african safari

Disney’s The Lion King and Conservation

Since Disney Lion Conservation Africa first release 25 years ago, half of Africa’s lions have disappeared.

With the much anticipated new ‘live’ version of the Lion King out of the 19^th July 2019, Disney have initiated a global conservation campaign, Protect the Pride, working primarily with The Lion Recovery Fund to double the number of lions in the wild by 2050.

The Lion Recovery Fund currently support 9 different projects in Tanzania alone, including KopeLion in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Honeyguide Foundation south east of Tarangire National Park.

Make the most of your safari with Shadows of Africa and learn about some of the work that is happening to protect lion in the areas that you visit.

See how you can help support this significant action https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VdOSE8pb7i8

Follow "The Lion King," Disney Lion Conservation Africa Fund, and the Lion Recovery Fund on social media to stay up to date on #TheLionKing #ProtectThePride campaign and share information with your friends and family about how they can help Protect the Pride.

Come and see a lion in the wild for yourself. Book your safari now with Shadows of Africa.

Ngorongoro Crater East – Lemala Camp

Is the drive around the crater worth staying on the eastern side?

Ngorongoro crater

We think so…..especially if you get to stay somewhere as refreshing as lovely Ngorongoro Lemala Camp Safari camp on the rim, like Shadows of Africa recent safari guests, Robert Humphreys and friends.

Sundowners under the Lahai – Ngorongoro crater east side at Lemala camp

The east side of Ngorongoro Crater is blessed with the exquisite Acacia Lahai trees – magical and reminiscent of shapes from a Tolkien novel, looming out of the mist. Beneath these majestic trees the camp is welcoming and warm and comfortable – all that you need after a long day of game drives and excitement.

Warmth on the east side of the Ngorongoro Lemala Camp Safari

The east of the crater also ‘own’ the Olmoti and Empakai craters where you can walk and take in the flora and fauna as well as wander amongst the Maasai and their cattle in the grasslands that abound. A welcome diversion after a few days driving around the Serengeti, these walks in the Ngorongoro highlands get you up close and personal.

It’s a bit different, slightly off the beaten track, and a whole lot more interesting.

Take the time to explore……book your safari now!

Big Cats in the Serengeti

This month our Shadows of Africa safari guests have encountered amazing Big Cats Serengeti National Park and cubs. They are delighted and the photos rolling in from our guides are incredible.

Here’s just a few to samples to share with you and give you a taster of what Shadows of Africa can offer.

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Big Cats Serengeti National Park– leopard on rock - Michael Morris safari with Edwin Diah, June 2019

Big cat Serengeti – older lion cub – Robert Humphrey & friends with Moody Kabongo, June 2019

Big Cats Serengeti National Park– lions mating – Robert Humphrey & friends with Moody Kabongo, June 2019

Big cat Serengeti – cheetah - Robert Humphrey & friends with Moody Kabongo, June 2019

Big Cats Serengeti National Park– huge scarred male lion - Robert Humphrey & friends with Moody Kabongo, June 2019

Impressed yet?

Take a trip with Shadows of Africa and you will be.

Contact us now!

Mt Meru - Kilimanjaro’s Stunning Little Sister!

Shadowed by the size of Kilimanjaro, Mt Meru, Tanzania despite being an impressive 4,562m, does not get the attention it deserves.

This scenic volcanic shell of a mountain, the surrounding Arusha National Park, the beautifully kept route and mountain huts are awesome!

Starting our climb we walked, like a dream, into a grassy meadow and ambled past giraffe and cape buffalo, peacefully watching us at close quarters, bemused by our enthusiasm and sprightly pace. The back drop was the spectacular (active but dormant) volcano we were aiming to summit, bust open at its centre, with only the ash cone left as evidence of its majestic past.

The walk to Miriakamba, through giant cedar trees and olives, is truly lovely. Paths are well maintained and the Mt Meru Tanzania was surprisingly pleasant with sightings of bush buck and red duiker en route. Although out of breath, we managed just fine arriving, in the sunshine, at the inviting wooden chalets that would host us for the night.

Fuelled with steaming soup, hot porridge, pancakes and bananas we set off upwards and onwards, climbing high up out of the montane forests and into the Afroalpine heath zone. Stopping for lunch on the way, again we reached our next port of call, Saddle hut, feeling strong.

Well informed by our guide we ate lots and rested early and woke at midnight. Armed with torches we struck out, determined to summit. The Mt Meru Tanzania is long, its challenging but my goodness its rewarding.

Reaching the top at dawn was stunning, and tripping back down the knife edge that we had climbed in the dark, with the views of the crags and caldera and its cone were breathtaking. Absolutely unbeatable

Shadows of Africa, you surpassed our expectations with Mt Meru Tanzania. Kilimanjaro bring it on!

The Magnificently Located New ‘Mpingo Ridge - Tarangire’, By Lemala

A visit by our Shadows of Africa Safari Consultant Inge Olde Rikkert

The saying ‘beautiful things don’t ask for attention’ is true of Mpingo Ridge . It’s just there in itself, understated, turning the spotlight onto its surroundings and guests.

This new Lemala property has been placed with the views as its top priority. High up amongst the ebony of Tarangire it gives perspective to the vastness below and an insight into the significance of nature.

Set back from the main tourist tracks of Tarangire, Mpingo Ridge Tarangire lodge is a little more interesting and a lot more peaceful. Forget the lions, buffalo, elephant, zebra and masses of antelope we had just seen, this was impressive!

