One amazing place to take a bath! The baths of the Sultan and Queen Mother at the Imperial Harem at Topkapi Palace. Spotted on our Passport to Folk Art: Turkey trip.
Celebrating World Tourism Day as we work toward a more sustainable, prosperous and resilient tourism industry for everyone. BJ Adventures intentionally supports those who are working to bridge the gap between tourism, conservation, and sustainable community development. As UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, "Investing in sustainable tourism is investing in a better future for all."
Whirling Dervishes
A ritual of Rumi's followers, the whirling of dervishes is an act of love and faith. The gentle turns become increasingly dynamic as the individual dervishes strive to achieve a state of trance. A truly mesmerizing experience on our Passport to Folk Art: Turkey adventure.
Happy National Drink Wine Day - a holiday we can get behind! This pour is from a delicious wine-pairing dinner we enjoyed at Perivoli Lagoon House in Stanford, South Africa with madre.stanford and Creation Wines. Let us know if we can create a wine-centric travel and culinvary adventure for you!
A few months ago one of our safari groups had the privilege of staying at the gorgeous Perivoli Lagoon House. Set in a pristine wilderness reserve, overlooking the banks of the Klein River lagoon between Stanford and Hermanus, the Lagoon House is owned by the philanthropically focused Perivoli Trust. All profits from Perivoli Lagoon House are initially allocated to helping to conserve the indigenous but endangered fynbos, the rare and highly colorful plant life that is endemic to the area, by clearing invasive alien species. All surplus profits are allocated to the Perivoli Schools Trust.
It’s such a special place filled with activities like fynbos nature walks, kayaking, beach excursions for sundowners, boat rides on the Lady Stanford on the Klein River ... it’s such an amazing experience to stay there. Managers Marcelino and Simone Henckert are amazing hosts and leave no beautiful detail unturned!
Cheetah sighting from our trip a month or so ago to the Serengeti - so exciting to see these elegant cats up close!
Cheetah sighting from our trip a month or so ago to the Serengeti - always so exciting to see these elegant cats up close!
People are enjoying the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta this weekend back in NM ... meanwhile we enjoyed a private balloon fiesta here at the Serengeti National Park flying over the Mara River, watching the migration of zebra and wildebeest!
Who can resist this face? We had a wonderful visit to the Giraffe Manor and African Fund for Endangered Wildlife - Giraffe Centre in Nairobi, home to the Rothschild’s Giraffe.
Here's Evah Mudenda, a basket weaver and International Folk Art Market artist who makes ilala palm baskets, sharing what it means to her that people have bought her work through the years, both in Santa Fe, and during our visit to see her in Zimbabwe.
You'll want to have your sound on to enjoy this wonderful song sang by some of the staff on our safari. 💗
We'd love to welcome you to our incredible South African Adventure happening August 25 - September 9, 2022 – we only have one to two spots left!
This adventure includes ...
• Art and city tours in Joburg, South Africa
• Mobile safari camps in Botswana led by expert guides
• A tour of one of the natural wonders of the world, Victoria Falls
• A conservation awareness safari to learn about the anti-poaching efforts being made in Zambezi National Park
• An art and city tour of Cape Town
• And more!
Interested? Give us a call +1.505.466.2289!
Wait for it … Did you get goosebumps when you noticed the cheetah a few feet away staring at the Landcruiser?
Botlierskop Game Reserve is home to free roaming cheetahs and we were so lucky to see them (thank you Mandela)! The first male cheetah, Hobbes, was released in March 2022, followed by his female companion Catja. Both spent 2 years in rehabilitation at Ashia Cheetah Conservation after being injured during their hunts.
Botlierskop notes that Hobbes had broken his heel bone, a complicated injury to fix. In the wild, it would have been a death sentence. The Endangered Wildlife Trust contacted Ashia for urgent financial and logistical support. After a surgery and 6 weeks in the clinic, Hobbes was taken to Ashia for rehabilitation. Although the bone healed very well, he had lost a lot of muscle power and needed to build up strength to walk and run again. It was during this time at Ashia that Hobbes and Catja formed their friendship.
“Catja was actually one of the first cheetah to be released from captivity as part of Ashia’s Release and Reintroduction Program in 2018. During this time, she gave birth to a litter of 4 boys in one of the pre-release hunting sections. She turned out to be one of the best mothers they had seen, caring, and hunting well for her new litter. In March 2020, she also injured herself during a hunt where a sharp stick or horn penetrated a ligament in her hind leg and she was relocated to the Old Chapel Veterinary Clinic in Pretoria. She had to undergo 5 surgeries with Dr Peter Caldwell and spent 8 months in the clinic before she could be transferred to Ashia. The staff at Ashia worked with her as often as possible, and eventually had her running at her usual speed in the centre’s exercise ring … Catja’s release was incredible, and she immediately showed that she is destined to become a game-drive favorite! Within seconds she raced up the hill chasing after some Bontebok, and within two days of her release, she was already hun
Where do you want to go next? We’ll get you there!
BJ Adventures has provided customized travel to more than 90 countries since 1989.
(See if you can spot Roger Dugmore Safaris in this video 😉. Thanks, Roger, for getting us where we needed to go!)
World Hippo Day
The amazing thing about safari is you never know what you're going to encounter. You can be on a boat ride on the Upper Zambezi river to view some beautiful baobab trees (in this case on the Zimbabwe side) and then suddenly, out of nowhere, a hippo appears!
Today is World Hippo Day, a day to celebrate the extraordinary hippopotamus and encourage people to take action to prevent its extinction. We love planning safaris so you have a chance to see these and other amazing animals in their natural habitat, all while supporting local conservation efforts.
