South Africa: September 2011

Michael Lutzeyer is passionate about his few thousand acres of fynbos, the Afrikaans word for ‘fine bush’, in the Western Cape, so much so that he has set up a foundation offering unskilled workers free education in all things green.

The nursery and vegetable gardens from where their produce is sold are the tidiest I have ever seen. Skilled horticulturalists will make the conservation of these fragile ecosystems more likely.
Michael’s nature reserve is home to Grootbos, a lodge that has incredible views over Walker Bay (two hours from Cape Town) and some of the best land-based whale-watching possibilities in the world. His enthusiasm is one of the main reasons why Grootbos is such a brilliant place for a holiday. Grootbos Private Nature Reserve

I have just been in South Africa where I go most years to find new places or to re-visit old favourites. It is a country that has lots of passionate people in a huge variety of places offering the most varied possibilities for a holiday anywhere on the continent.
Another man with passion whom I met again after many years of supporting his idyllic hostellerie was Richard Peynton from Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse in the Drakensberg mountains, inland from Durban. His passion for food has made this rural retreat a haven for gastronomes; it must rank as one of the best eateries in South Africa but charges a fraction of the price you would pay here.

His wife’s penchant for collecting all sorts of knick-knacks makes for an eclectic decorative theme in each bedroom – a refreshing change from the often over-designed rooms one sometimes finds. This is certainly no health spa, but you can walk without coming across other people in stunningly expansive scenery in the Highmoor Nature Reserve or Giants Castle.
The province of Natal was the crucible of the whole rainbow nation. I think one of the most fascinating things to do here is to listen to the electrifying and tragic tales related by passionate guides about the Boers, Brits and Zulus and their struggles for dominancy in the late 19th century.

If you look at the South African flag you will see it is in the shape of a Y, signifying the convergence of diverse roots into unity. Some of the main threads are black for Zulu, red for the British, green for the Boers (originally farmers) and saffron for Indians.

You may have seen the film Zulu, starring Michael Caine, but there is something elementally moving about standing on the actual battlefield sites and listening to the story unfold. At Isandlwana you can easily picture the Zulus, whose average height due in part to their vegetarian diet was 6’ 2”, towering over the meat-fed British soldiers, whose average height was 5’ 4”. The former were trained by the great Zulu king Shaka who developed the assegai stabbing spear and deployed encircling tactics in the shape of the horns of the buffalo. Isandlwana was the site of a great Zulu victory in 1879 but at a terrible cost.

My private guide in the area is a lovely lady, so these bloody tales are not necessarily just a boy thing.

Well, I have not mentioned big game safari; needless to say there are places aplenty with highly trained guides on this front, but I think South Africa warrants much more than the traditional safari, and the country’s hoteliers are seriously good at what they do.

A twelve-night itinerary encompassing the highlights of Kwazulu Natal will cost from £2,579 per person (based on two people travelling together) including flights.
Do call for further details on 020 7723 5858.
Miles Barber

Madagascar: June 2011

If you are familiar with driving in rural France two of the things you notice as you trundle east out of Antanarivo, (the capital of Madagascar) past paddy fields, small rounded hills and lakes are the kilometre posts on the side of road and the entry and exit signs to villages and towns. They are just the same as they are in France, albeit rather more faded. On closer inspection you also observe that any building of note recalls the architecture of northern or eastern France. And then at breakfast you are always offered pain au chocolat and croissants. The slightly less pleasing reminder of Madagascar’s former colonial power is the obsession with signing bits of paper in hotels after eating or drinking and general form- filling at check in.

The railway stations look proud and imposing in that French republican way, and one of the most enjoyable dinners I had on my recent visit was at the Café de la Gare in Tana (short name for the capital as even the locals find the full name too much of a mouthful) – recently transformed into a trendy hot spot. Sadly, there are not too many trains running these days.

