Safari Lodges Archive
Three Times Nostalgia
Posted by jimheck in "Modern" Africa, Planning Travel, Safari Lodges on August 27, 2012
Not too many years ago, the Mt. Kenya Safari Club was the magic that made a safari. Today it’s just another resort off the Thika Superhighway. Bidding has opened for 95 of the quarter million dollar residences on the Mt. Kenya Holiday Homes resort, located hardly spitting distance of the Safari Club. Each of the [...]
Heri kufa macho kuliko kufa moyo
Posted by jimheck in Mara, Perceptions of Africa, Safari Lodges on December 12, 2011
Great circus barkers are so accomplished that they spur the tiger through the blazing ring so effortlessly it creates joy from daring. That was Ari Grammaticus. In this case, the cheetah on the roofhatch. Ari Grammaticus died last month. His memorial service is tomorrow in Nairobi. With him goes the personal daredevil thrill that was [...]
Afternoon Tea with King Kong
Posted by jimheck in Safari Lodges, Uncategorized on August 26, 2011
I know most of you go on safari to see animals, but how about to be stepped on by them? Right, would you like to be stepped on by an elephant during your safari? It can be arranged. Zambia’s biggest, arguably best and certainly most famous game lodge, Mfuwe Lodge, presents a special opportunity to [...]
Beware Andrew the Crusader Harper
Posted by jimheck in Perceptions of Africa, Safari Lodges on August 15, 2011
Andrew Harper’s sissy-fit earlier this year about Nairobi’s best hotel, the Norfolk, because they refused to give him an early check-in (that he didn’t pay for) was just another little annoyance of his that I usually ignore. But now my own clients are asking me to respond, so here goes. Bit by bit, blog by [...]
Ecotourism is Dead
Posted by jimheck in Ecology, Planning Travel, Safari Lodges on April 7, 2011
Ecotourism is dead. From the President of Tanzania, to the much more critical tourism market itself, feather beds and five gallons to flush a toilet have subsumed efficiency and sustainability. Requiescat in pace. “Community Based Tourism Projects,” “Fair Trade,” “Shared Value Pricing,” and a ton of other phrases to champion a capitalist market in control [...]
Are You a Guilty Tourist?
Posted by jimheck in Arts and Culture, Economy, Safari Lodges on November 22, 2010
Tourists have always stood out in the Third World as eccentric, rich visitors. But until now they were neither resented or impugned. That may be changing. Is it right that you as a tourist pay $1500 per day to stay at &Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge when that is more than the average wage earned by [...]
Prices Trending Lower for 2011
Posted by jimheck in Economy, Planning Travel, Safari Lodges on October 20, 2010
The weather’s been unusually rainy, but I can see through the mist to a 2011 landscape with fewer tourists on safari. As we approach the most important annual conference for African tour companies in London next month, the news is leaking. Competition is fierce. Budget travel has been all but wiped out. Midlevel travel is [...]
The Mara: Tipping or Tentative?
Posted by jimheck in Mara, Politics, Safari Lodges, Wildlife Management on July 9, 2010
A recent study in Kenya has sparked enormous confusion over the long-term future of its wildlife, particularly in the Mara. But a couple things do look certain. Don’t stay outside the reserves and don’t privatize national treasures. I hate reporting a story like this, but it’s been growing in my conscience like mold on the [...]
Lions going extinct? Or Maasai?
Posted by jimheck in Animal Attacks, Big Game, Community Based Tourism, Mara, Safari Lodges on May 21, 2010
Richard Leakey’s excellent wildlife consortium, Wildlife Direct, said today that “Kenya’s lions are on the brink of extinction.” Exaggeration or real warning? Probably both. The organization’s warning followed an incident in late April where three lions were poisoned in Lemek, a private wildlife conservancy north of Kenya’s famed Maasai Mara game reserve. Wildlife officials arrested [...]
War Against the UnWilded
Posted by jimheck in Safari Lodges, Safety, War on December 4, 2009
Up to a third of East Africa’s tourism work force is now out of a job. Until now, it didn’t take guns to send them packing. A number of high-end, professional robberies have been reported at camps in East Africa over the last month. As in downturns in the past, many disgruntled workers turn on [...]
Gibbs vs. Crater Lodge
Posted by jimheck in Advice, Safari Lodges on November 21, 2009
From Johanna@ Q. We are currently scheduled to stay at Gibb’s Farm but were wondering if &Beyond’s Crater Lodge or Tree Lodge would be nicer? What is your opinion? A. Some itineraries are designed for certain properties, and some itineraries are designed for game viewing, and all itineraries are constrained by budget and time. So [...]
Delightful Gibb’s
Posted by jimheck in Planning Travel, Safari Lodges on September 3, 2009
It’s so damn hard to tell people they can interrupt game viewing to do other wonderful things in Africa. And when I succeed by having them stay at Gibb’s Farm, it’s something they never forget. It wasn’t hard to get the Cleveland Zoo to dedicate two of its safari days to Gibb’s Farm, because director, [...]
Beautiful Sasaab
Posted by jimheck in Planning Travel, Safari Lodges on June 18, 2009
In the earliest days of African travel, visitors came to hunt. Later, they used cameras instead of guns, but animals remained the principal reason. Today travelers are more interested in a wider experience, and one that includes real R & R as well. Animals remain the main reason an American would choose an African safari [...]
Crater Experience
Posted by jimheck in Big Game, Ngorongoro Crater, Safari Lodges on April 5, 2009
Good Morning America named the crater one of the natural wonders of the world, which it is without doubt. But the fulsome experience includes much more than just this indescribable beauty. I’ve heard several experts refer to the ancient Ngorongoro volcano as the world’s tallest structure, greater than Everest. I don’t know if this is [...]
Location,Location,Loc…
Posted by jimheck in Arusha NP, Planning Travel, Safari Lodges on March 19, 2009
Successful safari days have as much to do with where you’re staying at the end of the day, as what you’ve seen on your game drives. We spent the last two days at Hatari Lodge in Arusha National Park. Some of my clients had been with me in Kenya for 6 days and others were [...]