Get Lost

The Mountain Gorillas of Rwanda

There are few more humbling experiences than spending an hour in the company of Rwanda’s mountain gorillas. While their numbers have increased – 10 years ago they were close to extinction – there are still fewer than 500 left in the wild. Depending on the family of gorillas you are allotted, the trek up into the thick jungle of the Parc de Volcanoes can last anywhere from one hour to over six, but once you are among these creatures any fatigue dissipates and is replaced by pure awe.

In 2010, get lost took a group of readers to meet the mountain gorillas. Below is a short clip of what you can expect.

Tanzania

There are three words that basically sum up why everyone wants to visit Tanzania: Serengeti, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar. Yep, this east African nation, unfortunately one of the poorest countries in the world, has sights to burn.

High atop many traveller’s must-see lists is the Great Migration, the mass movement of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle across the Serengeti and north to Kenya. The timing is completely dependent on the area’s rainfall patterns, although it can start in April and continue through to September. But at any time of the year, the Serengeti National Park is one of Africa’s most vast and beautiful wildlife zones. The Seronera area, with its high resident populations of leopards, cheetahs and lions, is also one the busiest parts of the park. For something different, journey to the Loliondo Reserve, an area between Ngorongoro and Kenya belonging to the Maasai tribes. There are plenty of animals, including migratory ones during October and November as they’re returning south, and some of the camps have Maasai guides, who accompany guests on drives and walks. Wildlife lovers might also want to venture to tiny Gombe Stream National Park on the banks of Lake Tanganyika. Since 1965, Jane Goodall has been researching the chimpanzees who live in the forest, and visitors can trek into the park to see the habituated families.

Speaking of Ngorongoro, this conservation area, named after the neighbouring caldera, is both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa. The crater is home to hippopotamus, black rhinoceros, Masai lions, Cape buffalo and plenty of other four-legged creatures.

For all its great wildlife though, Tanzania has another side as home to one of Africa’s busiest ports. Former capital Dar es Salaam, a heaving metropolis, bears the marks of the many people who’ve passed through here, with architecture inspired by Africa, Arabia, India and Europe. There are some great beaches, as well as a fish market that bustles at dawn when the fishermen flog their fresh catch.

Dar es Salaam is also the leaping-off point for a trip to the Zanzibar Archipelago (a two-hour fast ferry service leaves numerous times during the day). The main island, Unguja, is the primary destination for most travellers. It’s here you’ll find Zanzibar City, with historic Stone Town at its heart. One of the island’s primary industries has always been spices – cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon – and that has meant traders from everywhere in the world have landed here and left a little bit of themselves behind at different times. Within Stone Town’s maze of alleys, many too narrow for cars, you’ll find Arabian, Persian, Indian and European elements, which led to its UNESCO World Heritage listing in 2000. Tourists are well catered to here, but only 100 kilometres away is the island of Pemba. Here, it’s a little more rustic, but divers will find some of the best coral reefs, walls and marine life in the region.

Kuro Tarangire

The north of Tanzania is famous. This is the land of the Serengeti, the Maasai Mara word for ‘endless plains,’ and home to one of the densest concentrations of wildlife in Africa. Next door is the lesser-visited and equally spectacular Tarangire National Park, where you’ll find this safari camp.

Just six tents, set in a grove of acacia trees, offer guests a touch of luxury – think huge beds, ensuite bathrooms and uninterrupted views of the wilderness. The day starts with a dawn chorus of birds and, before it ends at dinnertime in the open-sided thatched dining hut, you’ll marvel at the huge herds of elephants and buffalo and spy countless giraffe and zebra grazing nearby. Prides of lions are also common, but the park’s leopards are a little more covert.

During the day in the cool morning air, walk along the riverbed to discover elephant footprints and search for evidence of nocturnal wanderings by other wildlife. Later, get an animal fix in an open-car safari – either over the plains or towards the Silale Swamp. There’s even the option to take after-dark game drives.

Greystoke Mahale

Hop on a wooden dhow (traditional sailboat) and cruise to a secluded camp that’s worlds away from dusty safaris, shops or even a road. You’ll find Greystoke Mahale nestled between verdant mountains and the clear waters of Lake Tanganyika, the second-largest lake in the world. Built from old boats gathered from the shore, with thatched roofs woven from palms, the six bandas (traditional huts) open into the forest.

Spot chimpanzees creeping down the mountain, and trek high into the hills after a storm washes away the summer haze. Kayak, snorkel and fish in the lake, or laze in the dhow at sunset and enjoy sashimi and a sundowner as hippos lope by.

Witness the Wildebeest Birthing Season at Serengeti National Park

Nowhere is the fabled circle of life more extraordinary than when wildebeest give birth en masse in the southern reaches of Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park. Every year between January and March, more than 400,000 of these big-game animals calve during a period of just a few weeks in a curtain-raiser to the annual great wildebeest migration, when around 1.5 million travel to the Maasai Mara in their perpetual search for food and water. The sight of thousands of wildebeest giving birth in the grassy plains is a breathtaking spectacle, but it can also be quite brutal.