Well enough of frenchisms. The real draw of this, the fourth largest island in the world, is probably lemurs which are, in certain areas pretty easy to see. The indri in particular was a highlight. It is the largest of some 70 species of lemur. Indri have an incredibly loud and haunting cry, their calls to other groups resounding across the dense canopy of tropical rain forest in the Andasibe Mantadia (Périnet) National Park where I experienced brilliant sightings. This must rank as one of the most evocative wildlife experiences in the world. The indri is one of the most sluggish to get going in the morning, but once the sun warms up a bit they start foraging for food, and then you may just get to see what acrobatic jumpers they are. As with all primates the young are playful, so family groups can be most engaging to watch. A bit harder to see is the Sifaka lemur and even harder is their only serious predator, the Fossa. This animal can reach up to two metres in length but then half of it is tail so nothing to rival a big cat on the African mainland! An agile beast, looking something like a cross between a dog and a cat, it is the largest carnivore to be seen in Madagascar. Chameleons are in abundant variety on the island. I saw the smallest on earth measuring less than an inch in length in the Montagne d’Ambre in the north.

87% of all wildlife here is peculiar to Madagascar and if you take birds out of the equation that figure rises to a staggering 97%. So if you want to see new species this is the place to visit. Getting around does require some patience, and Air Madagascar seem to start their schedules at 0530, so some early drives to the airport are de rigeur. I actually found it rather fascinating to watch the capital waking up. In particular, how many people seem to be running along the road: some were speeding to work but more were simply keeping fit which I thought was a bit keen before dawn had broken.

When you want to relax, Madagascar has some stunning turquoise - blue seas to swim in. I think my favourite beach place was on the small island of Nosy Komba just south of Nosy Be, a larger, better known and in my view less appealing island. Sailing yachts and catamarans are also available for charter with a skipper and cook for those who want to reach deserted beaches and see life from the ocean waves. For a wilder, less travelled beach experience I liked Manafiafy in the deep south. With only six rooms the lodge is sensitive to its environment; you can also go canoeing in the lagoon area, spot whales and see lemurs in the forest behind. Its sister camp in the spiny forest to the north is a proper wilderness experience and is run more on our African model. Overall, these two lodges offer a fantastic experience and are highly recommended.

Madagascar is a stunningly beautiful island packed with a variety of wildlife, landscape and experience quite unlike anywhere else. A short two week holiday staying at some of these places will cost from about £4,000 per person including flights.

Argentina May 2011

Not long ago I was on a boat right underneath a waterfall, one of the mightiest in the world, getting rather wet and having some kiddie fun doing so. A few days later I was gently gliding along a river in a raft-like apparatus seeing amazing birds and wildlife in a vast million-hectare wetland reserve. Soon after that I was trekking through a rain forest seeking jungle beasts and wondering at the devastation that man has caused in recent years by almost wiping out these once vast forested habitats.

As I usually write to you about Africa I could have been at Victoria Falls, the Okavango Delta, the rain forests of Uganda and Rwanda and the Congo. However, instead of exploring three or four countries I had visited just one (and a relatively small part of the north east of the country at that), namely Argentina.

Flattery can get you a long way: the Argentine and Misiones Province tourist boards wanted some shall we say high-end African tour operators to advise them on what they had to offer on the “safari” front – an invitation I couldn’t resist. I was intrigued as I had never been and had no idea that Argentina had any rain forest left, having only really heard of Patagonia as the place to visit for landscape and nature.

So it was that I landed at Buenos Aires on April 1st. We had to connect to a flight to Iguassu, but just as we were settling in our seats a loud retort was heard and the plane rocked a little too much for comfort. The equivalent of Gateway Gourmet Catering had just reversed into our 737… gate-crash catering on a grand scale! Fortunately, Air Argentina seems to have a ready supply of jets, and we were soon on our way in a replacement after only a minor delay.

So how does my Africa stand up to Argentina?

Iguassu Falls versus Victoria Falls: Iguassu is definitely wider and much easier to view, but it is split into a series of falls – 75 or 275 depending on whom you talk to. For sheer volume of water Vic Falls wins, being the largest curtain of water in the world. Iguassu is not as well known but it does have a big local market with lots of large hotels nearby. We found a delightful small lodge which fits the bill and is less expensive than its equivalent in Zambia. Niagara Falls is dwarfed by both, I should add.

