Hi all,

For those of you who don’t know Clare, she is a key memeber of the Absolute Africa team, based in London. Recently Clare went to Africa on one of our safari’s and we wanted to report back on her experience. We asked Clare a  few questions regarding her experience……..

Firstly, what is your name and where are you from?
Clare (Clarence to her colleagues in the London office) and I’m from New Zealand/UK.

What safari did you do and where did you go?
I did the Add On Serengeti safari – which is four days, visiting Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater for game drives, and I also did a few days on Zanzibar!

What was the highlight of your trip?
Banana-coladas on Zanzibar, and watching giraffes run!

How close did you actually get to the animals?
At times super close!! The Baboons and hyenas were so close, we drove right by them and they were about an arms length away. We drove past giraffes and they were about a few metres away.

What animals did you actually see?
Elephants, Buffalo, Giraffe,Wildebeest, Zebra, Cheetah, Hippo, Rhino, Lion, Dik Dik, Leopard, Baboons, Maribou Stork (possibly the ugliest bird out there!), Jackal, Warthog with babies, Hyena, Kite (thats a type of bird of prey), Antelope and Flamingos.

What is your favourite animal and why?
Dik Dik – ‘cause they are cute and they have a funny name.

What was the weather like in December?
It was warm and sunny though raining a bit in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. Hot on Zanzibar!

Any special packing tips for Africa?
Travel light basically. Otherwise, lots of wet wipes. A good head torch. Binoculars or a camera with a decent zoom. Balls and frisbees and stuff are also great ideas for during the inevitable down time. A few jokes or party tricks up your sleeve won’t go amiss either.

What was going to the toilet like?
Like going in the Hilton, just like a dream!

Funny moment on your safari?
When we realised one of the boys on safari was named Ed like one of the Hyenas on the Lion King, ha ha ha. I think we quoted the entire movie during the course of 3 days….

What were the meals like?
Good, though plain: tasty and filling and heaps of it. Just don’t expect haute cuisine!

Everyone says Zanzibar is AMMMMAAAAAZING, why so good?
It is as good as everyone says it is… Its super warm, white sand, amazingly clear water, hammocks, happy hour, yummy cocktails, massages – very chilled out! Coming from the UK it was great to be able to just hang out all day in jandals or barefeet.

What were the beach cottages like?
Very nice, simple, clean and African. They are ensuite, there’s fans, mossie nets over the beds and there are safes in the rooms.
The upgrades were really nice and well worth the extra money too – Air-conditioning, fridge,  a little balcony.

Would you do anything differently next time if you did this trip again?
I would definitely go for longer.

Will you go back to Africa?
Of course – so many places I’d like to revisit, and so many places still to see!
…..

 

Please contact Clare or any memeber of the Absolute Africa team at absaf@absoluteafrica.com f you have any questions about any of our safari’s.