Gillian and I met Dave at Arusha Airport in Tanzania. Local outfitter Nomad Tanzania had invited us on a recce (a reconnaissance trip to have a look at somewhere new or that has changed) to see their new Expeditionary Walking Camp. This was currently in Ugalla River National Park. This ...
December 2018 I looked out of the window of the Cessna Caravan 12-seater aircraft as it banked and descended. The aquamarine waters of Lake Tanganyika contrasted with the emerald vegetation of the fields. A couple of days ago Laurence and Alana, my two eldest children, were at university in opposite ...
Africa is still the Dark Continent. It is replete with mysteries, wonders and misconceptions, among other treasures. Consider Rwanda, for example. This is a tiny country in the Great Lakes region of Africa, a little to the west of giant Lake Victoria. Few people outside Africa know where it is, ...
The Highlands is situated high on the slopes of Olmoti Volcano, and at 2,700m (8,850ft) is the highest camp in the Ngorongoro Highlands area. The extinct Olmoti rests between The Highlands and the massive caldera of Ngorongoro Crater. This is a remote area, far from any other lodges and camps, ...
The views change dramatically as we drive through the pass. We left the small hotel in Alquézar after breakfast, where buildings of brick and reddish sandstone are plastered with an earthy clay and have red tiled roofs, nestled in a land of grey and red limestones, which has been aged ...
In East and Southern Africa it is the rainy season during April and May. For most of my life this period has conjured up images of abundance, greenery, mud, adventure, with a bit of steamy warmth. As this is not the best time to be on safari, I have traditionally ...
After several years of conducting most of my safaris in East Africa, it has been wonderful to guide some safaris near home (Zimbabwe) again, and in very familiar territory. I had not been to Gonarezhou National Park in southeastern Zimbabwe for several years, and was recently blown away by the ...
Congratulations Dave! The Wall Street Journal have just published an excellent article about Dave's guiding skills and the amazing safari experience possible in Zimbabwe. According to writer Tim Downey, who was on safari in Zimbabwe with Dave in June : "During eight days in the bush we've spotted lion, leopard, ...
The GR 10 Trans Pyrenean Way trail involved interminable steep descents and climbs through dense chestnut and holm oak forests. We had seen nobody since we left the highway and border town of Perthus. The summer heat was so intense that I think even the crickets were quiet. Occasionally there ...
Living in the midst of a mountain range, there is a magnetism that draws you towards the mountains and the outdoors. The most famous hiking trail in Spain must be the Camino de Santiago (St James' Way). Although this trail passes through our doorstep (a section called the Aragonese Route), ...
This is an update on my previous post, the Way. The day after my son Laurence and I had biked to the French border, my nephew Christopher joined our party and we set off from our Pyrenean village to Santiago de Compostela: the ancient cathedral town and legendary resting place ...
We disembark onto the beach and are welcomed to one of the most remote camps in Africa. The waves lapping gently onto the sandy shore are rhythmical and peaceful, but the atmosphere in camp is electric. Talk is centred on who will be the next President. Of course, this camp is not on the arid shores of the Libyan desert, and the executed President was not Muammar Gaddafi.