Rain forest in Misiones versus East/Central Africa:
Once what was an unbroken belt of the Atlantic rain forest running from around Rio down to Buenos Aires is now widely scattered. 94% of it has been destroyed since 1900. Africa wins on size easily (although practically speaking you can’t visit the Congo side), and of course you can go to the forests of Rwanda and Uganda to see the last remaining mountain gorillas. The Atlantic rain forest, however, is far more bio-diverse with 20,000 plant species, a huge variety of trees 50% of which are found nowhere else, 260 mammals (including the elusive jaguar), 200 endemic bird species and 2,000 butterfly species.

These latter were out in force during my visit, and I have never seen such a dazzling array of colours. The rain forest is one of the most endangered habitats in the world. On the basis of nature diversity, Argentina definitely wins.

The extra dimension is the remarkable legacy of the Jesuit missions who arrived here in the early 17thcentury and held sway until 1768 when their influence was deemed to be too strong by the Roman Catholic Church and King Philip of Spain. We visited San Ignacio which was built in a jungle baroque style and once home to some 4,000 Guaraní people. They were controlled by effectively just two Jesuit priests who gave them protection from the marauding bandeirantes or slave traders from what is now Brazil. The film The Mission was about this area.

Ibera wetlands versus Okavango Delta: who has ever heard of the Ibera wetlands? The road less travelled it most certainly is, and as you fly over it you think it could be Botswana. Just to reinforce your misconception, some areas of the bush even have acacia trees. Big animals? Well, the Okavango wins hands down. Sightings of the jaguar in Ibera are almost as rare as one’s chances of winning the lottery, but you do get to see lots of capybaras.

They are the largest rodent in the world – not a particularly sexy claim to fame, but actually they are quite cute and have a comic-book air to them. They also only eat grass you will be pleased to hear. Even the rough equivalent of the Nile crocodile, the caiman (alligator) is almost tame in comparison. 500 species of birds does not quite rival the Okavango’s 800, but I was blown away by how easy it was to do serious twitching. You can also catch a dorado, one of the most powerful and ferocious fresh- water game fish in existence. You can ride out into the wild in both places, but in the Ibera you don’t need to be experienced (no need to know how to gallop out of trouble here!), and somehow riding out with gauchos does have more of the authentic look. There are only a handful of lodges which can compare with Botswana, so that makes my job easier too!

So should you go to this infrequently visited area of Argentina? On the safari front you have to work much harder here, but the natural habitat and birding are exceptional, and few tourists go anywhere except to the Falls. Logistically, if you fly into Buenos Aires and spend a few days soaking up the sights with some top guides, whizz up to the Ibera, continue through jungly bits and then visit the Iguassu Falls making an egress via Rio de Janeiro you will experience a diverse and fascinating holiday . A two-week holiday covering the above and three nights in Buenos Aires could cost from £3,900 per person including flights.

Oh yes, I now have a South American consultant called Rose Hill on board with many years of experience in South America who can create wonderful itineraries for you. Telephone: 0207 723 5858

Mozambique and Kenya: A sense of place New Year 2011

I was in no man’s land for a week after Christmas: the immigration officer at Cobue had abandoned his post and still hadn’t got back a week later when I left Songea House which is situated on the Mozambique shore of Lake Malawi. Perhaps he didn’t think anyone was coming from a snow and ice bound Europe. More likely there was no one to replace him whilst he went on leave. Still, it is the first time I have been in a country for a week but not officially. Songea House which is attached to Nkwichi Lodge is remote. This adjective is over used in travel speak, but a forty-five minute open boat journey to the nearest road of sorts and a further four to five hours’ flight to Lichinga, where there is an airport serviced by Air Mozambique whose call sign is LAM (late and maybe, some say cynically), make it remote in my book. It is certainly easier to get to this vast lake via Malawi itself, but even so some patience is definitely required.

Lake Malawi, the scene of many religious and political skirmishes in the 19th and 20th centuries, is now a haven of peace. But why go all this way? In my view it is the most beautiful beach spot in Africa. Think lower-Zambezi escarpment as a back drop with miombo woodland cascading down to a pristine, powdery sandy beach and Seychelles-type granite rock formations jutting out into the water to form harmonious bays. With no other people at all to disturb your peace you have the perfect chill-out place for a week.

