Four Seasons Safari Lodge Offers New ‘Walk in the Wild Serengeti’; Hosts Serengeti Lion Project Exhibit

Stop by the Discovery Centre for a viewing of the new Serengeti Lion Project Wildlife Photography Exhibition, August 1-31 by Serengeti Lion Project researcher Daniel Rosengren.

Proceeds from sales of photos will support the Serengeti Lion Project Research, the world’s most extensive daily mammal monitoring project, which has gathered detailed data on more than 5,000 lions since the 1960s. Rosengren, a Swedish biologist and senior field researcher who is passionate about travel and nature, traded in his globe-roaming bike for a Land Rover in 2010 to study the daily habits of the Serengeti’s lions. The exhibition will feature 40 or more of his most stunning images.

Inspired to follow in Rosengren’s photographic footprints? Visit The Lodge now and be among the first to experience its new Walk in the Wild Serengeti, a transformative 90-minute guided walk where you’ll help install a “camera trap” that digitally records the Serengeti’s majestic animals on the move. Elephants, cheetahs, lions and even notoriously hard-to-spot leopards are known for their cameos.

This guided walk shines a light on the wildlife sanctuary’s most subtle and unusual characteristics. Led by the Resident Naturalist at Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti, Masai guides and national park rangers, you’ll explore the beautiful landscape of Serengeti National Park as your guides point out animal tracks, interesting insects and useful plants.

Guests can also help The Serengeti Lion Project classify the different animals found in images caught by over 200 remote camera traps that have been set up in the Serengeti by visiting the Snapshot Serengeti website.

The Walk in the Wild and the Serengeti Lion Project Photo Exhibition are among the many innovative experiences undertaken by Four Seasons Safari Lodge and its pioneering Discovery Centre.  Part museum exhibit, part lecture theatre, it’s the first lodge-based conservation research and education platform in Serengeti. Chat with Lodge experts and explore a series of displays, exhibition boards and interactive presentations, or attend periodic talks by guest speakers. Participate in special research projects with local experts closely involved with Serengeti’s wildlife research and conservation projects.

Make your base camp in The Lodge’s two-story great house, with guest rooms and suites that all offer stunning views of the Serengeti landscape.

A more private escape can be had in one of the five freestanding villas. Ideal for couples and families, The Lodge is one of the first on the continent to welcome children ages 8+, a significant milestone for families with young ones and teens. The entire property is accessible via raised wooden walkways making short excursions into the bush not a far venture from the Lodge.

In addition to taking your exploration to an intimate new level during the Wild Walk in the Serengeti, The Kijana Klub offers children their own opportunity to learn about local culture and wildlife through a series of planned activities including short walks in the bush with a Maasai guide and learning basic wildlife research skills such as radio tracking and camera traps.

Other memorable guest experiences include sundowners at the infinity pool while elephants gather at the watering hole below, private romantic dinners in the bush, the Lodge’s celebrated Boma Grill and signature spa treatments featuring Africology spa products at purpose-built Spa.

For more information, visit www.fourseasons.com/serengeti

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Join Conservation Efforts for Endangered Cheetah in Serengeti at Four Seasons Safari Lodge

The Four Seasons Safari Lodge, Serengeti, as a supporter of The Cheetah Watch Campaign run by the Serengeti Cheetah Project and the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute enables its guests to participate in this important project.

Imagine being able to contribute to conservation efforts to track and identify endangered cheetah in the Serengeti.

The Four Seasons Safari Lodge, Serengeti, as a supporter of The Cheetah Watch Campaign run by the Serengeti Cheetah Project and the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute enables its guests to participate in this important project.

The Cheetah Watch Campaign aims to involve visitors in the monitoring and conservation of cheetahs, whose numbers are slowly declining due to poaching and loss of habitat. Visitors to the Serengeti are encouraged to submit their cheetah photos and, with the help of their guide, notes on location and behavior to the Project.

The Project’s 30-year study of these endangered cats has resulted in much of what we know today and developed our understanding of these majestic creatures.

