Paul Goldstein October 2, 2013Read time - 2 minutesFor me it was Kipling, for my boy Madagascar, for others it could be a postcard or a billboard. Many will be seduced this autumn by Disney's new feature African Cats, but for any safari fan (and few only do it once) there is always something that ignites their African evolutionary touch paper. I spoke to someone the other day and they pleaded poverty. "I wanted to do it right: I have been to a dozen lectures, seen every National Geographic documentary ever made and my son is called David after Mr Attenborough, but I could never afford it, now I go every year and it has marched all over every past holiday".The Great Migration in the Masai MaraReasons to go on a SafariThis is not unusual. I am lucky to travel there most years and people often ask "doesn't it get boring?". The frank answer is no. The light is different, the vegetation, the company but critically the animals. My own favourite is the Masai Mara but I can wax enthusiastically about gorillas in Rwanda, the carmine bee-eaters and primary forests of South Luangwa, the granite outcrops and herds of the Serengeti or the hippos and elephants of the Lower Zambezi.Research is a good thing, critical in fact, but don't do too much. Today there are webcams at waterholes, there are a million online links and countless galleries and Facebook bush tales that elicit that vicarious safari glow. But they don't take you there.This summer I am guiding a couple who have been to Antarctica, Spitsbergen and Kenya with me, they are coming to Kenya again. They don't even bring cameras, being there is enough, being woken by bushbabies or the lonesome lament of the ring-necked dove is beyond cyberspace.The mighty roar of the lionNewborn gazelles or fresh-faced impalas beat Facebook any day and a million wildebeest wins over a million YouTube hits. Personally I miss the distant rumble of lions at night, the keening of excited jackals and 'those' skies. I am longing for my fix, like many others, a self-confessed addict.There is an old Ndebele saying 'Once your feet are in the mud of the Zambezi banks, you will always return'. It could have been written about the whole of East and Southern Africa. - By Paul GoldsteinIf Paul has inspired you to book an African safari adventure, view our tours below.
Botswana & Zimbabwe Lodge Safari 26 reviews Botswana and Zimbabwe greatest natural wonders and wildlife parks in comfort Wildlife Activity level: Leisurely Ages: 16+ 14 Days from $6,249 USD $5,849 USD Guided (Incl. Taxes) View More Details
Kenya Photographic Safari with Paul Goldstein - Premium Adventure 70 reviews Premium Photographic safari during the great migration with award-winning photographer, Paul Goldstein. Premium Adventures Activity level: Moderate Ages: 18+ 7 Days from $8,799 USD Guided (Incl. Taxes) View More Details
Namibia 4WD Desert Safari 26 reviews True wilderness safari in Namibia's remote northwest where animals outnumber people. Wildlife Activity level: Leisurely Ages: 16+ 13 Days from $5,599 USD Guided (Incl. Taxes) View More Details
The Zambezi Valley 43 reviews A superb canoe and walking safari in the Zambezi Valley in Zambia. Wildlife Activity level: Moderate Ages: 16+ 8 Days from $2,749 USD $2,479 USD Guided (Incl. Taxes) View More Details
Wildlife & Wilderness of Botswana 62 reviews A Safari through Botswana's best wildlife reserves and Victoria Falls. Wildlife Activity level: Leisurely / Moderate Ages: 16+ 14 Days from $4,349 USD Guided (Incl. Taxes) View More Details
Gorillas & Masai Mara - Camping 60 reviews Fantastic wildlife viewing in Kenya and Uganda. Wildlife Activity level: Leisurely / Moderate Ages: 16+ 15 Days from $6,579 USD Guided (Incl. Taxes) View More Details
Kenya & Tanzania Adventure 53 reviews Excellent game viewing, spectacular scenery and exotic Zanzibar. Wildlife Activity level: Leisurely Ages: 16+ 14 Days from $5,849 USD $5,449 USD Guided (Incl. Taxes) View More Details
Gorillas & Masai Mara - Camping Reverse 8 reviews Fantastic wildlife viewing in Uganda & Kenya. Wildlife Activity level: Leisurely / Moderate Ages: 16+ 15 Days from $6,399 USD $5,999 USD Guided (Incl. Taxes) View More Details
Gorillas & Masai Mara - Accommodated 6 reviews Fantastic wildlife viewing in Kenya and Uganda. Wildlife Activity level: Leisurely / Moderate Ages: 16+ 15 Days from $8,979 USD Guided (Incl. Taxes) View More Details