We didn’t need any Christmas lights here as the fireflies were out in force. As night fell we were treated to the most amazing spectacle of the bush flickering and sparkling just like one of those fancy chase-sequence lights you can get for the Christmas tree. During the afternoon the lake lived up to its reputation as the lake of stars as the sun’s rays made twinkling shapes on the gentle waves.

We left the prettiest swimming pool in the world by boat for the little island of Likoma, our egress point by light aircraft. The Malawian immigration officer looked at our passports, shrugged, smiled and stamped us back into his country, not showing the slightest concern over our week of statelessness.

We were then off north to Kenya and the Laikipia plateau for something more active – a thirty-kilometre walk from Sosian ranch to a community-owned camp called Lemartis. I have been sending clients to Sosian for some five years now and I was struck by how professionally Steve and Annabelle Carey run it. Steve, formerly from Zimbabwe and a polymath, was our guide. We followed the course of the Ewaso Narok river which eventually joins the Ewaso Nyiro on its journey into Samburu country. Simple but comfortable mobile camps were set up for us, and we supped under the stars each night. We trekked from Sosian into Ol Donyo Lemboro and then Mpala. Both ranches together extend to some 90,000 acres of pure wilderness where no other tourists are to be seen.

We scrambled up steep kopjes galore, not perhaps as daintily as klipspringers but nonetheless with great eagerness to get to the top and survey the land we had covered and the journey ahead. There were views that unfolded the very face of Africa. We scanned the bush beneath for moving shapes; sometimes what was a grey blur to the naked eye would turn out to be an elephant feeding on acacia mellifera. We found the tracks of at least nine leopard in two days, but sightings of these elusive cats in their favourite boscia tree in these parts remains a rarity. Dik-dik are in great abundance here, although the increasing wild dog population is menacing their numbers somewhat. We got within thirty feet of a kudu.

The raptors circling overhead were identified with restrained enthusiasm by Steve – from Pygmy Falcons to Pallid Harriers, Black-shouldered Kite, Dark- and Pale-chanting Goshawks, Tawny, African Fish, Snake and Marshal Eagles and no doubt many more. On our last morning we passed the intersection of the two rivers. We climbed up the bank to try and get a better view of a Grevy zebra (an endangered species) and her newborn foal and were rewarded with a clear view of Mount Kenya in the distance. We then forded the river and arrived at Lemartis. This camp is a triumph of design and has the best flopping areas I have seen in years.

That afternoon we were invited to a nearby village and the celebration of a male circumcision. The ceremony is a pre-cursor to a young man’s becoming a warrior and attaining adult male status: those who are circumcised by a nurse with an anaesthetic are often not regarded as true warriors, as they have not undergone the level of pain required to be a brave Moran.

The next day with blue, blue skies was the perfect morning for taking off from the bush strip near the camp. The Cessna 206 flew past the mountain again, and of course it was not a problem for the pilot to raise the wing so we could take photographs. Our final approach to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport was a thrill for me at least with our enjoying a rather last-minute, right-hand-down approach. Our little plane’s call sign was clearly known to the control tower, and we made a spectacular swoop over the terminal building, holding up a Kenya Airways 737 and an old TriStar and popping halfway down the runway to make a perfect landing. Two miles behind was another plane on its final more orthodox approach. A few minutes later we had checked in for the flight home. It was perhaps not quite what would be allowed at Heathrow, but then these holidays in Africa offer something infinitely more adventurous and memorable than one can usually enjoy at home. Peter our pilot has eleven thousand hours’ experience and has taken off and landed fifty thousand times, and so one felt completely safe – just as we had with our safari guide and the Laikipia Maasi who had grown up in the bush.

Actually, there was no immigration officer at Heathrow either, at least in the queue I chose. A machine let me back into the United Kingdom. One thing I am certain of though: there will be no machines at the immigration hut on the shores of Lake Niassa for a very long time indeed.

A sense of place: Zimbabwe

I always feel in a state of limbo when I come back from a long-haul flight. There is that lull between landing and pushing open the front door which can seem a bit surreal; and then life returns to how it was before, albeit with the addition of some wonderful memories and experiences.

