Africa was a dream of a lifetime. Like so many boys born in the 40s and 50s I read Tarzan novels as a child. I am sure this first sparked my interest in Africa, but when I developed a keen interest in nature in my early teens, this certainly solidified the desire to one time get to Africa. My interest in nature continues to this day, whether it be birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, insects or plants, and these galleries reflect that interest.

This was a 14 day Safari Lodge trip to Botswana and Namibia, but I added several days at the beginning and end, making it a 3 week trip (February 17 to March 9, 2007). I started with one day in Johannesburg, then flew to Livingstone, near Victoria Falls in Zambia, where I stayed for another four days before meeting up with the tour group. We then went to Chobe National Park in Botswana, then to Camp Kwando in the Caprivi Strip in Namibia, then back to the Okavango Delta in Botswana. This zig-zagging between Botswana and Namibia continued when we left the Okavango and went to N’Kwazi Camp near Rundu in the Caprivi Strip in Namibia. We then went on to Etosha National Park for three days. After leaving Etosha, we went on to several places in northwestern Namibia, including Kamanjab, the Petrified Forest, Twyfelfontein and Brandberg Mountains. Finally we traveled down the Skeleton Coast to Cape Cross and on to Swakopmund. The group broke up at Swakopmund, some people continuing the trip on to Capetown, and others, like myself, preparing to return home. I did give myself another 3 days in Swakopmund before my return.

In the Edgar Rice Burrows novels Tarzan was the “King of the Jungle”. Of course no such person could exist, but humans, as a species, do in many respects rule Africa. Unfortunately most of what we have done has been to the detriment of the wildlife. Approximately 8.6% of Africa has been set aside as parks, game reserves and protected areas, and about 90% of the larger mammals are found in these protected areas. This became very evident as we drove from location to location, often covering 300 km or more in a day and seeing practically nothing in the way of larger mammals. Upon entering the big parks like Etosha, however, zebras, antelope and giraffes would be everywhere.

It is hard to know with any certainty what the future holds for African wildlife, but one can hope that with the growing awareness of the value of all life, and the economic value of tourism, that the future for many species is brighter.

For anyone thinking of a trip to Africa, and wondering how I travelled, I booked the tour through EcoAfrica at www.ecoAfrica.com and the actual tour was run by Jenman African Safaris at www.jenmansafaris.com