It doesn’t matter where you go or what you do in Africa - there’s one thing for sure….
People make the difference on safari
We’re on the lookout for an African expert who can turn people’s dreams of a safari into an experience of a lifetime. Somebody with a special set of skills, appropriate experience, abundant energy and a great “can-do” attitude. The position is full-time in our Devon offices, the focus is on selling tailor-made safaris to seasoned and first-time visitors to Africa.
You’ll need
Strong communication skills - by phone and email, at exhibitions and for presentations.
A proven track record in selling safaris.
Appropriate East and/or southern African experience.
The ability to deliver targets on-time.
We offer
A long term position within an established team.
A negotiable performance-based salary plus annual educational leave.
Regular statutory leave and work conditions.
Thorough induction and systems training (CRM and itinerary building tools).
The position is immediately available. If you’re interested, please submit a CV in confidence to info@zambezi.com
Africa’s summer time rains eventually came and went as this year’s early equinox pushes us towards the traditional dry safari season from July to October.
This steady march through the seasonal cycles is captured by a fine young artist, Tami Walker from her home on the edge of the Zambezi at Victoria Falls.
We celebrate with a sample of Tami Walker’s work
Blood lilies (Scadoxus multiflorus) at the beginning of the rainy season in Hwange
An elusive white rhino from Hwange
Zazu the hornbill, might have acted as majordomo to Mufasa and later Simba in the Lion King - but these are real characters at play in the bush!
Matopos captured at sunrise
Elephants on the move between the Hwange and Chobe eco-systems
Small matriarch herd on the march through the rains
View across Devil’s Cataract at Victoria Falls
A hidden moon through cloud cover and spray over Victoria Falls
The Zambezi in full spate over Victoria Falls during April
We’re talking about wild adventures on Africa’s fringes - rafting expeditions, walking and canoe safaris, mobile explorations, gorilla treks and more.
We’re covering some remote places from Ethiopia’s Omo Valley in the north east down, through the Serengeti eco-system, west into the Congo down to Namibia’s Kaokoveld in the south.
Adventure Travel Show, January 23-24
The UK’s only event dedicated to off the beaten track travel experiences - here’s the invitation, here’s the website.
Destinations, February 4-7
The Holiday & Travel Show, the UK’s biggest and longest-running of the London shows dedicated to travel - here’s the invitation, here’s the website.
If you can’t make it then give these notes some thought…
2015 has been another spectacular year across all of our safari regions. Here’s a sampling of scenes and events that you might want to share with family and friends.
It must be Christmas!
Our good friend James Varden, one of Zimbabwe’s most highly regarded Professional Guides of Mana Pools and Hwange fame spent some time in Tanzania’s Grumeti Reserve recently. Here’s his shot of Zimbabwe’s national flower, the Flame Lily, found in full bloom in the Serengeti early in December.
Africa’s not a country!
Late last year we turned to Kai Krause and his work to get some perspective on Africa following the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. If you’ve read that article our perspective included a promise that some things just don’t change….so yes, we did celebrate the new rains!
Vanishing Kings - the documentary
Namibia’s Desert Lion Conservation Project was started by Dr Flip Stander in 1998. One of the prides is subject of a documentary by Will and Lianne Steenkamp, “Vanishing Kings”. Follow this link for more including the short trailer. The documentary premiere took place in Windhoek in July 2015. That DVD is devilishly hard to get hold off, it’s easier to get on safari so here’s a sample of one of Namibia’s most extraordinary safaris with an opportunity to encounter both the desert lions and desert-adapted elephants of the Kaokoveld.
Angry love
Brendon Cremer has been a long standing contributor to our social media albums…here’s one of his most popular: “Angry love”. Brendon is one of the many professional photographers whom we’ve celebrated this year. To mention a few others: Tom Varley, Anja Denker, Johan Elzenga, Olwen Evans, Ana Leuzinger, Tami Walker, Billy Dodson, Andy Rouse, David Lloyd, Trevor Hardaker, Zane Engelbrech, Andy Lowe, Morkel Erasmus, Fred von Winckelmann, Lourens Lee, Jeremy Woodhouse, Michael Poliza, Will Burrard-Lucas, Wim Vorster, Karl Lindsay, Keith Connelly, Marlon du Toit, Chad Cocking, Sean Braine, Noel Smith, Carole Deschuymere, Michael Lorentz, Andy Richter…thanks to all for supporting conservation efforts in Africa!
Tami lives in Victoria Falls. As a photographic artist her speciality is Africa wildlife, scenery and landscapes. Her work from Zimbabwe is simply inspiring! See her portfolio and follow her on Facebook.
Tusks at Dusk in Hwange by Tami Walker
Who’s king of the jungle?
Here’s an epic battle between a young bull elephant and 14 lions! Filmed on a drive from Chinzombo in the Luangwa Valley. Wait for the full retreat towards the end. Thanks to Norman Carr Safaris for sharing Steve Baker’s 3 minute clip.
Life’s an itch for elephants
It doesn’t matter how thick skinned you are the only way to deal with an itch is to scratch. Andy Hogg shows how the Mfuwe elephants go through their paces from delicate sand bathing to precision-branch-placement to fallen-trunk-rubbing to deal with things.
