Alan

Safari business in east Africa and south Africa has dried up, plunging an estimated 20% to 70% since the Ebola virus hit west Africa. Operators have seen cancellations galore even though the part of Africa hit by Ebola is nowhere near safari country.

“My business is down 50%,” says William Cowger, a Troy photographer who runs photo safaris to Tanzania, traveling there 28 times since 2005. “People are nervous. A lot of Americans don’t really recognize the geography. People think Africa is a country, not a continent.”

Don’t be one of those people.

While the confused and the scaredy-cats wimp out, now’s the best time to book a safari.

3,400 miles away

First, take a look at a map. Arusha, Tanzania, where many safaris and treks to Mt. Kilimanjaro begin, is 3,400 miles from Monrovia, Liberia, scene of the Ebola outbreak.

That is the same distance as Anchorage to Atlanta, except without a single road between them. There is no Ebola in east Africa.

(Similarly, it’s 3,300 miles from Liberia to Nairobi, Kenya, and 3,500 miles to Johannesburg, South Africa, two other safari starting points.)

Even so, Cowger has already canceled one February departure when participants got cold feet. He said it is not the avid photographers who are canceling but their spouses or partners, nervous about Africa in the first place, “so something like this is enough to tip them over the edge.” His other trips are still being offered.

The Economist magazine reports empty safari camps in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania, calling the situation “the biggest drop in business in living memory” for safari operators because of an “epidemic of ignorance” about geography among travelers and about Ebola.

West Africa has no safaris and few big game animals. Only east Africa and south Africa do.

Lack of tourism is worse than just an economic jolt to the nations. It may lead to increased poaching.

“Protection of wildlife is 90%-plus funded by tourism,” Cowger says. “When tourism drops, their seemingly insurmountable task of protecting their wildlife from poaching and development becomes even more difficult.”

Discounts on the way

An African safari is not cheap. Not including the $2,000 airfare from Michigan, a good east Africa safari usually costs about $5,000 to $7,000. This is one destination where you should not pinch pennies; look for a safari that includes some travel by small plane to reach game drive areas, nice tented camps and travel during prime migration times.

But the plummeting business in Africa for tourists will put price pressure on airfares and safaris.

“My trip is more expensive because I only put four people in the car instead of eight. We see so much wildlife. I have my own private photo camps now with private chefs, beautiful tented camps,” says Cowger, whose trips attract tourists from all over the world and cost about $7,800 for 13 days.

“I’m just considering offering a discount for the first time ever. I haven’t done it yet. If it would put some people over the top then I would do that.”

Watch for other operators to do the same.

If you want to learn more about the tourism situation in east Africa, you can hear Cowger speak at 2 p.m. Jan. 4 at the Troy Public Library, which also has an exhibit of his work.

You also can look at other safaris offered on the clearinghouse website www.safaribookings.com, although I would consult with a travel agent before booking them.

A few years ago when I was on safari, the concern in east Africa was whether too many tourists were crowding the animals.

Now, the animals are probably wondering where the humans went.

Contact Detroit Free Press Travel Writer Ellen Creager, the Michigan Traveler, at ecreager@freepress.com, 313-222-6498 or follow her on Twitter @ellencreager.

As soon as passengers arrive at the Rovos Rail station in Pretoria, South Africa, it’s clear this won’t be a typical train journey.

No crowds, just fellow guests — and only a few dozen of them — heading on a three-day trip to Cape Town.

Inside the meticulously restored building, champagne flows freely and ceiling fans turn leisurely.

Occasionally the resident peacocks squawk as they preen around the platform, until they scatter with the arrival of the steaming locomotive.

Yes, steaming, as if it was headed to Hogwarts, because that’s what this pretty much is: a storybook rail safari through Africa.

Rovos Rail offers a series of journeys across South Africa and beyond that allow passengers to encounter the region’s spectacular scenery and some of the big beasts that roam it.

Itineraries include trips between the South African cities of Pretoria and Durban that take in the Nambiti Conservancy (a Big Five retreat in KwaZulu-Natal) or to Victoria Falls via Botswana, Zimbabwe and the Hwange National Park wildlife sanctuary.

Hot tub on rails

The trains are billed as the most luxurious in the world.

That’s hard to dispute.

In the 16-square-meter (172-square-foot) Royal Suite, there’s a double bed, richly upholstered armchairs and a full Victorian bath for lounging in the tub and watching the world roll by.