Through its Discovery Centre, the Lodge encourages its guests to load their cheetah photos onto its iMac, which are then sent to the Cheetah Project, which uses each cheetah’s unique spot pattern to identify the individuals that were sighted and then send the guests a brief history of that cheetah.

Since starting the Campaign at the Lodge in late 2013, guests have submitted more than 30 cheetah sightings, resulting in the identification of 10 new individual cheetahs to the Project.

“At the Discovery Centre, guests are able to contribute to this essential research, as well as gaining a deeper understanding of cheetah ecology,” Discovery Centre Manager Oli Dreike says. “The Cheetah Watch Campaign plays a vital role in helping researchers to understand and conserve these beautiful cats, and it is really easy for guests to take part in if they are lucky enough to see cheetahs during their stay in the Serengeti. It’s incredible that our guests have helped to identify so many new individuals for the Project in such a short period.”

Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti

The 77-room Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti opened in December 2012 and is particularly well-suited for first-time safari travelers, extended families and groups. It includes 12 suites with plunge pools, five free-standing villas with private swimming pools, a spa with six treatment pavilions, three restaurants, a Kijana Klub for kids and teens and meeting facilities. Two active watering holes on the property allow for magnificent animal viewing at peak times of day and every room has an elevated open-air sundeck providing direct views over the Serengeti. Suitable for guests of eight years and above, Four Seasons Safari Lodge is also home to its own Discovery Center featuring museum quality exhibits and a lecture hall for guests to learn about the local wildlife, environment and culture. (For more information visit: www.fourseasons.com/serengeti; follow Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.)

Founded in 1960, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts has followed a targeted course of expansion, opening hotels and residences in major city centers and desirable resort destinations around the world. Currently with 90 properties in 35 countries, and more than 50 projects under development, Four Seasons continues to lead the hospitality industry with innovative enhancements, making business travel easier and leisure travel more rewarding (www.fourseasons.com).

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andBeyond Introduces ‘WILDChild’ Program to Family Safaris

andBeyond, a company specializing in luxury experiential travel, is introducing a new children’s program, WILDchild, at the company’s lodges and safari camps throughout Southern Africa and will also be offered at its East African properties from the end of August.

WILDchild is designed to create opportunities for families to engage not only with each other but with their environment, in a new and stimulating way that will change the way they see the world. With a growing trend for multi-generational travel, andBeyond believes in giving adventurous families the reare privilege to see the world through different eyes, encouraging them to grow and learn through unforgettable experiences.

Carefully thought out and presented by rangers trained to share their knowledge in a way that sparks the enthusiasm of even the youngest guests, WILDchild is designed to do more than just keep children occupied while their parents enjoy their safari. While it is essential that the program remains entertaining enough to capture youngsters’ imaginations, it also has a strong conservation message at heart.

“The WILDchild program is just another way that andBeyond is encouraging family travel. We have also provided additional family suites at select andBeyond lodges in South Africa, as well as in Tanzania. Whether at our own lodges and camps or throughout the African countries where we operate, andBeyond has the ability to put together specialized family itineraries designed to help travelers create life-enriching experiences for themselves and their children,” says Jacky Humphries, andBeyond Chief Marketing Officer.

andBeyond’s safari experiences offer the luxury of a leisurely pace, ideal to reconnect and renew relationships among families, as well as to form new connections between the children and the land, animals and people of Africa. Through the relationship created between younger guests and their ranger or guide, the WILDchild program is filled with interactive activities that offer opportunities to learn and discover new experiences and cultures. Deeply rooted in the love for the African bush, it not only creates a series of unforgettable moments for the whole family, but forges strong bonds between the children, our planet and its people.

