The cost of Covid-19

Karibu

Editor's note: A few weeks ago, walking the dog

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LION ART SELINDA RESERVE, BOTSWANA

AFRICA AT HOME

A place to share our experiences

A TASTE OF AFRICA

FOOD & DRINK

The elephant in the room

Enjoying a glass of Elephant Gin brings you a sip closer to Africa... and helps to save our beloved pachyderm

RECOMMENDED READING

BOOKS

Books with big impact

Must-have volumes from the world’s top photographers supporting our natural world

Watch

Who needs Netflix? Get your Africa fix here…

LOOK AND FEEL

AN  AFRICAN  TWIST  AT HOME

Grow your own

AFRICA  IN YOUR  GARDEN

ART SAFARI…

Sketching or painting your favourite animals or landscapes is a great way of keeping connected with Africa. It’s relaxing, and forces you to focus on form and colour. Mary-Anne Bartlett gets you started

The joy of SAFARI

For more than a year, the vast majority of us have been unable to visit our beloved Africa. Talking to readers, contributors and advertisers alike, it is clear we have all felt its pull more strongly than usual. Over the next 21 pages we explore what is it that we yearn for. What is the so-called ‘Africa bug’? What is it about being in the bush that makes us so happy? And what are we most looking forward to seeing, to feeling and to doing once we return?

WHAT AFRICA MEANS TO ME

South African Katchie Nzama has travelled independently to most African countries, in two long expeditions. We asked her to reflect on her experiences

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SAFARI

Never underestimate what lengthy periods of relaxation in nature can do for your health, says Amanda Ritchie of Londolozi

DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME?

Taking an old friend to Africa for his inaugural safari gave Kruger regular Mike Unwin a valuable refresher from which we could all benefit

BEING SENSITIVE

What do you miss about Africa? For Jenny Bowen, it’s something we’ve probably heard before

GUIDING LIGHTS

Have you ever met a guide who doesn’t love his or her job? These hugely knowledgable experts unlock the natural world for us, enriching our safaris beyond measure. In saluting their essential role, we asked a selection of guides to share their passion with us

LIFE LESSONS

Sarah Marshall has spent much of the last year travelling around Africa on assignment. It offered a rare opportunity to reaffirm what she loves about the continent and its people. Here’s what she learned

The black leopard

For many of us, a love for wildlife was ignited young and continues to propel our desire to go on safari. For Will Burrard-Lucas, a childhood fascination inspired his mission to photograph the most elusive of Africa’s big cats

SECRETS OF SAND RIVER

Delta Willis’ 30-year love affair with the Maasai Mara has been bookended by a visit to the same spot, where she reflects on the allure of the river crossings that first drew her here, their growing popularity, and why this remains such a special place

Our Mara

When I started guiding 30 years ago, the river crossings had not yet been discovered by tourists.

CIRCUIT BREAKS

With the way we travel post-Covid inevitably going to change, Tanzania, arguably, already provides a tailormade solution

FREE SPIRIT

Seldom has there been such an appetite to get away, to shake off pandemic fatigue and recharge the batteries. Africa offers this opportunity in spades, however you do it. But for many, the freedom and independence of a self-drive trip offers the ideal solitary escape, allowing experiences that can’t be appreciated any other way

TRAILS of the unexpected

Mike Breslin explains why he believes opting to selfdrive through Uganda and Rwanda offers that little bit extra when it comes to adventure

RENEWAL

Rain is scarce in Namibia. Unpredictable episodic rainfall is essential to sustain life in the vast sand sea.  When it comes – as it did this year – the transformation is magical and runs deep

LOST IN SPACE

Eight letters spell solitude: K...A...L...A...H...A...R...I . Wildlife photographers Steve and Ann Toon find their solace in a boundless wilderness landscape of harsh extremes

Extracts from a Kalahari journal

January In the valley we spy a cheetah

Zambia and I

What makes a place special, somewhere that finds a home in your heart and keeps drawing you back, time and again? We asked Zambia expert Chris McIntyre to explain what this southern African country means to him

Photo school

The heart of the Great Karoo is not an obvious destination of choice for nature lovers or wildlife photographers. Yet it is here that a remarkable rewilding project has afforded opportunities like nowhere else

Wildlife generates up to US$43bn

TOURISM IMPACT ● YOUTH ACTIVISTS ● REFINANCING COMMUNITY CONSERVATION

NUMBERS GAME

HAVING AN IMPACT

African youth leads the way

AWF NEWS

Beyond tourism

Lockdown highlighted community-led conservation’s heavy dependence on tourism for funding. But even before this, an initiative had been established to explore alternatives. 

VIEW FINDER

VIEW  WITH A  ROOM

Spatial awareness

Waterberry Lodge. The layout of every camp or lodge is unique

ROOM SERVICE

There are a host of things accommodation providers need to do to ensure a trouble-free guest experience.

Tourists, we need you!

OPINION

Lockdown adaptations

No bleating around the bush

8 Essential questions when planning your best safari

What makes a good tour operator? In the contexts of the global climate crisis and Covid-19, use these queries to help you find the perfect partner. 

Beyond the call of duty

We were sad to learn that Zambezi Safari & Travel Company, with whom we share Zimbabwean roots, has closed –a victim of the tourism shutdown. In a fitting tribute, Nicky Dunnington-Jefferson shares the tale of a trip taken with Zambezi just as Covid struck, reminding us of the value of a good tour operator in difficult times

A MEDAL OF HONOUR

We know that every traveller appreciates the work

Travel insurance in the time of Covid

As we emerge from the pandemic to take off on safari once more, Africa travel specialist Richard  Trillo asks: what do you need to know about insurance?

Pulling together

Collective effort is helping to get us moving, says Chris Mears

Six of the best

My life could have been very different

Where to stay in Hwange

Spoilt for choice

SAFARI PLANNER

Like us all, the travel trade has had

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