On Safari! Today I begin seven weeks in Africa! You can follow my exploits, adventures and guiding into sub-Saharan Africa in this space!
It’s not empirical. It’s not academic or logical. It’s mostly subjective, when the best time to do anything or go anywhere is. Moreover even after you determine “the best time,” your situation might preclude you from enjoying it.
You might want to get pregnant or expecting your first grandchild! You might be planning a grand celebration for your 50th wedding anniversary! Your job … that, by all reckoning, is the most influential … your job might just not give you the windows you need.
Over my forty years of working in travel, and actually traveling, I’ve learned that “best time” is a priority rarely achieved. In my case, best time is linked to the wilderness and the animals, but that’s linked to the weather … and as you know, that’s in serious flux.
And finally, hopefully your home – as is mine, and my favorite places in Africa – have wonderful things about them all year long. Otherwise, why would they be your home or your “favorites?”
This is where the African mentality is so much better than the American. Americans like everything in crisp, little decisions: black and white, yes and no. I think that’s a dangerously poor way to lead your life.
Technically in most African languages, including Swahili, there is no direct translation to the English words, “Yes” or “No.” And that’s the way it should be. Everything in life is relative: “likely” or “unlikely,” “better” or “worse.” But, really, not “best.”
So while I’m heading off on my preplannned “best times” for safaris, it’s much less important as a motivation than it used to be.
I’m starting in East Africa where I’ll be guiding two safaris in my favorite places in northern Tanzania, with the crowning splendor of the Serengeti in both cases.
And then I move to southern Africa to guide a wonderful group of mostly veterans for nearly a week in The Cape followed by Botswana (at a super great time to be there) and finally, Victoria Falls.
Not a bad life, eh?
You can join me, at least vicariously, by following this space!
(Top photo by Stephen Farrand; side photo by Ann Hendrickson … both while on EWT safaris.)
As I recall, Jim, this photo was taken while we were at Tortilis Camp in the Amboseli. We had encountered several large groups of elephants coming together as they headed south into Tanzania towards the western foothills of Kilimanjaro. I’ve often wondered if the cow and her calf that we encountered five days later at Hemingway’s in Tanzania was in this group.