The 15 tents are modern in design, spacious and give the privacy desired to absorb the panorama around you, as well as to luxuriate in a bath or shower inside or out, under a canopy of stars. Just what I needed with the rains having started and after a muddy and adventurous game drive!

Aside from the décor and the surroundings Mpingo Ridge Tarangire lodge delivered service and food beyond expectation. The picnic lunch was especially worth a mention.

Thanks, Mpingo Ridge Tarangire lodge, for being so thoughtful and for making me feel beautiful too.

How to Behave on Zanzibar During Ramadan

A Weekend Safari in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania

A Tanzania Safari Adventure

A ten-day safari multi country safari that became a Tanzania Safari Adventure of a lifetime. Our client arrived in Arusha excited to go on a journey through the African bush. Her safari would take her into the depths of Tanzania and Uganda, finding animals that are awed among all others. 10 days and 6 parks was her itinerary for her epic adventure.

Many of us including myself are jealous of this tailor made itinerary. Her first stop was Tarangire National Park. Here she stayed in Sangaiwe Tented Lodge it is has a beautiful view from the room balcony, after the drive and game drive through the park it was a great place to relax and see wildlife still. In the morning after breakfast, she had another game drive through the park seeing various animals and particularly having a few special moments watching elephants by the river.

Exiting the park the went into the Ngorongoro region and spent the night at Country Lodge in Karatu. This is just a stopover before carrying on in the morning in the Serengeti National Park where she headed to the central part to catch the plethora of animals there this time of year. This trek between parks is known for its “serengeti massage”, a term coined because of the continuous corregations on the dirt roads. Lomayani, our driver made this trek as pleasant as possible with colourful conversation and information to keep her happy. Once in the park, she had sightings of leopard, lion, buffalo and rhino allowing her to check of seeing the ‘Big Five’. On the game drives that day and the next two in the Serengeti she had the ability to the Wildebeest Migration in the Central Serengeti. Tanzania is wildly known for this great migration of animals moving in a southern to northern pattern and back again depending on the season and time of year. This spe  cific time of year the main herd of the migration was in Northern Serengeti and Maasai Mara as the rains have hit that region before the southern and central parts. This guest had sightings of the smaller groups of animals, during her entire trip. Her stay and Serengeti Kati Kati Camp was amazing they treated well and made her stay exceptional.

Leaving the park on the third day she headed for Ngorongoro Crater. Some consider this to be the “The Eight Wonder of the World”. With the help of her driver they spotted. Overnighting at Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge, she had the perfect view of the crater right in front of her. In the morning, after an early breakfast they headed down into the crater to capture the beauty of this bucket list location. A few factors affect this awe inspiring crater; firstly, the scenery of how this crater has become an animal sanctuary; secondly, the diversity and plethora of wildlife; finally the combination of the previous factors has left people speechless and thankful for such amazing places on Earth. Our guest truly enjoyed herself here seeing the range of animals around.

The next day was spent in traveling across to Uganda, where she would have a very different experience on her 10 day African safari. We will dedicate a full blog to her adventures in Uganda with the Gorillas. Send us an email if you want to know more on booking a safari with Shadows of Africa and going on an amazing Safari Adventure in Tanzania.

News on Tarangire National Park

Reports from recent safaris in Tarangire National Park News, we can see the movement elephants in the region. Water is low now, due to the lack of rains in this short rainy season. A lot of the animals are migrating to where there is water still. The National Park is still relatively full of wildlife, as the region is protected from villages trying to seek water for their domestic herds of cattle, goats and sheep.

The animals migrate in the park according to weather patterns and the access to water. The Tarangire River rarely drys up, so the elephants hang around the extent of the river depending on the vegetation in the area. Tarangire National Park is known for its large elephant population.

At the moment the herds, are on the move and are covering large areas every day in search of food. Other animals are hanging around the swamp areas where there is more water and vegetation around. At lot of the lodges have pumped waterholes which allow for animals to stay in the areas but this is dependent on the vegetation in the area.

From our pictures you can see that the elephants are moving in big herds relying on each other for protection and food. The lodges are getting fantastic views of elephants,  zebra, waterbuck, the odd wildebeest and a plethora of birds. It is without a doubt that you will wake up to sound of birds and a view of animals close by. You may even get an elephant close to your room in the night! Tarangire Safari Lodge, Sopa Lodge and Oliver’s Camp are excellent examples of lodges with this atmosphere around them.

The WMA’s (wildlife management areas) next to the park have it pretty rough at the moment where domestic animals and the wild ones fight for vegetation and access to water. The areas close to the lodges in the WMA’s are a safe haven for wildlife and having waterholes close by they tend to stay. Nimali and Tarangire Treetops are prime examples of such places.

Our guests recently have had the pleasure of seeing vast amounts of elephants and a range of other animals. Some were lucky enough to see lion, and a few other predators like hyena. This time of year the wildebeest and zebra are still here in a reasonable number, as later in the year they migrate for the calving season in February.

I mentioned birds earlier, now let me explain them a little more. The amount of bird species in East Africa is huge, with many sub species. So for the avid birder reading here, you will immensely enjoy being in Tarangire, you just may fill up your SD card with birds! The beauty is that you don’t have to look hard, they are everywhere! Some birds you may get tired of seeing but there are certainly others that you won’t get the opportunity of seeing again! If you are counting you will be adding up your list pretty fast here. and that’s something worth noting in Tarangire National Park News.

Keep on watching our blog and we will with delight bring you updates and news from places and events in East and Southern Africa.