it all, or start whining or grizzling so you have to throw them to the lions to shut them up. But it's magic
for teens: they love it, even though it drags them away from the Xbox, Facebook and MTV to something real. I'll never forget the look on
Toby's face when we came across a solitary lion at Simbambili. "That lion will roar," our guide said. "Why?" we asked. "Because he's
cut off from the pride." And suddenly he opened his mouth and let out an enormous roar. "Dad, cool," gasped Toby. And it's not often
he uses "dad" and "cool" in the same sentence. So it's a good holiday choice for older offspring, in spite of the next rule...
3 Get up early. A safari day starts before that huge African sun comes up, so you can be out in the bush as the nocturnal animals
clock off and the morning shift takes over. Once you've returned from your expedition you'll be able to emulate the most sensible of the
bush animals and lounge around in the shade. Lie by the pool, have a snooze, visit the spa or just chill out. Then, as the afternoon heat
begins to soften, it's back out again to see what's afoot. Evening drives are often the most revealing. One of the great African traditions
is the sundowner. Before it gets dark you stop in a safe place, wait for the guide to tell you it's okay to get out of the truck, and have a
large scotch, glass of wine or gin and tonic as the sun paints the sky with fire before it disappears and Africa is plunged into darkness.
4 Discover your inner twitcher (and your inner botanist, your inner entomologist ...). There's more to the bush than big cats. The bird life
is extraordinary - you'll regret not taking good binoculars - and so abundant that you can get quite familiar with some of the species,
from eagles to glossy African starlings. The particularly good guides, such as those at Simbambili, teach you about every aspect of
African wildlife, from lions and leopards to birds, snakes and ants. So, on to the next rule...
5 Listen to your guides. These are the men and women who will make your trip unforgettable by adding all sorts of detail to your
understanding of nature. They are invariably superb at spotting animals from great distances, and can make termite mounds as
fascinating as mating lions (well, almost).
6 Take a walk. In open-top Land Rovers you can sweep (and bump) over a lot of bush and have a better chance of getting to the right
place at the right time for a kill or other exciting event (hunting, eating, sleeping and, er, reproduction are the main features of African
animal life). But while you may cover less ground on a walking safari, you get so close to the wildlife that you can be, literally, following
in their footprints. Guides usually carry a gun but it is rare that they have to use one. Your main protection comes from doing what the
guides advise. Tread softly, stay silent and see how close you can get to a snoozing hippo.
7 Bring the right gear. A safari is not the place for vanity - you need to accept that nobody looks good in khaki shorts and matching
wide-brimmed hat. But you need to dress for the climate and blend in to the environment, so that means neutral colours, long sleeves
to protect against sunburn and insect bites, sturdy walking shoes - and the all-important sun cream and hat.
8 Snap away. If you follow my example, you'll take hundreds, no thousands, of photographs. (Let me know if you work out what to do
with them.) A big lens is necessary to do justice to the sights you'll see, though it does seem to be an unwritten rule of safaris that
there'll always be someone in your group who has an even bigger, longer lens than yours. And size does matter!
9 Don't forget: they are wild animals. When you're being cosseted with private plunge pools and delicious food, it's easy to forget that
this is not a zoo. Many lodges are unfenced, relying on the natural wariness of animals, and the common sense of humans, to allow
them to share the bush.
10 Don't expect coming home to be easy. I have a mate who spent several weeks on safari holiday all over southern Africa. When he
returned home to his wife and kids, he couldn't sleep in his bedroom and insisted on moving into a tent in the garden. Ridiculous, really,
as he lives in Surrey, but I can understand. You get so close to nature, with just a tent or mosquito net between you and the jabbering,
chattering, roaring, squawking world of the African bush, that it's hard to give it up.
And here's a bonus tip...decide what else to do. It's easy to combine a few days' safari with another venue. After Simbambili, Toby and I
headed to Indigo Bay in Mozambique. A beach holiday is a great way to unwind after the early mornings and high excitement of a
safari.
Article by Karen Robinson from the Times Online Website
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