There has never been a better time to visit the national parks of India in search of tigers and other wildlife. There are now a good number of new ’boutique’ lodges and safari camps around the main wildlife reserves dotted throughout India providing a great choice for all budgets. Furthermore, the excellent network of reliable internal flights mean that you can be exploring a city in Rajasthan one day, on safari in rural central India the next and after a few days enjoying nature here then quite easily relax on a beach in Kerala. Therefore with the parks opening again in October you should be ready to explore the Indian sub-continent. However, we’d recommend travelling between February and April for the best wildlife viewing.

As a consequence of organising one such itinerary recently we will shortly be adding a ‘safari of the month’ to our website so that you can see the types of holidays currently in fashion with our clients.

The name Masai Mara is synonomous with the great African savannah and a wealth of wildlife. Featured in the Big Cat Diaries and a major draw for many tourists on safari holidays the Mara remains one of Africa’s best destinations for wildlife holidays . However, detailed research reported this month and supported by the WWF has indicated a marked decline in 7 ungulate prey species over the a 15 year period up until 2003. For example giraffe species have shown a decline in monthly counts since 1989 by up to 95%, with warthogs suffering a reduction of 80%, hartebeest 76% and impalas 67%, topi and waterbuck were also in decline. These dramatic declines had previously been reported in wildebeest, zebra and gazelles which make up the majority of the great Serengeti-Mara migration. Concommitant with the decline in prey species there has been a noted reduction in lion cheetah numbers. The reason behind this is the equally dramatic rise in Masai settlements close to the Mara ecosystem. The once pastoralist and nomadic Masai have settled in rapidly increasing numbers and effectively disrupted the flow of wildlife through the region. Having recognised this efforts are underway to ensure that the pastoralist lifestyle can contine on the borders of the Masai Mara. Hopefully based on this fundamental research and the implementation of initiatives the wildlife of the Mara can recover to ensure an ever-lasting legacy and enable future generations to enjoy the experience of Kenya safari holidays.

It has been a little while since we’ve managed to write on the blog, mostly due to the amount of last minute enquiries for Christmas breaks to Finland both for northern lights holidays and dog sledding. Our winter activity holiday programmes are a big hit this year it seems. Equally safari holidays for next spring and summer are picking up with the southern African countries being ever popular, in particular Namibia safaris and Botswana safaris. There are some great itineraries we can create that combine both and often your safari holidays will begin or end with a stay in either Victoria Falls or Cape Town. Both Namibia and South Africa are great destinations at present with the pound strong against the rand to which the Namibian dollar is linked.

Other news is that as always we attended the annual travel trade fair in London and have up to date information on a good number of properties around the world and some exciting new destinations we hope to market in the coming year. Along with this we are creating an terrific new website to showcase the accommodation and great images of the countries we work in. We are sure all of this will inspire your wildlife holidays for next year. In the meantime here is a pearl-spotted owlet from a Namibia safari earlier this year.

    Lesser kudu in the Masai Mara

You must always expect the unusual on our safari holidays! Whilst many will travel with a tick list of ‘must see’ animals, African safari holidays will always be unique and this was exemplified last week when Greg Poole, one of the camp managers in the Mara observed a lesser kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis). This species is usually found far to the north in reserves such as Meru National Park. Even the greater kudu is infrequently seen in its preferred habitat, the wooded areas of the Mara. There have been no reported sightings of lesser kudu in the Mara in at least the last 35 years, making this a truly unusual occurence and definitely keeping the thrill of going on safari very much alive!