Tag: safari

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Tanzania’s Top 8 Luxury Villa Venues with Plunge Pools

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

Swimming is fun, and swimming in pools with such amazing views will make the dip a lot more inviting! Whether you want the jungles of Serengeti and Selous or the white sandy beaches of Zanzibar, there are swimming pools out there that are destinations in their own right.

And here, JCCE Tours & Safaris Ltd presents to you Tanzania’s Top 8 Luxury Villa Venues with Plunge Pools in no particular order. Enjoy reading!

AMARA LUXURY TENTED CAMP – Selous

Amara Selous
Amara Selous, Tanzania

Located in the heart of the Selous Game Reserve, a mere few minutes’ drive away from the Simbazi airstrip, Amara Selous promises a taste of the extraordinary – an experience that is unique and revitalizing.

At Amara Selous, nature is merged with extravagance to provide lavish comfortable and secluded luxury in the middle of the African bush.

Twelve spacious air-conditioned suites are complete with private rock plunge pools, opulent bathrooms and outside showers that offer views over the Great Ruaha River and the perennial wilderness beyond.

Amara Selous remains beautifully remote, amidst the pristine wilderness of Africa’s largest game reserve and one of Tanzania’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It’s where one awakes to a daily symphony of hippo snorts and birdsong.

Imagine being engulfed in the pure serenity as you sip your custom-ordered cocktail, served by your personal butler, and soak in the lurid display of the African sunset from your private plunge pool outside your suite. Continue reading “Tanzania’s Top 8 Luxury Villa Venues with Plunge Pools” →

Travel Photo Thursday: Elephants

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

There are more than 30,000 elephants in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe so it’s not a matter of whether you’ll see a few elephants when you go game watching, but when.

We first saw this mother’s baby at the side of the road and stopped to take it’s photo when we heard the unmistakable sound of an elephant on our right. When I turned round, I noticed her ears were fully open — elephants use this technique to frighten other animals, and us. She was so close, I’m not sure how we didn’t see her first but glad I didn’t fumble the shot.

Lone Elephant, Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe
Lone Elephant, Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe

We were very lucky the day we watched as a herd approached a watering hole. The baby got there first and began drinking right away, totally oblivious to our presence.

Baby elephant at a watering hole, Hwange National Park
Baby elephant at a watering hole, Hwange National Park

Soon more came and they drank, played, squirted water on their backs, rolled around in the mud and had a good ole time.

Elephants taking a mud bath, Hwange National Park
Elephants taking a mud bath, Hwange National Park
Elephants playing at a watering hole, Hwange National Park
Elephants playing at a watering hole, Hwange National Park

We were very fortunate to catch this scene — several hundred cape buffalo near our camp. As we sat quietly watching the buffalo, we saw a herd of elephants approaching. From the corner of my eye, they looked like a dark shadow but the day was clear so I began looking more intently. Then I saw them. For animals that can weigh up to 7,000 lbs., they are astonishingly quiet and nimble on their feet. Soon, about three or four herds joined buffalos, zebras and impalas at the watering hole. It was a beautiful sight.

Elephants and Cape Buffalo, Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe
Elephants and Cape Buffalo, Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe
A lone bull elephant, Mbisa, Zimbabwe
A lone bull elephant, Mbisa, Zimbabwe

Towards the end of the day, we caught this elephant slowly making its way as if he’d had a hard day at work and was on his way home. I hoped that where ever ‘home’ was, it wasn’t too far away.

This is my submission to this week’s Budget Travelers Sandbox Travel Photo Thursday series. Be sure to check out other photo and story entries on their website!

Three Black Girlz on Safari: Hippo!

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

The day before we left Makalolo Plains was bittersweet. The team had made us feel very welcome and we knew we had made friends. On top of that, we had spent many hours watching animals at close range, and that was better than the best episode of a nature program.

Towards the end of our morning drive, Godfrey spotted this hippo that appeared to sleeping at the edge of a watering hole. We were fortunate as hippos tend to spend most of their time in water to keep their skin from drying out.