The elephants in the room
Every year between late October and mid December the Luangwa Valley’s Mfuwe Lodge elephants stick around camp and use the lobby to get at their favourite wild mango fruits. Here’s another from Andy Hogg…
Elephant charge
This clip is less than a minute long - a young elephant throws down the gauntlet! (Thanks again to Andy….)
Travel secrets
So if lions and elephants, small critters, birds, splendid vistas or some extraordinary freedom to explore remote places in Africa is on your agenda next year then take some time to read about
“going beyond the obvious” - how to plan an extraordinary safari for first timers and seasoned travellers
our “secret seasons” - how to beat the crowds and get the best possible deals
going “beyond luxury on safari“, or more correctly how to go about getting some honest African dirt between your toes
Going beyond the obvious in Africa - what, why, where, when and how
Friday Humour
Most Fridays we poke a bit of fun on social media, if you’re not a Facebook fan then some snippets are found on our blog. This shot from Mana Pools in Zimbabwe might not have been so funny at the time but it’s fairly typical for some of these gentle giants to get up pretty close when least expected.
This only happens in Africa….transport, signs, technology, daily life with lashings of pure imagination. There’s a weekly stream of snippets on the Zambezi facebook page or click her for our Friday humour blog.
Migration Madness
Rupert Finch-Hatton added Hoopoe guide Tito’s clip of the migration crossing near Kogatende (Serengeti, Tanzania) during the September equinox.
Old friend Alan Fox sent us a longer video version of wildebeest choosing a difficult route whilst crossing the Mara River.
Victoria Falls becomes Victoria Walls?!
Towards the end of the dry season some jokers reported that Victoria Falls had dried up! Not true - it’s all about the annual Zambezi cycle, the river’s always low before the seasonal summer floods….explore safari ideas from Victoria Falls.
Victoria Falls - wet and dry season comparison (click for the explanation)
The Zambezi digimag collection
Take some time out, you’ll find the back-issues here:
November 2015: Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park; Robyn and David Foot; desert adapted wildlife; Laikipia; Selous; Mike Unwin on chameleons
September 2015 Equinox: surf spots around Africa; an insider’s guide to Victoria Falls; with more on Rwanda, Gonerezhou and Malawi
June 2015 Solstice: privately guided Botswana; Tanzania’s Tinga Tinga culture; the Okavango’s ebb and flow: Saadani, Kafue and Matobo Hills
Northern Autumn 2014: “honest African dirt between your toes”; Nyungwe Forest Rwanda; Philip Briggs in Ethiopia; “50 reasons to visit Zambia”
Northern Summer 2014: Desert talk in Namibia, Botswana and Kenya; Botswana travel guide; “the world’s most fearless animal”; the Caprivi; Eastern Highlands
Northern Spring 2014: Sir David Attenborough’s 5 finest moments in Africa; Livingstone’s footsteps on the Upper Zambezi; Lower Zambezi canoeing; Brian Jackman in Kenya and Tanzania; the expert’s guide to Cape Town
Classic Okavango: an 8 day exploration into pristine wilderness in Botswana with 1st class accommodation and top notch guides (sample itinerary here)
Mountain gorilla trekking: one of the quickest and simplest safaris for experiencing gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Just get in touch if you’re looking for some help on your next African exploration….
or call our Head Office on +441548 830059 (UK): +1(347)708 1794 (USA): +1(647) 694 1402 (Canada): +61 (2)8417 2176 (Australia)
The 2015 high season end was captured across Africa with some stunning shots of a blood moon on the total lunar eclipse. One of the best came from Will Burrard-Lucas with our friends in the Luangwa Valley Zambia - a lion cub captured via a BeetleCam!
It’s one of our secret seasons when traditional travellers make room for safari enthusiasts as the bush takes on spring hues and we start that warm build up to the start of the summer rains sometime in mid-November.
“Tusks at Dusk” in Hwange during July, courtesy Tami Walker - click image to see more from her Victoria Falls studio
This October-December period is epic in every respect with outstanding game conditions, northern migrant birds, dramatic skies, the African bush bursting into life and minimal crowds. Followed closely by our “green season” as summer rains bring an abundance of new life into our wild places.
Lazing leopard in Zambia’s Luangwa after a December rain shower
So whilst we prepare both mainstream products and some of our remotest safari spots for the 2016 season you’ll find a sample of our not-so-ordinary snippets from around Africa in the September 2015 equinox digimag.
A late September Mara River crossing near Kogatende in Tanzania by Hoopoe guide Tito courtesy Rupert Finch-Hatton….
So in the coming months when you’re thinking about your next foray into Africa’s wild places just drop a note to the ZAMBEZI team!
Our top spots during the secret and green seasons
Victoria Falls: simple mainstream access through southern Africa’s safari hub into Hwange, the Okavango and Chobe
The Luangwa Valley: exceptional guides, game viewing and birding through November to April
Tanzania’s northern circuit: best for the migration in the north during October/November and the southern plains from January to March