There is some safety in numbers – the more young delivered at once, the greater their overall chance of survival – but predators are always lurking. Some newborns are delivered straight from the womb into the jaws of a waiting pack of hungry lions or hyenas, and those that aren’t have to find their feet quickly. Most are running with the herd within minutes and are able to outpace hyenas in just a few days. For the squeamish, this time of year signals the tail end of the birthing season when many of the predators are satiated and you can marvel at the creation of life, rather than wince as a wildlife slasher film plays out before your eyes.

Keep Your Cool on the Orlando Towers Bungee

Teeter on a platform strapped to a suspension bridge and take in the views of South Africa’s famous Soweto neighbourhood before plummeting towards the concrete below. Forget a purpose-built steel tower; here jumpers bungee in one of the world’s most unusual settings – between the cooling towers of a former coal-fired power station.

Endorphin-seekers can clamber up the sides and free fall down the centre into a net, but opt for the bungee and you’ll think you’re leaping towards the apocalypse as you hurtle 100 metres with only a cord to save you.

Feeding frenzy at South Africa’s Sardine Run

Calling all carnivores: brace yourself for the ultimate battle of the beasts. Join the annual sardine run off the coast of South Africa and witness one of the world’s greatest feeding frenzies in all its wild brutality and uncensored gore.

Watch as the sea is turned into a giant, seething broth of wriggling fish and predators as sardine shoals – up to 15 kilometres in length, 3.5 kilometres wide and nearly 40 metres deep – make their way north to warmer waters. Feathers, fur and fins collide to gorge on the millions of sardines that proliferate in nature’s immense banquet of the sea. Don your own fins together with snorkel or scuba gear and get amongst the carnage, or view this phenomenal spectacle from the safety of the boat.

Ulusaba

If you were worth a reported US$4.8 billion, with a string of luxurious private digs scattered across almost every exotic pocket of the globe, where would you park your well-heeled hide for a South African sojourn? You wouldn’t bed down on the savannah camping with the riffraff, that’s for sure. No sir, if you were high-flying charisma-connoisseur Richard Branson you’d find the highest point on the highest hill to lord it over your own private kingdom. Welcome to Ulusaba Safari Lodge, Sir Richard’s private game reserve where the travel-preneur takes a break from counting his coin in absolute unmitigated luxury. A stay here is enviable by anyone’s standards but the Rock Lodge, with its sweeping views and opulent surrounds, is the pinnacle of decadence.

Each unique suite melds traditional African art with the finest in modern luxury, ranging from private plunge pools to hot tubs and feasts from a personal chef. The staff aches to satisfy, so relish a massage on the outdoor deck and smooth out the bumps from the road. Or, if your idea of bliss involves downward dogs, just ask for a yoga instructor and they’ll fly one in. Stop by the well-stocked cellar flowing with South African wine and finish your evening at the bush observatory under a canopy of stars.

Scarabeo ‘Stone’ Camp

In the desert sprawling below the snow-capped Atlas Mountains sits Scarabeo Camp, a luxurious offering created by a graphic designer and photographer duo. The surrounds may be striking, but the camp itself is the true visual feast. Crisp, white cotton tents stand in the desert plain, each furnished with a queen-size bed, local artwork and Berber rugs.

Located about an hour from Marrakech, the camp takes you on a journey back in time to when pioneers settled the secluded area. Not to be outdone by the explorers of yesteryear, the camp comes equipped with ensuite showers and a separate tent for dining. Bread is baked daily in a traditional earth oven and regional produce is turned into authentic Moroccan cuisine.

During the day the camp offers board games, boules and a projector, and there are plenty of more adventurous activities to partake in, including hot-air balloon rides, paragliding, trekking and horse rides. Relax by booking a massage, enjoying picnic or joining an astronomy class, or check out a nearby hammam.

Jacana Camp

Welcome to the other side of Africa, away from the dusty savannahs and endless plains dotted by baobab trees. The Okavango Delta is a floodplain, alive with wildlife of the sort usually observed as part of a David Attenborough documentary. Not only do you have the opportunity to experience this delta; you can stay here, at Jacana Camp.

Jacana’s five tents and its main lodge, with elevated dining platform, lounge area and plunge pool, are situated on an island in the delta. Surprisingly, you don’t need to stray far to get an eyeful of the amazing animals that live in the neighbourhood. Elephants and hippos play in the water below the camp, wildebeest and deer graze on the lush growth, and the birdlife – from long- legged waterbirds to rare species like Pel’s fishing owl – is ridiculously abundant.

During the day, glide silently through the water in a traditional mokoro (dugout canoe) or check out far-flung channels in one of Jacana’s motorboats. Land safaris take place in sturdy, open-sided 4WDs, and there’s even some basic fishing gear if you fancy throwing in a line.

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region: Africa