Essential Africa Guided Safaris

14/02/2025

Today we leave the wide open plains of the southern Serengeti where we have spent the last four days enjoying the freedom of the private concession where at times we were surrounded by hundreds of thousands of animals as they move in search of food and water. A big thanks to our group for our time together, we look forward to the next one elsewhere in Africa!

11/02/2025

We arrived yesterday in the immense private concession of Maswa here in Tanzania. After just two drives we are already on cheetah number 11, with these three putting up quite a show this morning. We watched the mother stalk and chase a Thompson's Gazelle and narrowly miss it and then watched as she returned to her two cubs to catch her breath. The plains are alive with thousands of wildebeest, zebra and eland to name just a portion of what we've seen so far. Lots more to come....this afternoon we are off looking for lion that I could hear from camp last night, let's see how we do.

03/02/2025

Here's wishing our group traveling up in Rwanda at the moment to see the mountain gorillas a safe and exciting trip, I look forward to hearing all about when I meet up with you in Tanzania in a few days to guide that section of the safari. Meanwhile in Botswana, this young leopard starts her day on a high point looking out over the wild sage for any potential prey. As it turned out, shortly after I took this image she was chased by a big bull elephant but it didn't seem to phase her as she started stalking a male impala straight afterwards......he got away.

27/01/2025

"Best seat in the house" when the grass is long and wet sitting high and dry is by far the best option....during the rainy season food is plentiful and the bush is thick, so paying attention to where you are heading is important and you never know what's lurking in the grass. This troop of baboons had found one of their favorite meals, large mushrooms that sprout out of the termite mounds at this time of the year are a delicacy for baboons and humans alike. The mother baboon in this image is snacking on the stem of one of these mushrooms, if left to grow the mushrooms can get easily double the size of a large dinner plate!

20/01/2025

We find ourselves in some really spectacular destinations across Africa during our safaris, as guides we tend to get most of the thanks for what happens out there but the hard work starts the moment the first email arrives in the office and the ladies start the piecing together of all the logistics so that scenes such as this one can be enjoyed. It's always nice to receive feedback from our groups and some lovely feedback just received says it all. Thanks to the ladies in our office for their tireless work as they look after and monitor each step of every safari, we couldn't be out there doing what we love if it wasn't for you all!

"Hello Eva.
We arrived back in NYC this morning and just want you to know what a FABULOUS trip you planned for our family.
We are truly grateful for your recommendations, guidance, and maintenance of our trip.
We are thrilled.
Thank you.""

13/01/2025

During this time of the year the mountain gorillas of the Virunga Mountains move down the slopes in search of their favorite food, young bamboo shoots. Often when they find a patch of this, or any of their other favorites, they sit down in the middle of it and get as much a they can all the while making a soft humming like sound as a sign of contentment...

Special moments that are hard to adequately describe to someone who hasn't been there and experienced this first hand. The same goes for many such encounters on a safari, whether its waiting patiently as a bull elephant strolls past the vehicle or waiting with a pride of lions as they get ready for their evening hunt....its all special and all part of a safari...

06/01/2025

We are "back in the saddle" as it were after a little down time over the festive season. Pictured here are a few highlights of the past year, there were so many more and impossible to include all of them. We have a very busy year ahead of us with confirmed safaris across Africa, some of them I will be guiding, others we have arranged and we know our guests will be looked after each step of the way. I look forward to as always sharing some of these experiences as I go with you all as the season unfolds. A huge thank you to all of our regular repeat guests who have become friends over the years, we couldn't do what we do without you and we appreciate all of the support. To all of our new guests traveling this year, we look forward to you all becoming "safari addicts" and friends as well.

30/12/2024

It's not just the wildlife and wilderness that makes an incredible experience during a safari, the ever smiling and welcoming staff at each camp are a huge component of each days enjoyment. Drifting past our camp in a hot air balloon one of the staff popped out to wave hello....smiles all round! Busanga Plains, Zambia.

