Zarek Cockar - Privately Guided Safaris

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Zarek Cockar - Privately Guided Safaris

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- Unique, tailor-made safaris across East Africa for those driven by an insatiable thirst for discovery, adventure, and wilderness.
- Customised safari guide development workshops and naturalist discovery courses.

09/10/2024

Gabon is not only about unrelenting humid rainforest treks. We always include a healthy dose of lazy boat rides and cold brews to watch the world go by.

06/10/2024

He's outstanding in his field.
When a full grown elephant bull is made to look small, you know the trees must be huge.
I know I've been pretty rubbish about posting on social media, so here's a Forest Elephant from a special corner of Africa, Loango National Park, in Gabon - from August.

If you're looking for a privately guided adventure to one of the most unique destinations in Africa, get in touch and we can chat about Gabon.

23/07/2024

- GIZA MREMBO -
Every once in a while, I catch big cat fever, and I guess that's OK. This particular one is pretty special.
If you're interested in seeing her, or others like her (she's not the only one), reach out and let's chat about an exclusive, privately guided safari through Central Kenya.

22/05/2024

Big Day Big Find
The 11th of May was the eBird Global Big Birding Day, when birders around the world go out to find as many bird species as possible in a 24hr period. Normally, I'm staunchly working to prop up Team Kenya, but this year I was in transit, moving across Cote d'Ivoire, with very little time for dedicated birding, racking up a paltry 37 species. But the final bird of the day more than made up for the low diversity.
Around 8pm, I was getting ready for a night walk, when I found a beautiful feather I immediately recognised as belonging to an owl. I looked up at the roof of the building next to me, and there in my red light was this stunning Fraser's Eagle-Owl, silently judging me.
Keeping my red light pointed well below it's feet, I managed to snap a couple of low light shots before leaving it in peace to continue hunting little rodents in the grass.
The other two special Eagle-Owl species in the area, Shelley's and Akun, continue to elude me, but this was a major highlight of my recent trip to Tai Forest National Park, Côte d'Ivoire.
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Privileged to be guiding for
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13/04/2024

- ZAKOUMA -
The richness and abundance of Zakouma is often astounding. A pan with almost 10,000 Black-crowned Cranes, Knob-billed Ducks, and Spurwinged Geese is also a crucial waterhole for thousands of Tiang, Lelwel's Hartebeest, Waterbuck, Kob, and more Bohor Reedbuck than most people see in a lifetime. And all of this is overflown by tens of thousands of Doves and hundreds of thousands or millions or Red-billed Quelea forming endlessly changing murmurations, swerving to escape kites, harriers, kestrels, fish eagles, and Marabous all hungry for a snack. No photos or video could ever do Rigueik Pan or nearby Dikeri justice. And I will never tire of it.
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Guiding for Chalo Africa in Zakouma National Park with massive respect for African Parks
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04/04/2024

- ADDAX -
By 2016 only around 40-60 Addax were left in the wild, in 4 disparate populations around the Sahara - fewer than 10 of these were left in Chad. They were declared Critically Endangered, and it seemed their extinction was close at hand. Unregulated hunting and poaching using automatic weapons and motorised transport across their range were at the centre of this decline. But, once again, the hard work of Sahara Conservation and Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi intervened to stop that from happening. A reintroduction programme was started in Ouadi Rimé Ouadi Achim Faunal Reserve in central Chad, and by 2020, they were celebrating their first wild birth in decades.
Now, over 100 Addax roam these vast plains, a combination of introduced adults and a good number of subsequent wild births. A further 10 have been transferred further north into the Ennedi reserve at the end of last year. So while numbers are still exceptionally low, hope continues to grow for this incredible antelope.
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Like their Oryx cousins, Addax are supremely well adapted to their arid environment. They spend most of the day in the shade, nasal panting, & opting to do most of their eating in the cool hours before sunrise.
- with Chalo Africa
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31/03/2024

- Scimitar-horned Oryx -
Declared 'Extinct in the wild' in the late 90s, this species suffered precipitous declines from over-exploitation through civil war and unregulated vehicle-based hunting across their Sahara-Sahel range. But with the hard work of Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi and Sahara Conservation these Oryx now roam the deserts and plains once more through a very successful reintroduction programme in Chad's Ouadi Rimé Ouadi Achim (OROA) Faunal Reserve.
After their latest IUCN Red List of Threatened Species assessment, they're now considered 'Endangered', having completely slipped over the 'Critically Endangered' designation.
Over 600 individuals now roam the dry, sandy grasslands or OROA, a combination of introduced adults, wild births, and subsequent generation births!

This is a story of conservation success and hope. Ironically, some of the highest Scimitar-horned Oryx numbers in the world are in big hunting ranches in Texas. And it's from these ranches that some of these reintroductions originate. Unregulated hunting/poaching can have disastrous effects on wildlife, but well-regulated hunting provides a value to wildlife that can result in an increase in habitat and populations.
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- With Chalo Africa
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29/03/2024

- Moila Snake -
Also known as a False Cobra, the spread hood display is so convincing that I yelled out "Cobra!" as we passed it next to the road. It was only after we'd stopped and I could get a close up view that I realised this was something else entirely.
Apparently one of the most common large snakes of the Sahara and northern Sahel, it's a primary food source for the Beaudouin's Snake-eagles so often gracing the skies.
Rear-fanged with haemotoxic venom, very little is known about the potency, but by all accounts a bite is unlikely to prove lethal.
- with

28/03/2024

The colours of Ennedi
- with .ennedi

25/03/2024

- The Nomad -
A Daza, or Toubou, nomad and his son make their way across a rare grassy plain between the towering sandstone cliffs of Ennedi.
With in .ennedi