The room for this short trip carries a price tag of 28,600 rand ($2,570) a person, but there’s a seven-square-meter Pullman for half that, or a Deluxe Suite that lands somewhere in between.

There are few modern nuisances to distract from the landscape views.

No televisions, no Wi-Fi.

Cell phones are discouraged and laptops forbidden outside of suites.

“We don’t want any work being done in public,” Rovos founder Rohan Vos tells passengers before they board. “Ambiance and good conversation, that’s what this train is all about.”

To encourage this, the journey from Pretoria begins with high tea.

The observation car is at the rear of the train. One portion is glassed off to protect the smokers, who have a tendency to wander off when they leave the train to grab a puff.

It’s not the prime place to be in any case.

It’s best to claim a spot at the very rear of the car, which is gloriously exposed so passengers can sit on a long bench or lean over the railing to claim uninterrupted views of the goldfields, the Karoo and eventually the mountains and winelands that surround Cape Town.

Dinner gong

It’s good to take it easy at high tea.

Before long a gong sounds to call guests to the dining cars for a seven-course meal, each with a wine pairing.

The food leans heavily toward local fare, both game and produce, all of it meticulously prepared.

The Cape Town journey is one of the shortest, but includes two stops.

The first is at Kimberley, the diamond mining town known for the “Big Hole,” the largest excavation in the world, a mile wide and going down seemingly forever.

The other stop is in Matjiesfontein, in the middle of the Karoo.

The entire town is a national heritage site, preserving the Victorian village that was founded as a railway rest stop but became a health spa once frequented by South Africa’s elite.

Although the train is sometimes pulled by a more modern locomotive, the oldest of Rovos Rail’s carriages date to 1930, two years before Agatha Christie imagined the Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, sleuthing across Europe.

Most were once owned by South African Railways, and were bought as rusting and decrepit shells.

Before leaving Pretoria, it’s worth taking a look at the original carriages, if only to appreciate how beautifully restored they are.

As much as Rovos Rail envelops its passengers in a time warp, they’re not shielded from all modern headaches.

The growing pains of South Africa’s rails mean delays can and do happen.

“I ask you to please accept the fact that we are never on time,” Vos quips. “However, we will get you to Cape Town this week, and that’s what matters.”

On Rovos Rail’s longer, international journeys into Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Tanzania, the logistics of African travel can interfere.

Slow tourism

The train stops for border posts (waits can be lengthy) and poorly maintained tracks in some regions keep the speeds slow.

Despite all that, this is the best imaginable way to make an overland trip.

The 15-day route from Cape Town to Dar es Salaam is a train lover’s dream, taking a meandering route from the Cape through the heart of South Africa, up to the Madikwe Game Reserve and then onto Zimbabwe for an overnight stay at the Victoria Falls Hotel.

Crossing the Zambezi River on its landmark bridge is like living on a movie set, the mist of the falls thundering upward on one side, the dark rocks of the gorge plunging down on the other.

The train then crosses the length of Zambia, sometimes churning, sometimes crawling until it reaches Chishimba Falls in the rarely visited Northern Province.

Here, hikers can explore the sacred cave behind the falls, where the nature spirit Chishimba is believed to live.

This is a place of prayer and offerings, so the Zambia Tourism Authority has strict instructions for visitors: “Because of the sacred nature of the Falls, no sexual intercourse, arrogance and quarrelsomeness is allowed in the vicinity of the Falls.”

Passengers should plan their time accordingly.

This is literally a high point of the journey.

The rest of the trip is a descent into the Rift Valley, winding through tunnels and along viaducts, with a stop for a game drive in Selous Reserve, the largest in Africa.

Rovos runs this route five times a year, and it’s their most popular option, according to Brenda Vos, Rohan’s daughter who works in what’s now a family business.

Regardless of the itinerary, she says for many passengers the train itself is the destination.

“We want guests to get on board, and it doesn’t matter where they’re going.”

Rovos Rail, Paul Kruger Street, Pretoria, South Africa; +27 12 315 8242

There are few greater thrills than exploring the African bush on horseback. It’s a surreal way to experience the sights, sounds, and serenity of the bush, but more than that, you’ll be able to get very close to the wildlife that would otherwise avoid loud vehicles. Here are 3 recommended horseback safaris in South Africa:

Big 5 Safari with Wait A Little

If you’re looking for a Big 5 adventure like no other, Wait A Little offers highly personalized and specialized horse riding safaris for experienced riders in the Karongwe Private Game Reserve, close to the famous Kruger National Park. With years of experience, the horses are able to keep calm at even a few metres away from big game. A high standard of riding and small groups of only 7 guests ensures each person receives individual attention, up close game sightings, and sporty riding.

