ZIMBABWE 2017

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I had never visited Zimbabwe on any previous safari, so I went there to spend a relaxing 9 nights after a busy year. It proved to be a great choice, and so I have made this website to share some wonderful memories. Feel free to come along on this travelogue, and I hope that it inspires you to consider visiting the wilds of Africa. I haven't included innumerable sunsets or repetitive images of staggeringly beautiful scenery, since National Geographic does that even better than I; I have concentrated instead on the animals that I saw. Send me an e-mail if you have any thoughts about the site, or questions about the safari, or want to advise me not to give up my current job to become a travel-writer, or want to advise me that I should give up my current job to become...

The vacation was arranged by the wonderful Jamie Bell of Ker & Downey. This was the fifth trip that she has arranged for me. I have recommended her to several of my friends, and with the greatest of pleasure will continue to do so. If you are thinking of going on safari, allow her to make all your arrangements; I promise that you will be very happy. The links below to the camps' websites will show you that the accommodations were luxurious. I'm not going to bother uploading pictures of them, but please click on them: take a few minutes to look for yourself to see how well guests are taken care of. Throughout the trip, all creature comforts (food, drinks, bathrooms, beds etc) were at the highest level, so don't be concerned for my well-being. Or, for that matter, for yours when you go.

A few notes about the website. There are 223 photos arranged over 25 pages, mostly chronologically. They have been compressed so that they will download quickly, even on a smartphone. There are also links to some YouTube videos. By all means just click through looking at the photos; I won't even know if you ignore my incredibly witty commentary. But if you plan to go on safari yourself at some point, reading about daily life will give you a good idea of how enjoyable it is to be in the bush. Explore the links: I have included some which I think are useful/fun; I have not included Wikipedia links for every animal, as you can find those yourself. (Links automatically open in a new browser window.) My non-operatic friends must forgive a few mystifying allusions. But one request to all: if you make it to the end, send me an email so that I know you survived your armchair safari unmauled.
And a note about the photos. Animals have not yet realised that there is an optimal position for them, in relation to the sun and to me; obviously with time they must understand this. For some reason they frequently move as I click the camera shutter. They manage to situate themselves halfway behind grassy mounds. Their natural camouflage or shyness usually hinders my work. They are at their most photogenic in moments of very low light when the sun has barely risen or is about to set. On the website of my last safari, I ended up with an entire page devoted to views of animals' backsides. To avoid unsatisfactory results on my next safari, I have asked that, before my departure, an email be sent around Africa explaining my photographic needs. But, until then...

Fasten your seat-belt, check that your tray-table is in its full upright and locked position, and see on this Google map where I went
You can zoom in to the exact location of my tents, change to terrain view, view a larger map, or right now start surfing other websites where the webmaster doesn't tell you what to do
I spent three nights in each of three camps, all operated by African Bush Camps.
The first was Kanga Camp, in Mana Pools National Park in the north of Zimbabwe.
It is about 12 miles (20 km) south of the river Zambezi; 1500' (460 m) above sea
level. (There will be a test on important facts like this, at the end of the website).
Then I flew 225 miles (360km) south-west to Somalisa Camp, which is in
Hwange National Park, which is 5,657 sq miles (14,651 sq km), about the size
of Connecticut. My luxury accommodation (with copper-bottomed bathtub,
plus both indoor and outdoor showers) couldn't have been better.
For my last camp, I flew back north-east to Mana Pools: Zambezi Expeditions is
a mobile tented camp right next to the river, across from Zambia, about 1300'
(400 m) above sea level. I loved my time here, in spite of the fact that it was
by far the loudest place in which I have ever tried to sleep (explanation later).

My trip started in Baden-Baden, with a taxi and then two trains to get to Stuttgart. From there I flew on Qatar Airways (don't ask why) to London, with a screaming baby right next to me. Apart from ample volume, I do not think that he/she/it has a future as an opera singer. After a quick trip into the city (please, oh please, put air-conditioning on Piccadilly Line trains) to see my sister, I flew from Heathrow to Johannesburg on a British Airways A380. Eleven hours is a long time, but eating and sleeping in first class made it a pleasure. Then after a couple of hours in the Shongololo Lounge to eat a second breakfast and send some last emails, I took a South African Airways B737 to Harare. The airport may be slightly tired and run-down, but is still a vast improvement on La Guardia. I paid $55 for a visa, and was then the sole passenger on a Wilderness Air Cessna 206

We departed for Dandawa airstrip in the middle of nowhere, and landed after a flight of an hour and 20 minutes. My vacation had begun