21/03/2024

- Desert Biodiversity -
Contrary to what many believe, deserts are not void of life, but rather havens for a host of specially adapted species, many of which are nocturnal. One just has to look at the average sand dune to see a wide variety of tracks and signs. Tramlines, tail drags, hops, slow walks, burrows, take-off points - they're all there in all shapes and sizes.
Over 5 days in the Sahara proper we saw 12 mammal species, 46 bird species, 6 herps, at least 1 fish species, and uncounted invertebrates.
The lizard above is a Long Fringe-fingered Lizard (Acanthodactylus longipes), a lightning fast denizen of the dunes.
With in .ennedi

18/03/2024

- ANCIENT ROCK ART -
The Ennedi masssif is littered with scores of ancient rock art sites dating back 4,000 - 10,000 years, some from a time when savanna wildlife and cattle still roamed the plains, before it all dried out. Some of it is reasonably easy to decipher, while other images leave one scratching one's head. It's all a fascinating window into the Sahara's human and environmental past, a new dimension to add to a classic safari beyond wildlife and scenery.

17/03/2024

- Guelta d'Archei -
An incredible canyon with a cold water spring in the middle of the sweltering Sahara Desert. Witnessing the daily parade of camels and donkeys to this spring feels like a step back in time. Barbary Falcons hunt Rock Doves over the camels heads, and 3 West African Crocodiles, mysteriously, ply the waters, eating mostly fish and possibly a few frogs.
African Parks Ennedi Natural & Cultural Reserve is an astonishing place of rugged beauty, rich cultural heritage, ancient history, and fascinating biodiversity.
Guiding for Chalo Africa with Eyte' Voyages Tchad

19/02/2024

- Kenya Montane Viper -
A "near-threatened" Kenyan endemic. I did a little dance when we found this amazing snake up in the Aberdares last month. A lifer for me, and one I've dreamt of seeing for years.
Threatened by habitat loss through fire and by opportunistic, unregulated collection, the population trend is unknown, as there just isn't enough funding to conduct regular assessments of every reptile species in Kenya.
When you're walking around the thick moorland tussock of the Aberdare mountains or Mt Kenya, watch where you step!

15/02/2024

- AFRICAN WOOD OWL -
One of around 420 bird species we encountered on a recently completed safari around Kenya. Owls are some of my favourite birds.
Despite the many superstitions that surround them, owls are great birds to have around to keep rodent, reptile, and insect populations in check. Owls are not evil. They're intelligent and crucial predators keeping ecosystem processes in balance.

24/12/2023

Wishing you all a happy Christmas and new year. Stay safe.

12/10/2023

- Gabon 2024: 3 Spaces Left! -
Come join me in Gabon in August 2024! A phenomenal country with 88% forest cover and masses of biodiversity, this is the best opportunity to see a Mandrill in the wild, along with Red River Hogs, Forest Elephants, Western Lowland Gorillas, and heaps of rainforest birds. Check out the link below to access a PDF to download all the details. Get in touch with Chalo Africa to sign up! 3 spaces left!
https://www.zarekcockarsafaris.com/post/let-s-go-to-gabon-in-2024

02/10/2023

- African Wolf -
One of my favourite sightings of the year so far. We found a good spot to scan and it hadn't been 15 minutes before we caught a glimpse of dust being kicked up in a chase. We swung the car around just in time to watch this African Wolf catch a hare. No sooner had he subdued it and a pair of marauding Tawny Eagles who'd been watching were attacking him to steal his meal. Luckily his mate appeared and they managed to fend off the eagles to enjoy their meal in peace.
And the best part? Despite being in Amboseli in peak tourist season, we enjoyed this sighting all to ourselves in a quiet corner of the park, right at golden hour.
"Wolves", you say? Yes! What for years were referred to as Golden Jackals have been shown to be related closer to the European Grey Wolf than to any Jackals in Africa or Eurasia. So they've been reclassified as African Wolves or African Golden Wolves (Canis lupaster).

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Videos

Indian Ocean safari. Watching Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins bow riding in Kisite Mpunguti Marine National Park - followed by a few hours of excellent snorkeling before anyone else arrived. #indianocean #oceansafari #seasafari #dolphins #whyilovekenya #magicalkenya

Volume up! Laikipia's "Phoenix Pack" appeared out of nowhere this morning, ripping through the landscape, sending zebras and Dikdiks in every direction. They flew into some thick bush in front of us, disappeared from view for a minute, and when we caught up with them, they'd pulled down a male impala and had pulled in 3 different directions. Just the most exciting predator to watch. Their interactions, vocalisations, playfulness, and curiosity..... How can you not love them? #africanwilddog #wilddogs #paintedwolf #pictus #lycaon #laikipiawilderness #whyilovekenya #magicalkenya #conservancysafari #privatelyguidedsafari

The riverine forest along the Tsavo River. Habitat for Lion, Leopard, Yellow Baboons, Pearl Spotted Owlet, and a TONNE of Bateleurs. We couldn't get enough of this place. #tsavoriver #tsavo #tsavoecosystem #tsavowest #riparianforest #riverineforest #doumpalm #habitat #whyilovekenya #magicalkenya

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Exploring East Africa’s wild places with passion and wide-eyed curiosity

The longer I live, and the further I travel, the more I fall in love with East Africa’s wilderness, and the deeper my curiosity grows for all of its intricacies. Join me on a journey of discovery of charismatic wildlife, ancient cultures, and spectacular landscapes, where no destination is out of reach, and no dream too big.