Alexa Safaris

Leaving Windhoek behind, we are heading north towards Etosha National Park, quickly leaving the city behind. One of our favourite things about Namibia is the feeling of space. Long stretches of road seem to disappear into the horizon, with nothing but sand and enormous Namibian sky.

One of our stops along the way is the Hoba Meteorite, near Grootfontein — the largest known intact meteorite on Earth. Estimated to have fallen to Earth around 80,000 years ago, this enormous piece of iron and nickel weighs more than 60 tonnes. Standing beside something that has travelled through space for millions of years is quite extraordinary, and very much worth the detour.

From there, we continue towards Etosha, entering on the eastern side.
 
This is classic African safari country — salt pans, grasslands, mopane woodland and waterholes with elephant, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and gemsbok moving across the open plains. In green season it is exactly that - green! The colours of the green grass, blue skies and white salt pans are a photographer’s dream. The dry season often makes for more “exciting” game-viewing as the concentration of animals around the water holes intensifies but there is magic in the green season, and the new animal births have their own attraction for predators.

And any visit to Etosha must include the central pan. Covering some 4730 square kilometres or roughly a quarter of the whole park, for most of the year it is a dry salt desert. An access point has been made across part of the pan, and it is worth stopping and taking in the enormity of this UNESCO world heritage site. In years of high rain in the river catchment areas, the pan turns into a shallow lake. Due to the salt content, it is unsuitable for animals but don’t be surprised to find gulls, flamingoes and other water birds. For the most part though, it is an uninhabited desert with perhaps the odd ostrich.

No matter in which season you visit, Etosha has a magic of its own and never fails to deliver. It’s not just about seeing animals — it’s about experiencing the wildness of Africa on a truly spectacular scale.

This month, Kruger National Park celebrated its centenary, marking 100 years since the establishment of South Africa’s first national park under the National Parks Act of 1926.

The story of Kruger began long before 1926. In 1898, President Paul Kruger proclaimed the area between the Sabie and Crocodile Rivers as the Sabie Game Reserve to protect wildlife that had been severely depleted by hunting and human settlement. In 1902, the reserve was expanded northwards to include the Shingwedzi Game Reserve.

The driving force behind the early conservation efforts was James Stevenson-Hamilton, who was appointed warden in 1902. Through his dedication and vision, the reserves were preserved and eventually combined to form Kruger National Park in 1926.

As Kruger celebrates its centenary, it honours not only 100 years as a national park but also more than a century of dedicated conservation efforts that have safeguarded one of our greatest natural treasures for generations past, present, and future.

As a family, we have spent many a school holiday at Satara and other favorite camps, the south section typically more game-rich. Other years have seen James and I meandering the northern sections of the park focused more on birds. We could never explore the Panorama Route without at least one day trip into Kruger, or drive through to Mozambique without a stopover in the park. Every day in the park is different, you never know what you may see, what animal interaction you might observe, or what tiny fascinating wildlife fact you may discover.

And despite all our visits, every time we head into the park, we see something new, experience something different and learn more. For us, the bush is a place where you are truly present, where you really are “in the now” because you are looking, listening and focused on what is happening around you. Kruger Park holds a very special place in the hearts of many South Africans, and we are privileged to be able to share this gem with so many visitors. Just thinking about it makes me pick up our calendar - hmmm, now when can fit in our next visit…..

Have you ever thought of a safari as a destination for a wedding? In retrospect, given our deep love of the African bush and that our children have grown up spending holidays in numerous game reserve, it was inevitable. For as many years as I can remember, our eldest daughter has always wanted to get married in a river bed in the game reserve and earlier this month, there we were. So while this newsletter is the sharing of one of our happiest personal days, we also hope we can inspire you to come and get your share of some soul food bush happiness.

Friday afternoon saw the bridal party arriving at Khaya Ndlovu Safari Lodge, and then we set off for an evening game drive and sundowners at the dam. The wildlife was out and about - a cheetah and a spotted eagle owl were special treats for the overseas visitors.

With some imagination and the incredible assistance from the management and staff at the lodge, an underwhelming clearing in the reserve was transformed into a ceremony venue. Complete with two trees that marked the “entrance” to the aisle, the draping of a big Marula tree to form the arch, a cut-off tree trunk for a lecturn, and safari chairs for the pews, the bush “church” was a beautiful setting for the ceremony on Saturday.