Hippo!
Hwange Hippo

Continue reading “Three Black Girlz on Safari: Hippo!” →

Three Black Girlz on Safari in Zimbabwe: Stalking Big Cats

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

On the afternoon of our second day, we raced to the spot where Godfrey, our guide, had heard that a cheetah was seen. When we arrived, two jeeps of game watchers sat waiting patiently, eyes trained on a spot in the tall grass where the cheetah was supposed to be.

We were looking at the same place for so long, I no longer trusted what I was seeing. Was that a log or the cheetah? The grass was so tall, the color so similar to the cheetah’s skin, I couldn’t be sure. My eyes could play tricks on me but my camera wouldn’t lie, so I pointed it in the general direction, ready to shoot when the cheetah appeared.

We continued to sit and wait, whispering among ourselves from time to time; the radios silenced, so as not to startle the animal. After a while, the other jeeps gave up and left but Godfrey didn’t move. The cheetah, he said, had eaten the previous night and was resting, so we stayed put.

I’m not sure how long we waited, excitement bubbling in my stomach. Then Godfrey, binoculars covering his eyes, whispered urgently and pointed.

Where was it? There it is! Where? Where? We were all whispering loudly at the same time.

The cheetah had gotten up and was walking along. But by the time we spotted it, it dropped unexpectedly into the grass, as if its legs had failed him.

I couldn’t see much through my digital camera so I just snapped several times, hoping I’d get something. This is the best of the lot. If you look closely at the middle of the photo just before the log, you’ll see it.

Stalking Big Cats
Cheetah or log?

Caroline did much better.

Stalking Big Cats
Cheetah (courtesy of Caroline Billot)

I’m glad Godfrey decided to wait as this was the only cheetah we would see.

Continue reading “Three Black Girlz on Safari in Zimbabwe: Stalking Big Cats” →

Welcome to Makalolo Plains!

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

After driving around for several hours in pitch blackness, suddenly, we were bathed in the lights that signaled the end of our first night drive through Hwange National Park. As our jeep came to a stop, we could see that a party was waiting to greet us.

Tracey, Cynthia, Jeremy and Godfrey from Makalolo Plains welcomed us with warm towels and glasses of brandy and ushered us into the main part of the camp.

We needed them. After the sun dropped, a biting cold enveloped us. The breeze that felt balmy and welcoming during the early afternoon and evening lashed at our faces and hands. We felt like blocks of ice by the time we reached the camp.

In laying out the camp rules, Cynthia warned us that we had to be escorted, especially at nights, by someone from camp, and they’re always armed with a rifle – a reminder that we were surrounded by dangerous animals.

The word camp usually conjures up images of roughing it, of being without our usual comforts. That’s not the case at Makalolo Plains.

Makalolo Plains main building

Located within Hwange, Makalolo’s main building houses a pub, reception area, lounge, patio and dining room. The patio runs the length of the main building. At the end of the patio is a small pool. There’s also a sitting area where at night guests trade stories of their day’s activities around a fire that provides warmth as well as illumination. There’s no electricity at Makalolo.

Welcome to Makalolo Plains
A warm fire

Continue reading “Welcome to Makalolo Plains!” →

Three Black Girlz on Safari in Zimbabwe: Sunsets that take your breath away

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

I’ve seen some spectacular sunsets but the ones I saw in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park took my breath away.

Each evening, I looked forward to seeing a dazzling display of color as the sun stained the clouds pinky blue, gold, burnt orange, purple-red before settling into an inky-black.

In all, it took about two minutes for the sun to drop completely behind the horizon and when it did, it dragged all the warmth with it. Talk about a sunset!

Let me know what you think.

Elephants at sunset

Can you see the elephants in this photo? They’re almost indistinguishable from the trees that look like they’re right on the horizon…but if you look closely, you’ll see them – two of them actually – just to the left of the photo.

Wildebeests and zebras at sunset

At about 5,700 square miles, Hwange is an enormous park.  We left Makalolo and drove for about 30-45 minutes into a part of the park we’d not been to before. We stopped a few times along the way, including to take this photo of wildebeests and zebras together. 

Continue reading “Three Black Girlz on Safari in Zimbabwe: Sunsets that take your breath away” →