The Big 5 Safari is the most popular of Wait A Little’s 3 horseback tours, which range from 5 to 10 days long and cover 35 000ha of African wilderness. The 7 night Big 5 Safari starts with 3 nights at Wait A Little main camp, which offers a selection of tented camps overlooking the river and a garden rondavel. On day 4, guests ride to Beacon Rock, a sleep out camp on top of a rock formation with spectacular sunrise views. The next 2 nights are spent at XiDulu Private Camp in the Greater Makalali Game Reserve. XiDulu is only used by its owners and Wait A Little guests. XiDulu is situated on a large dam and guests can spot the resident hippos from the infinity pool and viewing decks of the camp’s main area.

Read more

Copyright © 2014 by A Luxury Travel Blog. This article was written by Marcel Van de Ghinste  and originally published on aluxurytravelblog.com

We live in a world where emotion and outrage have increasingly trumped rational thought. The most vivid example comes with the recent story of Texas Tech cheerleader Kendall Jones.

Jones,19, posted pictures on her Facebook page from her recent safari in Africa. One of the pictures is posted here. Somebody complained to Facebook and they took down her page claiming it was a violation of their policy.

“We remove reported content that promotes poaching of endangered species, the sale of animals for organized fight or content that includes extreme acts of animal abuse,” Facebook stated, although it did not comment further.

One picture showed her with a rare white rhino, which is endangered. However, it turns out she didn’t kill it, but hunted it with a team of researchers and tranquilized the beast to allow veterinarians to treat the animal for a leg injury. Such activity is called a “green hunt.” It’s literally catch-and-release hunting.

Some of the animals she bagged were identified as nuisance animals that had been preying on local livestock herds, such as her leopard. The predators would have been killed by locals or destroyed by wildlife control officers. Instead permits were sold and generated badly needed revenue for the poor economies of Zimbabwe and South Africa where she hunted to take the same action.  Her trip provided much needed jobs to many local residents who made their living guiding and tracking foreign hunters.

None of the animals was being sold or trained for organized fighting and responsible and regulated hunting is not an extreme act of animal abuse. However, the consideration is lost on those who would vilify this young lady.

Reports indicate the Texas native had all necessary permits which were drawn in lottery fashion. She paid all fees and license costs and all of the animals were taken in a manner which is legal according to local game management laws. She did everything “by the book.”

The problem is, to some none of this matters. Animal rights groups lash out without the benefit of rational thought. They consider man is always the problem and never the solution. Animals are in nearly all ways superior to mankind in the minds of many of these individuals. Their line of thinking is revealed in some of the overwhelmingly hateful vitriol spewed forth by some of those who commented on Jones’ pictures.

“Come to South Africa and try to hunt our endangered animals, you will be shot on sight and believe me, there will be celebrations.”

“I hope you get eaten by a lion, you cow,”

“How about we have a real hunger games? I vote we hunt this horrible woman down first.”

Just a sample of the blow back the young hunter saw flooding her Facebook page in the wake of posting her pictures, something most of us have done. Some even went so far as to create the ” Official Kendall Jones Hate Page” on Facebook. Posts there doubled down on hateful remarks and death threats. Facebook wisely saw the problem and took their site down as well.

There is no reasoning with unreasonable people. The extreme members of the animal rights movement are unreasonable and in some cases have even been classified as terrorists. My experience has been there’s no use to argue with them because facts and data are meaningless in their minds. However, others who are not as hard lined, are rational thinking people who simply have a soft spot in their heart for animals. They desire to do what they can for wildlife and all animals, but often are misguided in their efforts.

The truth is hunters have done more for animal conservation than any other group. Hunters spend millions every year on equipment, license, and other associated costs to enjoy the activity. A high percentage of those dollars wind up being poured back into game management. The dollars spent on hunting in some communities both here in the United States and abroad are vital to local economies. Lawful hunting produces a means of healthy and organic food sources.

If someone wants to celebrate those attributes with what would otherwise be a discarded head on their living room wall or with pictures shared on Facebook, there’s nothing wrong with it. But some will never be convinced otherwise.

Chris Lawrence