Tropical Ice Ltd.

Tropical Ice Ltd. Over 40 Years of Adventure in the World's Wildest Places But they are done in our own special style:

We do not travel where the tourist masses go.
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Tropical Ice operates many different types of trips, including vehicle game-viewing safaris; Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro climbs; walking safaris; and tiger safaris in India. With the exception of one or two small exclusive hotels, we stay only in our own private camps. We understand that a safari should be more than “seeing”, it’s all about “learning”. With this in mind we place great emphasis on

the quality and experience of our guides, fully aware that this is where the ultimate success of a safari lies. In Kenya we travel only in our own specially designed 4×4 safari vehicles. The concept of Tropical Ice is more important today than it was over 30 years ago when we started. Owing to population expansion the natural wildlife habitats are being threatened today as never before. We know where the places are that one can still find an Africa unchanged, where roads are few and people fewer. Our mission is to continue seeking these places out so that we can introduce our visitors to the wilderness we grew up in.

Iain’s book was published on September 26th, and has been easily available on AmazonUK. There appears, however, to have ...
09/10/2024

Iain’s book was published on September 26th, and has been easily available on AmazonUK. There appears, however, to have been delays where Amazon.com is concerned.

For those people in the U.S. who are waiting for Amazon to deliver, we would recommend that you cancel your order with them, and order through Barnes & Noble who appear to be well-stocked.

Iain has published his memoir! In OUTSIDER...A Life with the Elephants and Mountains of Africa, Iain writes “For those o...
20/09/2024

Iain has published his memoir!

In OUTSIDER...A Life with the Elephants and Mountains of Africa, Iain writes “For those of us who have made our homes in Africa we live on the edge of safety in an unpredictable world. Like 'war ju**ie' journalists we feed off Africa's uncertainties. Those who couldn't cope packed up and left a long time ago.”

In OUTSIDER you will find out exactly what he means...

OUTSIDER is poignant, at times tragic, but always heartwarming and fun. And who knows...you might even find yourself somewhere in its pages!

Those of you who have walked in Tsavo with Iain during the past four decades will have heard the Tsavo story live. Pegasus will publish his memoir in London on September 26, and it will be available on Amazon, and leading bookstores in Europe and America. The book is crammed full of Iain's stories, from his early days in Scotland, through his 1958 arrival in Kenya as a boy, and his initiation into the world of rock climbing and mountaineering. You will read about the birth of Tropical Ice, and the introduction of adventure travel into East Africa, and along the way you will learn about the history of Kenya during the past 65 years, and the world of African conservation, and its uncertain future..

Order your copy today on Amazon International (US)
https://www.amazon.com/OUTSIDER-Life-Elephants-Mountains-Africa/dp/1800168152

Or Amazon UK
https://www.amazon.co.uk/OUTSIDER-Life-Elephants-Mountains-Africa/dp/1800168152

We have space on the following Great Walk of Africa safaris in 2025:
Feb 02 - 14
Feb 16 - 28
Jun 01 - 13
Jun 15 - 27
Jun 29 - Jul 11
Aug 10 - 22
Aug 24 - Sept 05
Sept 07 - 19
Sept 21 - Oct 03

Take a second to appreciate just how gorgeous nature can be! These pics were all taken on this years Wild Botswana safar...
17/09/2024

Take a second to appreciate just how gorgeous nature can be! These pics were all taken on this years Wild Botswana safari by one of our talented guests, Brent Blue.

Gives you an idea of how great the wildlife sightings were!

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🌍 www.tropical-ice.com
🐘 not your average safari
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01/09/2024

Evening fun at a waterhole in Botswana. These videos were all taken on a phone - that's how close you can get!

It was wonderful spending hours watching these stunning creatures, observing their interactions, and subtle behaviors.

Over 150 elephants must have visited the waterhole in the two hours we were there (it felt like 2 minutes).

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-> www.tropical-ice.com
-> Not your average safaris...

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Amazing sequence of lions taking down a buffalo in the Maasai Mara!It took all day for the lions to bring the buffalo do...
13/08/2024

Amazing sequence of lions taking down a buffalo in the Maasai Mara!

It took all day for the lions to bring the buffalo down. They started at 8:30am by nipping and biting it's back legs to open it up. By 5pm it was still alive but getting weaker from loss of blood. The end followed shortly.

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🌍 www.tropical-ice.com
🦁 the wildest safari experiences on the planet
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It's these moments that make The Great Walk of Africa truly 'Great'!The doum palm groves of the galana river provide a s...
08/08/2024

It's these moments that make The Great Walk of Africa truly 'Great'!

The doum palm groves of the galana river provide a stunning backdrop for your animal sightings.

