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Selous and Zanzibar in november

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May 18 2016
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Friday, November 13th Overnight at Slipway Hotel, Dar Es Salaam Perhaps even more than during our Ruaha trip in 2014, I wondered why Matoke Tours brought us to Slipway for just one night. The drive takes at least 45 minutes, but our driver had taken 2 hours just before… Could there really be no other alternatives without having to pay double? Moreover, the room itself left much to be desired: 1 bottle of water, 1 towel, a musty smell, barely hot water for showering, a noisy kind of air conditioning, a party in the courtyard, no food, and no drinks […]

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Ruaha, kingdom of the lions

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May 06 2016
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“They really seem to appear out of nowhere, these lion prides!” Our love for Ruaha began in 2011 when we visited the park for the first time. We spent 3 nights in Ruaha combined with a visit to the Selous Game Reserve, and we were already captivated by the park and the abundant wildlife in the area. This time, we decided to spend a full week in the park to spot as much wildlife and predators as possible! We chose to travel again at the end of the dry season, as most of the wildlife tends to concentrate around the […]

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Spectacular Spitsbergen (Svalbard)

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May 06 2016
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  We are startled from our thoughts when the internal communication system spits out four letters: b-e-ar, b-e-ar, b-e-ar, b-e-ar. Spitsbergen, June 2014 Introduction Because we had a special wedding anniversary to celebrate this year, we decided to make our annual vacation a bit more special. My wife wanted to see penguins and opted for Antarctica, but I was more inclined towards an encounter with Ursus Maritimus, literally the sea bear. However, we know it better by its more popular names – polar bear or ice bear. The polar bear is one of the largest land predators in the world, […]

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Ruaha and Mdonya Old River Camp, Bushlife at its best!

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May 06 2016
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  **LOCATION:** Ruaha National Park, Tanzania **PERIOD:** November **TRAVEL AGENT:** Matoke Tours If you’re in search of an authentic bush experience, your quest ends here! One destination stands out: Mdonya Old River Camp! At Mdonya, your wildest expectations are not only met but exceeded; the seemingly impossible becomes a reality! After more than 10 safari trips in Africa and numerous stays in tented camps, lodges, and the like, our time at Mdonya was a true triumph! It was our second visit to Ruaha, one of Tanzania’s most remote wildlife reserves, and once again, it surpassed our expectations. Ruaha, as vast […]

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Gorilla’s in Uganda

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May 06 2016
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**LOCATION:** Uganda **PERIOD:** May **TRAVEL AGENT:** Matoke Tours At the Antwerp Vacation Fair, we connected with Paul Gevers, one of the founders of Matoke Tours. This Dutch travel agency specializes in Tanzania, Rwanda, and especially Uganda. After about a dozen trips to Africa, where we almost always sought out the predators and their prey, we wanted to experience something entirely different—primates. And, of course, the cherry on top was the mountain gorillas that inhabit the rainforest of Bwindi. Our journey began with a flight from Brussels, and after a brief stopover in Kigali, we arrived in Entebbe an hour later. […]

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The Ideal Route to Visit Kruger National Park

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May 06 2016
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The Best Way to Visit Kruger National Park Suppose you are planning a trip to South Africa and want to visit Kruger National Park. What are your best options? There are two main possibilities: – You can visit Kruger Park with a self-drive option and stay either just outside or within the park. – You can visit Kruger Park through one of the various private game reserves. The advantage of the first option is that you can drive through Kruger Park yourself and stop to observe the wildlife you are interested in. The downside is that you’ll need to spot […]

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Selfdriving in Kruger National Park

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May 06 2016
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Trip Report Kruger National Park, South Africa DAY 1 After an 11-hour overnight flight, we landed in Johannesburg early on Saturday morning. After collecting our luggage, we hurried to Terminal B to catch our connecting flight to Nelspruit. An important tip for future travelers! Always check the baggage terminal in Jo’burg, even if your luggage is supposedly transferred to the next flight. They had forgotten to transfer our luggage, and it was just circling on the conveyor belt. Thankfully, due to our previous experience last year (referring to our trip to Botswana), we double-checked. We departed for Nelspruit around 10:00 […]

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When to spot red deer in the ardennes?

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May 06 2016
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  For those who would like to see a red deer in the wild, you can now do so close to home without having to travel to the Netherlands. In the Hoge Veluwe National Park and the Oostvaardersplassen, there are plenty of these magnificent animals roaming. But the red deer is also the largest land mammal in Belgium, with a fairly decent population in the deep Ardennes. Those who venture into the Ardennes early in the morning during the month of October may be treated to the beautiful bellowing of the male specimens, with a bit of luck. During this […]

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Okavango Delta and Victoria falls, trip report

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May 06 2016
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“A pack of Wild Dogs tearing apart a Kudu in the middle of a waterhole. What a sighting!” Travel Agency: Askja Reizen Location: Mapula Lodge Area: Okavango Delta, Botswana Distance: 45-minute flight from the Savuti region Dates: July Temperature: 35°C during the day // 10°C at night Day 5: Flight from Savuti Region to Okavango Delta, Botswana After a 45-minute flight, we landed around 3:00 PM at the Mapula Lodge airstrip. We had just gotten into our Jeep when our guide, Mozilla, told us that there were three male lions resting next to the airstrip. Within a couple of minutes, […]

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Visiting Savuti region, Botswana

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May 06 2016
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“What followed was one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had with a leopard. The leopard continued to track the herd of impalas, even using our jeep briefly as perfect camouflage to slowly creep closer…” Travel Agency: Askja Reizen Day 1: Flight Amsterdam – Johannesburg After an approximately 11-hour flight from Schiphol, we landed in Johannesburg around 9:30 PM. We headed straight to The Airport Grand Hotel for an overnight stay. The temperature difference from Europe was enormous! It was around 5°C in Johannesburg at 11:00 PM. After a very cold and short night, along with a hearty […]

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