23/12/2024

In some parts of Africa, the camps move according to where the bulk of the wildlife is during that specific time. In east Africa for example, we make use of luxury mobile camps as pictured here. The camps are positioned, usually for about a three month period in the path of the annual migration and at times are quite literally surrounded by hundreds of thousands of animals as they go about their daily lives. We also plan as far as possible to make use of private concessions so that we can be out there with few others and enjoy what a safari should be about, wide open spaces, nature in an uncontrived habitat and the freedom to explore the area on your own time table. Southern short grass plains, Tanzania.

17/12/2024

"Working Together" Always a point of interest for those on a safari, the oxpeckers that groom many of the animals for parasites not only help the game in that regard, but they act as an early warning system for the animals. If any form of danger approaches, especially man on foot, the birds start calling and immediately the animals knows somethings up....the only time they don't benefit their host is when they are nesting and they pluck great tufts of fur from the animals to line their nests, a small price to pay for the benefits they provide.

09/12/2024

Coffee anyone? Stopping for our morning coffee break is always a welcome part of any morning game drive. Here on the southern short grass plains in Tanzania it can be crowded, fortunately where we choose to operate its crowded with animals and not people :) At this time of the year the massive herds head towards these open grasslands in preparation for the "calving season" when several hundred thousand animals are born over about a 3 month period. One of the most spectacular scenes and occurrences to witness in anyones lifetime.

03/12/2024

One of the most exciting animal to follow if you are looking for some high speed, adrenaline style action during a safari, is a pack of wild-dogs. This large pack was just gathering and warming up for their evening hunt through the thickets and riverbeds of the Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve, here in South Africa. Keeping up with them however is the trick, we often follow Hooded Vultures and eagles such a Tawny and Bateleur Eagles as they track the pack from the air, knowing that sooner or later they will be rewarded with scraps from a kill. This is where having full off-road access and unlimited time with the animals is key to getting the full experience out of each sighting.

29/11/2024

A picture of innocence...for now :) Those of you who have traveled and spent time at a lodge or camp anywhere in the bush will no doubt have encountered vervet monkeys around the rooms and dinning areas. These guys are masters at exploiting any weakness when it comes to a sugar bowl or tasty snack left unattended. They are as naughty as they are cute.

25/11/2024

The change of the season here in Southern Africa is one of my favorite times to be out in the bush. Landing in northern Botswana you immediately feel the anticipation of the coming rains. Late afternoon thunderstorm clouds build up and flashes of lightening brighten the evening sky, with the low rumble of thunder in the distance. Our last privately guided safari of this year took place exactly at this "change over time" in the seasons. We arrived in a very hot a dry Botswana, three days later the first rains brought beautiful relief and cooler weather. This safari covered three areas of northern Botswana, starting in the Selinda Spillway for 3 nights before heading down into the Okavango to Xaranna Lodge and ending on a high at the beautiful Sandibe Lodge. Ive put together several of the highlights in this short video that we hope you enjoy watching.

This is "Selinda Spillway and Okavango Delta" by Essential Africa Guided Safaris on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

21/11/2024

This big old guy was doing his job protecting the herd. We sat next to a herd of several hundred and watched as they fed slowly past our position. Whenever Im with buffalo I always like to point out how the herd is "arranged," the cows and calfs in the middle and the bulls around the edges and at the back protecting the herd from lions and any other danger. Xaranna Camp,Okavango Delta,Botswana.

15/11/2024

After finishing their kill the pack decided our vehicle was as good of a place as any to have some fun around! Okavango Delta a, Botswana.

09/11/2024

On our doorstep :)

01/11/2024

Its a dramatic time of the year here in Southern Africa, the heat of the past few months is nearing a point where it will produce some spectacular thunderstorms, almost overnight the bush will get a flush of green where it didn't seem possible for anything to be alive. The herds of elephant and buffalo that make long daily treks to and from water will disperse into the woodlands and take advantage of seasonal waterholes that will once again sustain them until the next dry season. The predators are also affected as the abundance of prey they have enjoyed concentrated along the waterways spreads out and the bush gets thick. For now though, there is still some time left when the heat, dust and limited water makes for some intense wildlife viewing.