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🌍 www.tropical-ice.com
🐘 Safaris guaranteed to provide adrenaline and surprise
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06/08/2024

Meanwhile, on The Great Walk of Africa...

We think this is more of a 'herd' of lions than a pride! How many can you count?

Sunny skies and great wildlife sightings in the Maasai Mara! ______________🌍 www.tropical-ice.com 🐘 Wildlife safaris ri...
22/07/2024

Sunny skies and great wildlife sightings in the Maasai Mara!

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🌍 www.tropical-ice.com
🐘 Wildlife safaris rich in adventure
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The definition of feeling small is having a bull elephant staring you down!The Great Walk of Africa is undoubtedly the m...
22/06/2024

The definition of feeling small is having a bull elephant staring you down!

The Great Walk of Africa is undoubtedly the most genuine and exciting safari on the continent. Offering you up close moments on foot like this day after day. To fully appreciate the African bush you have to leave cars behind and meet the animals on their terms!

What was your favourite great walk moment?

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🌍 www.tropical-ice.com
🐘 Walking safaris in the African bush
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Elephants and baobabs must seem really big when you're this little!The wilderness also seems endless...It's lovely seein...
24/05/2024

Elephants and baobabs must seem really big when you're this little!

The wilderness also seems endless...

It's lovely seeing Tsavo through fresh and curious eyes.

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🌎 www.tropical-ice.com
🐘 Uncompromising adventure since 1978
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This is Kenya! Would you have guessed? Most people don't know that our Northern Frontier is a desert with landscapes and...
11/05/2024

This is Kenya! Would you have guessed? Most people don't know that our Northern Frontier is a desert with landscapes and lakes that rival anywhere on Earth for sheer beauty...

A land of space, solitude, and survival...

Imagine exploring this on foot, on quad bikes, and from the sky by helicopter! These are photos that you could take on our new safari - A Journey to the Jade Sea.

This is as off the beaten track as it gets!

The trip also involves visits to two of Kenya's best wildlife viewing national parks, packing the best of the country into a seriously epic safari.

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🌎 www.tropical-ice.com
🚁 Africa's most adventurous safaris
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NEW SAFARI! We invite you to join us on a Journey to the Jade Sea...This is an action packed family-friendly safari comb...
07/05/2024

NEW SAFARI! We invite you to join us on a Journey to the Jade Sea...

This is an action packed family-friendly safari combining Kenya's greatest hits with some real adventure and fun - think quad bikes, helicopters, walking, fishing, and game driving!

We start in two of our most wildlife rich savannah and grassland national parks before venturing into Kenya's rarely visited North. We finish up on the stunning shores of Lake Turkana (the Jade Sea), a region of mountains, lakes, and deserts populated by nomadic tribes. This is as off the map and exciting as it gets!

This itinerary is perfect for anyone who has done our Great Walk of Africa and wants to see a different side of Kenya. It is also great for first-time visitors after a broader overview of the country.

Come join us for some fun! Follow the link in our bio or reach out for more info. We're taking bookings for 2025, spaces limited.

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🌎 www.tropical-ice.com
🦁 Uncompromising adventure since 1978
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Wild Botswana! Only two and a half months until we traverse the entire Okavango Delta. We couldn't be more excited!This ...
06/05/2024

Wild Botswana! Only two and a half months until we traverse the entire Okavango Delta. We couldn't be more excited!

This epic safari also includes a stay at a wildlife rich (and very luxurious) private concession, which is a photographers heaven.

One space has freed up on our 2024 departure. Reach out if you want to join us on this adventure of a lifetime...

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🌎 www.tropical-ice.com
🐘 Africa's most adventurous safaris
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Tsavo landscapes looking green, lush, and as always, spectacular._____________________________🌎 www.tropical-ice.com 🐘 U...
03/05/2024

Tsavo landscapes looking green, lush, and as always, spectacular.

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🌎 www.tropical-ice.com
🐘 Uncompromising adventure since 1978
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What an animal! If you missed our newsletter and are interested in elephant conservation, then head to the link in our b...
29/04/2024

What an animal! If you missed our newsletter and are interested in elephant conservation, then head to the link in our bio to read about the trophy hunting situation on the Tanzanian border.

These creatures are best enjoyed alive and up close on foot. If you get the wind right, they are unaware of your presence, so behave in a completely natural manner. Nothing beats this sort of sighting!

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🌎 www.tropical-ice.com
🐘 Walking safaris in Africa's wildest areas since 1978
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📸 Max Melesi

An elephant never forgets... unless it is dead.Tanzania has resumed elephant hunting along the Kenyan border for the fir...
26/04/2024

An elephant never forgets... unless it is dead.

