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by Jeff Lytle
s this the year? In Africa the
After thinking and talking about it so many people who live
Itimes, is this the year you go for it and make there can be almost as interesting
the adventure to Africa? as the animals. Look for ways to
If so, congratulations! meet and interact with them. You
Good call! will be rewarded. They are warm, lovely
To help you make the most of it, let me share and eager to show and tell -- and share
some tips based on the successful journey that my what they have.
wife, Susan, and I made to southern Africa over Our group was able to do that
Christmas. First and foremost, opt for the rustic route rather than quite well thanks to a guide who was a
the four-star lifestyles of the rich and famous resorts that sound Zimbabwe native who spoke the dialect
more like private zoos than wilderness. and knew the leaders of a village that we
There is something about staying in tents, amid roaming animals otherwise could not have visited. That
and hearing them at night, that delivers the maximum “Africa” experience was a highlight. They were proud to show us their “bank”
experience. Our tents at three of the four safari camps on our tour, – a fenced pen for goats that could be sold to meet expenses.
with Overseas Adventure Travel (mention this article if you use
them), had canvas walls with heavily screened windows and, yes,
toilets and showers.
Escorted there after dinner by guides, sometimes armed, we
were directed to go inside and stay there – no roaming the grounds
or admiring the stars in skies free of light pollution.
But that was fine by us. We were dead tired after starting each
day with a personal “good morning” by a staff member on foot
around 5:15 a.m., at daybreak. If that did not give us enough time
to get ready for breakfast at 6, a guide advised from the start of our
three-week tour, get up earlier. Questions went back and forth. When asked what they need,
The first of two daily animal-seeking Jeep rides, or game drives, villagers said electricity and training for an ox that tilled farm fields.
would be starting at 6:30. In turn, they wanted to know our ages and whether the women
One of our four camps was of the luxury, air-conditioned, full- tourists enjoyed drinking beer and dancing.
bathroom variety. Sweet. Talking about beer, do try local brews, which are clean and
But, as fellow travelers with luxury safari experience told us, they tasty, as well as locally produced wines – which are plentiful. Go
prefer the tents. see a vineyard or two if you can. The ones we sampled around Cape
Our next bit of advice is to not be afraid. Whichever Town help make that modern metro area steeped in global marine
accommodations you choose, you will be in the hands of history a must-see.
professionals who have been there, done that, and they want to be A few words about shopping … be careful about money
safe and go home every bit as much as you do. exchange rates. They can vary from country to country, and
When in cities, be just as careful as you would be anywhere else. American dollars are welcome in most places. And keep in mind
In the field, that means taking direction from guides. They know that price tags in local currency – the rand in South Africa,
how close they can steer you to lions and elephants, for example, for example -- can scare you away; stores offer $2 snacks for a
and make clean getaways if necessary. whopping 39.99 (in rands). Bargaining with marketplace and even
Anyway, most animals do not care about you. They have seen us indoor store merchants is the norm, but be advised: every sale is
and our Jeeps before. They are more interested in their next meal – crucial in poor areas, and merchants can get aggressive, promising
something meatier than us. carvings and clothing made elsewhere are authentic “local” goods,

60 60 Life in Naples | March 2024