Tourism in Zimbabwe has been in a state of limbo for over ten years. Politically and economically the country has been a disaster, and so the British (in particular) have been reluctant to go there. But the infrastructure is still there, and I have just motored over 1,500 miles in a Toyota Familia on roads that are smooth and carry little traffic. When I wanted to check the directions (sure, some of the sign posts have been removed or purloined), I was greeted by warm, friendly and extremely helpful people. Even the police were most courteous as they extracted some $20 from us for speeding on a long and tempting empty road…but that may have been because one of my travelling companions gave them our delicious homemade choccie biscuits!

My journey started at the vibrantly decorated and beautifully managed Pamushana Lodge operated by the Singita collection.

It is located in the far south of the country on a 160,000 acre concession owned by the Malilangwe Trust. This is a conservation story in itself: the trust is funded by a very rich man indeed with a serious preservation mission which means no expense is spared in giving guests a fantastic time. More to the point, you can fly into a tiny international airport called Buffalo Range direct from Johannesburg and be at the lodge 45 minutes later which makes it a brilliant place to go as a stand-alone destination linked to something else in South Africa. Even more to the point, I saw the Big Five in one day here; tracking a young leopard as it stalked a number of impala (unsuccessfully in the end) was quickly followed by watching a pride of lion on a kill, with hyena circling, awaiting their turn and at times being chased off.

Moving west I visited the great ruins which are Zimbabwe's equivalent of the pyramids and the largest ancient stone structures south of Egypt.

The country is now named after them. Once home to a thriving trading empire it was at its zenith when the Black Death was ravaging England. Artefacts from China have been found on the site. No one can fail to be impressed by the stone walls, some of which are eleven metres high and five metres thick. Archaeologists still puzzle over a ten metre high conical tower. Is it a grain bin or a phallic symbol?

In Bulawayo, the country's second city, I wandered about the centre and felt completely safe. Ladies were sassily sporting the latest brightly coloured fashions, and guys looked buff. It felt distinctly upbeat.

The Bulawayo Club was on its knees until last year when a local family took a management contract from the members and revived its spirit and the standard of comfort it provides. It offers a fascinating time-warp with its antique furniture, memorabilia and photographs from the old colonial world.

Our guide Paul, who seemed to have a fistful of degrees in archaeology and is able effortlessly to communicate his enthusiasm for the history of his country, is potentially the new David Rattray of Zimbabwe. Incidentally, the National Railway Museum here has one of the best railway engine collections in the world.

Later, Paul took us to the Matopos Hills where we stood by Cecil John Rhodes' grave and were told about the elaborate plans he made for his interment. It took some ten days to transport his body from Cape Town where he died in March1902 to the site. Eventually three coffins, one inside another, were needed (reassuring if you think about the heat at that time of year in Africa).

Rhodes, a hugely rich entrepreneur at a young age, was of course a conspicuous force in the expansion of British territories in Southern Africa. He probably was responsible for ensuring Bechuanaland (now Botswana) remained a British possession instead of falling to the Boers. It is quite extraordinary that only a hundred years ago a rich mining magnate was able to insist that a country was named after him. We also heard tales of the last stand of the Shangani patrol (1893) - a heroic event that gave Rhodesia its first white martyrs. These historical tales have a particular poignancy when you are standing on the very spot where they occurred listening to a guide who is passionate about his subject.

Moving north, I visited Hwange National Park, surely one of the best places to see concentrations of elephants in the dry season. At one authentic bush camp I visited, the swimming pool had become the elephant pool, and the guests sipped their G and Ts and nibbled bitings less than ten feet from a thirsty bunch of even larger mammals.

Two years ago when I last visited Victoria Falls it was a ghost town; now, with the Zimbabwean dollar consigned to the rubbish dump and hard currency in play, the shops are full, the streets are bustling and the terrace of the Victoria Falls Hotel (the grand old lady of the Falls hotel industry) is alive with the sound of clinking cups and saucers and the gentle munching of cucumber sandwiches.

I really did find it a thrill to see Zimbabwe's tourist industry working again. The game is still there, the guides are some of the best in Africa, and the historical dimension is a major attraction. Fortunately, I only managed to travel to the south and west of the country which means I have to go back and check out the north and east.