Tanzania has resumed elephant hunting along the Kenyan border for the first time in 30 years. Five big bulls from Kenya have been killed in the last seven months with major negative consequences for Amboseli and Tsavo’s elephant populations. We spoke with one of the world’s leading elephant researchers, Joyce Poole, to find out more about this unfolding tragedy, including the ecological importance of these older elephant bulls, and what can be done to stop the killing.

This newsletter is about a topic close to our hearts, and for those of you who have been with us on the Great Walk of Africa, we know it will be close to yours as well. Please put 3 minutes aside and read it end-to-end.

In 1996 Iain was fortunate to walk a section of the Great Walk of Africa with the American elephant biologist, Joyce Poole. What he learned about elephants on that safari completely changed his attitude towards what we were doing on our 100 mile walk across Tsavo. Iain explained, “We realised it was all about elephants. There are dozens of other species to be seen on the walk, but the elephant stands supreme. This is not just owing to their intelligence and intricate family structure, but because of the impact they have on the ecosystem in general. Put simply, the ecosystem exists because of them.”

Neighbouring Tsavo, to the southwest, lies the world-famous park, Amboseli. It is one of the most unique parks in Africa, owing to its spectacular location directly beneath the northern slopes of Kilimanjaro, but also as being the region where the world's longest and most intensive study of elephants has taken place. What we know today about elephants, has come directly from work started by Cynthia Moss over 50 years ago, and is still guided by her today.

Amboseli, however, has a major problem. It lies directly along the border with Tanzania to the south, where there stands a block of land set aside for trophy hunting. Kenya banned game hunting in 1977 but Tanzania never has. If you are considering a safari to Ngorongoro Crater or the Serengeti in northern Tanzania, then think twice, because you are endorsing a country where for US$10-20,000 you can buy a permit to shoot an elephant. In this day and age, particularly in light of what we now know about elephants, this is simply disgusting.

Let's look closer at what is happening. The elephants of Amboseli are a cross-border population of about 2,000, many of whom inhabit both Kenya and Tanzania. In late 2023, two Amboseli adult males with tusks reportedly weighing over 100lbs were shot in Tanzania, close to the border with Amboseli. The wealthy hunters, who are mainly Americans, position themselves close to Amboseli and wait for the elephant bulls to cross. Some have been shot 25 km inside Tanzania. As we write, the beautiful bull elephant, Esau, is 30 km inside Tanzania; he is alive owing to him having been collared. He is fortunate because we know that he has been filmed by the hunters. These bulls have had no history of poaching or being shot at, they are used to humans, and show no fear in their presence. You can drive right up to them. They are easy targets.

A third elephant was shot in late February, 2024, and a fourth at the end of March. A report is just coming in that a fifth bull has been shot during the past few days.

You might ask yourself: Why is the killing of a few bull elephants in Tanzania threatening the population in Amboseli? Here is the reason why:

Approximately 30 adult male elephants, over the age of 25 years, use this region in Tanzania as part of their home range. As explained by Joyce Poole, co-founder and Scientific Director of ElephantVoices:

“Fifty years of research on Amboseli's known individuals has shown that males between 35 and 55 years of age are the primary breeders. Hunters who claim that older males are “dead wood” are just plain ignorant of the science. Males who are given the chance to live to an old age produce a disproportionate number of offspring, passing their genes to the next generation. By killing large tusked males, hunters are damaging elephant society, negatively impacting Amboseli's rare gene pool for large tusks, and taking a toll on its future tourism potential.”

Let's for a moment place the moral issue aside, and look at elephant hunting from a cold, economic perspective; the argument for killing simply doesn't add up. A recent iworry report stated that the estimated tourism value of a single living elephant is US$1.6 million over its lifetime, to travel companies, airlines, and local economies. This is 80x greater than the cost of a hunting permit. An important resource for the Tanzanian people is being squandered by their government for the benefit of wealthy foreigners.

The situation needs to be rectified quickly, and many groups are trying; conservation groups have been vocal and are tracking as many bulls as possible to stop them straying too far into Tanzania; the Kajiado county government, which runs Amboseli has been vocal, writing an open letter asking the President of Kenya to intervene, and the World Bank has halted all its tourism aid money to Tanzania until it stops the killing. These are all moves in the right direction.

What can you do?

Please access ElephantVoices web page, and there you will find a list of options that we suggest you go through.