As part of the WILDchild program, each  young  traveler  receives a WILDchild backpack with a scrapbook and a gift, such as a flash light, a magnifying glass or a compass. Throughout the safari, the family’s ranger helps the child to fill up the scrapbook with notes, drawings, stickers, dog tags and badges that the youngsters earn for completing a series of bush-related activities that are selected for them according to their interests and age. The activities attempt to tie in with the lodge’s environment, as well as the local heritage of the region. For example, children staying at andBeyond Klein’s Camp in Tanzania might be taught how to shoot with a bow and arrow or how to build a fire in the Maasai way. Meanwhile, at andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve in South Africa, they may be taught tracking skills by a local Zulu tracker or set out on a fishing expedition on the Mzinene River.

andBeyond lodges that specialize in children’s programs, creative menus and have child-minding facilities are: andBeyond Phinda Mountain Lodge, Ngala Safari Lodge and Kirkman’s Kamp in South Africa; Sossusvlei Desert Lodge in Namibia; Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp in Kenya; Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, Serengeti Under Canvas and Mnemba Island Lodge in Tanzania; and Xaranna Okavango Delta Camp, Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge and Nxabega Okavango Tented Camp in Botswana.

The WILDchild program is included in the rate at the lodges at which it is offered. The starting rate is $490 per person, per night at Ngala Private Game Reserve.

Established in 1991, andBeyond has become one of the world’s leading luxury experiential travel companies, designing personalised luxury safaris in 16 African countries, as well as India, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. The company also owns and operates 32  lodges and camps in Africa and India’s wildlife high spots.

For more information, visit www.andBeyond.com.

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Real Life Adventure Travel Helps Demystify the Tented Camping Safari Experience in East Africa

A tented safari in East Africa (photo courtesy of Real Life Adventure Travel).

The annual peak season for the safari industry in Tanzania, East Africa kicks off now, and East Africa safari expert Real Life Adventure Travel releases their “anatomy of a tented camp” to help demystify the under canvas safari experience for travelers.

“The idea of sleeping in a tent in Africa is one that remains shrouded in uncertainty and mystery for many travelers,” said Robin Felix, North American representative for Real Life Adventure Travel. “Our focus is on authentic safari experiences, and one of the most romantic elements of this style of safari is spending the nights under canvas. Here you can listen to the sounds of the African night all around you, and feel completely connected to your surroundings while enjoying exceptionally comfortable accommodations.”

Key elements of the tented camping safari experience in East Africa include;

• The Tent: Typically 8 x 10 or larger in size, the tents may include a writing desk, armoire, suitcase rack and of course the bed. Our favorite décor includes local crafts and hand made carpets, pillow cases and more.
• The bathrooms: Attached at the back of the tent, the bathrooms in a mobile tented camp include a wash basin, flush toilet and shower. Depending on how mobile the safari experience is, showers may be lovely hot “bucket” showers which are filled on request by the camp staff, or in more permanent situations there will be hot running water.
• The bed: Typically king sized and plush, these beds are a welcome sight at the end of a long day on safari. Hot water bottles slipped between the sheets before you retire for the night keep you warm in cooler months.
• The veranda: From the shaded veranda of your tent, lounge in the safari chairs as you sip your morning coffee, or as you review your photographs from the day while enjoying a local Kilimanjaro-brand beer.
• The staff: This is perhaps the most important, defining element of the tented camp. The staff is always on hand to draw your hot shower, wash your clothes, make up your bed for the evening and bring your hot coffee as the sun rises in the morning. Also, in the evenings around the camp fire the staff often recounts stories of growing up in Africa, sharing their love of the land and insight into their lives and communities. This is one of the best ways to learn about the real Africa.

You can visit Real Life Adventure Travel’s blog for a portfolio of great images of tented camps, real traveler tented camp experiences and more.

Real Life Adventure Travel is a Tanzanian-owned safari company specializing in custom crafted safari experiences that highlight the unique and colorful cultures of the destination.

The company is currently organizing a charity safari for early 2012. To participate in this “Adventures for Hope” safari contact Robin Felix at robin@reallifeadventuretravel.com for an information packet, the safari itinerary and fundraising details.

For more information or to inquire about a safari in East Africa, contact Real Life Adventure Travel at info@reallifeadventuretravel.com or visit http://www.reallifeadventuretravel.com.

See also:

BOTSWANA-ZIMBABWE CAMPING SAFARI PROVES TO BE WILD EXPERIENCE

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