A ten night itinerary visiting Victoria Falls, Hwange, Matopos and Bulawayocosts from £2,965 per person, including flights - Full details on request. 0207 723 5858

Signor Charles Perreira knows the layout of Gorongosa National Park better than anyone. He has been a game scout there since 1972. In the late '70s he had to join the government Frelimo forces in order to protect the park against Renamo resistance fighters intent on poaching elephant ivory to fund their guerrilla-style war against the so-called legitimate government. Captain Rui Antonio Francisco fought on the opposite side and was responsible for lugging ivory across the border to sell to white Rhodesians/Zimbabweans. By a quirk of fate the owners of a fantastic new bush camp employed both these men at the outset of a project designed to restore a once great animal haven. They have become big amigos, sharing a tent and ciggies, and all their stories of the past are now coming out.

Mozambique is the fastest growing economy in Africa, and the restoration of Gorongosa with the help of Gregg Carr’s innovative foundation and others' dedication is receiving lots of attention. Perreira and Rui are now working together on this regeneration project; it's maybe a little fanciful to claim that their reconciliation is all down to the restorative powers of nature, but it certainly makes an uplifting story!

In the 1960s more people visited this park than the Kruger in South Africa. There is some wonderful footage shot in 1963 which you can see at the park headquarters of a brand new Mercedes saloon being driven around on rather unusually smooth tracks! The place is teeming with game: there may be only thirty or so lions remaining (I saw two of them recently) of the five hundred which once roamed the plain, but the bio-diversity here is superb with no fewer than eighteen species of antelope. As there's only one authentic bush camp in the park, you’ll have the place to yourselves, if you make the journey here to the bottom of the Great African Rift Valley.

Journey from Sasaab in Samburu to Ol Lentille in Kaikipia , Kenya.

Journey from Sasaab in Samburu to Ol Lentille in Kaikipia , Kenya.

A few kilometres west of Wamba, the Land Rover stopped. Our Samburu guide had spotted three young boys no older than thirteen emerging from the bush. With big smiles on their faces, they greeted Mathew who, appropriately, was born in the shadow of the majestic Mathews Range of mountains in Northern Kenya. Armed with bows and arrows, these boys had evidently recently undergone their circumcision ritual and had left the village to perform their first duties as morans (Samburu for warriors). Each boy, as part of his initiation, had a necklace of dead birds around his neck. They are not permitted to wash for a month...perhaps today was quite early on in their initiation period.

We continued on, reaching a good bridge to cross over the Ewaso Nyiro river. But for the badly needed heavy rains of the previous weeks, we could have shortened our journey by a couple of hours and crossed much lower down on what is often a dry or shallow river-bed. Today, the savannah plains between the Mathews range and the Laikipia plateau were pretty green, but signs of severe soil erosion remained, something I had seen from the air in all too horrific breadth a few years earlier. We were journeying today from Sasaab Lodge in the Samburu area to Ol Lentille in Laikipia. From Sasaab itself we could see the exact mountain we were heading for due west. To get there, though, involved some serious criss-crossing north, west and south of this usually arid landscape. Sweet sixteen was the easiest and most amusing landmark during our journey. (see pic above left)

Further on we stopped again, seemingly in the middle of nowhere (these were unmade roads) as an elder came marching down the track. Fresh greetings were exchanged as Mathew explained he knew this man of old. Eventually, we reached the small town of Oldoinyiro. Onesmas, our Samburu moran, also on board, told us that he had walked here from his village a few years ago to buy some cattle. It had taken him three days. Later on, four girls in Samburu regalia were standing by the side of the track as we slowly negotiated a particularly awkward piece of rocky road. Onesmas, a lithe 24 year old, must have given them some sort of encouragement as they were soon giving chase. A relatively smooth bit of track enabling the Land Rover to reach second gear ensured he escaped their attentions.

After five hours we had not seen another car – well, not one that was moving anyway. Sometimes in Africa it is worth considering a road journey if you can put up with the bumps and possibility of being stranded. I, for one, always find these journeys some of the most memorable aspects of a safari. You get to see real, unadulterated Africa, and I feel blessed often to have experienced what you will never get in some scripted, glossy-brochure game reserve.

http://www.ol-lentille.com/

http://www.sasaab.com/

www.theobaldbarber.com