Address

P. O. Box 24489
Nairobi
00502

Telephone

+254712282793

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Videos

Want to see wild gorillas away from the crowds? We've got you covered... Our new destination is almost ready to launch. And no, we are not going to Rwanda or Uganda, this will be much more exciting and off the beaten track! Kudos to anyone who can guess where! Curious? Reach out for more info. #safari #wildlifephotography #adventuretravel #adventure #gorillatrekking #Gorilla #greatapes #naturelovers #travelblogger #wildlife #bucketlist #africa #africansafari

Even leopards scavenge! This is one of the most bizarre wildlife sightings we've had. Two leopards climbing all over an elephant was quite surreal! The amazing thing was they weren't phased by us at all and let us take great pictures for the best part of an hour. #Botswana #botswanasafari #bigcats #leopard #elephant #wildlife #wildlifephotography #cats #okavangodelta #safari #adventuretravel #adventure Wild Botswana 2024 really turned it on!

Siesta's with company! Could you sleep with this gentle giant grazing around your tent? Elephants love the doum palm groves where we camp on the Great Walk of Africa. Having them in camp is always a favourite moment #elephant #safari #kenya #tsavonationalpark #wildlife #adventuretravel #walkingsafari

Meanwhile, on The Great Walk of Africa... We think this is more of a 'herd' of lions than a pride! How many can you count?

During our afternoon drive in Bandhavgarh, we watched this young tiger traipse though the water. Magnificent sight. #tiger #india #hike #adventure

We started our three day hike across the hills of Satpura National Park, staying in our beautiful camps, with amazing food. Our camp staff - there were 40 men to look after our group of 11 - were as friendly and willing as ever. I was amazed to see the number of tiger tracks during our walk, which seem to increase with each passing year. We boarded our jeeps from the last camp, and within ten minutes we saw two tigers in the forest about 100 feet away. It wasn’t the best sighting, and only two of our jeeps saw them, but it was a good omen. Later in the afternoon, we went for a game drive and had a magnificent viewing of a tigress, as well as Sloth bears and Gaur. Such a wonderful feeling to have the tiger stress behind us at this early stage of the trip, and we still have six days of game viewing in Kanha and Bandhavgarh ahead of us. I'm writing this on the train to Jabalpur, where we will have lunch at the Indian Coffee House - the home of dosa. This afternoon we will drive to Kanha. #hike #travel #india

Since Tropical Ice first started its Wild India safari in 2011, we’ve been operating two trips each year (with the exception of 2021 and 2022 when India was closed.) We have seen tigers on every one of our trips. This year our first group saw 9, and the second group has seen 7. The quality of the sightings has been extraordinary. Please check our website to read the blog of the first safari, and the tiger images from the second trip. We are taking bookings now for our two departures of Wild India, scheduled for 2024. Dates January 21 - February 08 February 11 - 29

Bet you never imagined being this close to wild elephants! Samburu is amazing. The elephants behave as they should, and just completely ignore us, strolling right past the car doing their thing. Our wild frontiers safari is all about close up elephant encounters... ----- Tropical Ice Safaris www.tropical-ice.com @tsavoman @alex_safaris ----- #luxurysafari #samburu #elephant #safari #walkingsafari #wildlifephoto #wildlifelovers #wilderness #kenya

We have just had a wonderful Wild Frontiers safari with 12 American clients - yes, it actually is possible to travel internationally these days. This clip was taken in Amboseli National Park, which was positively teeming with game: wildebeest, zebra, and of course, the elephants, which it is famous for. We also saw 14 lions. Our group also had a wonderful talk about elephants at Cynthia Moss's research camp. #safari #adventure #travel

Watch the baby playing with its trunk! 😍😍😍 They walked by literally a metre in front of our group of 12 lucky American clients!

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Our Story

Tropical Ice was started by Iain Allan in 1978 as a technical-climbing guiding company on the peaks of Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro. It very quickly expanded into “Nepal-style” trekking on the remoter slopes of these mountains.

Taking advantage of Kenya’s ban on big game hunting in 1977, and the resulting vacuum within the tourist industry, Iain began to search out a remote, unspoiled region of wilderness in Kenya with the idea of beginning big game country walking safaris. He quickly settled on 8,300 square mile (22,000 square km) Tsavo.

This was a new, quite radical concept for the time. East African national parks had always been places visitors could only drive in. Walking could only be done in the hunting blocks bordering some of the parks. To walk inside a park was unthinkable at the time. Iain’s idea was to model Tropical Ice’s walking safaris on the traditional hunting safari: leave the vehicles behind, get out into the bush, search out the game with experienced trackers, and finally shoot the wildlife with cameras, not guns. Fortunately he had the backing of Tsavo’s legendary senior warden, Bill Woodley, and Tropical Ice has never looked back.

In our long history we’ve learned a lot about the bush, and our walking safaris have been refined and organised to deliver the wonderful complexities of Africa’s wilderness to our clients. We found that mountaineering has much in common with walking in the African bush: they both require long apprenticeships; we took the tools and skills that we’d learned on the mountains with us, knowing that safety and caution are the only prerequisites for survival. We never take it for granted.

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