Family photos were quick, as the bride and groom with their entourage set off in appropriately decorated safari vehicles for their photos, three giraffe appeared in the background to join the celebrations.

The late afternoon golden light gave an added glow to the photographs in the long grass and the riverbed. Luckily there were no signs of the lions whose fresh tracks we had seen the previous afternoon in the sand!

Later, as the bride and groom made their entrance to the reception, we were treated to an African bush sunset with views across the waterhole to the mountains in the background.

There followed dinner, speeches and a party that will be remembered for a long time. Needless to say, Sunday was a quiet day around the pool with a final game drive that evening. And yes, just to prove they were actually there all along, and that the bush should never be underestimated, the lions walked past…

African Mothers Day wishes

We have always said, that so often, the extraordinary sights are not the ones you are looking for. In this case, we were searching the plains for a Harlequin Quail. Our guide commented on a zebra standing off to the side, away from the herd. As we looked in our binoculars, a hoof in a sac appeared.

With a little more of the feet appearing, a short while later, the mare lay down on her side, using the pressure to help her deliver her foal. Never believe anyone who tells you animals don’t feel labour pains, we could hear her little cries as she pushed.

By now we can see two baby hooves, one of which has broken through the sac. A big push, and out popped the head, still inside the sac. The mare is panting with the exertion. Slowly the rest of the head and shoulders appear. The little legs start scrabbling as soon as they touch the ground. The little guy has the sac across his face and tries to wriggle and free himself. Another push and plop, his rump and rear legs appear. It has taken less than two minutes from the nose appearing to his whole body out. Both mother and foal lie on the ground, gathering themselves. The foal shakes his nose loose and the mare raises her head to look at her new baby. She is still too exhausted to get up. The little one shakes his head and his ears and mane stand up, but with his back legs still caught up inside the sac, he ends up rolling on his back. We chuckle, he is like a kid in a sleeping bag!
The little guy has been on the earth for six minutes when he tries to stand for the first time, but with his hind legs still caught up, he has no chance yet. Mum has caught her breath, stands and turns around to greet her newborn, the afterbirth dragging behind her. Her movement has helped free her baby’s legs, and after a few more minutes, he launches his unsteady legs and he is up. He is twelve minutes old!!!!
And as quietly as we have sat, we drive away, leaving Mum and Baby to gain their strength in peace. We are very relieved we have not seen the lions close by today, we have a proprietary interest in this new family and their well-being. Sleep tight little one, and be safe - there is a big wide world to explore.

For our birders, and for those with a love of exploring and looking for something different, have you considered seeing a shoebill? For the non-birders, no, it’s not some new fashion accessory but quite the opposite, it’s an almost prehistoric-looking bird. For the birders, it’s one of the “lifers”.

And do you know, you can see these extraordinary birds almost as a day trip from Entebbe in Uganda. Join us as James and I revisit our adventure a while ago…

Leaving the Kampala traffic behind, we take the highway south towards Entebbe, and on to Lake Victoria. 45 minutes later we are crossing the lake on the ferry. We reach Nkima Forest Lodge in time for sundowners looking over Lake Victoria and the Mabamba swamps. 

The Mabamba Bay Eco-Tourism site. It’s a community run initiative, and we climb aboard our boat with our guide Joseph. We are extremely grateful for the overcast weather and cool breeze as we set out down the channels. Joseph stands at the front of the boat, looking for birds. The swamps are full of jacana, yellow-billed duck and pied kingfishers. Around a corner, we count 28 squacco herons in a quiet inlet. Our captain stops and Joseph points left, and there is a shoebill - flying, determinedly, away from us. We watch him in our binoculars until he disappears among the papyrus. The boat turns around as we set off to try and find him. It’s so calm and peaceful in the channels, and the birds are used to the boats. There is a second boat on the reeds, and there over the top, we see a shoebill. Our captain takes us right in, and we spend about 15 minutes watching this dinosaur prehistoric-looking bird. He is completely unfazed by our presence, and after so many years of waiting, it’s a huge addition to our life lists. The shoebill is the leopard of the swamps, and by now 6 boats are queueing so we decide to leave him and head slowly back to base. But the swamps have one more treat for us as we get a great view of the blue-breasted bee-eaters.

Combine this with the gorillas, a safari and a visit to the monumental mosque in crazy Kampala, and you have all the makings of an exceptional adventure for 2026.