misty safari morning

photograph by kili mcgowan, prints available for purchase at www.kilimcgowan.com

We hope 2011 is off to a terrific start for you! If one of your resolutions is to travel this year, please get in touch to start planning your Next Adventure. As always, we have some exciting new safari options, so read on.

After 15 years, we’ve moved our office to 738 Gilman Street in Berkeley 94710 (just off Interstate 80). Come join us for an Open House on Friday, January 28th from 11am-3pm if you are in the area. We’ll have refreshments, a slide show and give away some prints of Kili’s wildlife photos! If you can’t make it, call and we’ll set up another time to show you around.

Chilojo Cliffs

Meanwhile, here’s an idea for getting off the beaten track in 2011: Your safari begins with a Gonarezhou Bushcamp experience where you’ll find yourself surrounded by baobabs and red sandstone cliffs. Gonarezhou National Park, a remote, wild and little-known “place of the elephants,” is located in the south-eastern corner of Zimbabwe but easily reached from Johannesburg, South Africa. This new mobile tented camp is set up just for your safari and offers a comfortable and uniquely intimate stay in this vast pristine wilderness.

Your next stop is the extraordinary Singita Pamushana Lodge with only six stunning suites situated in the Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve. This offers classic African safari accommodations: forest-like architecture, lush gardens, and luxurious service. A game drive through the Malilangwe takes you through Mopane forests and into the realm of some of Africa’s endangered species, including the roan and sable antelope and the majestic black rhino.

Zebras in the Masai Mara

From there you can move on to a few relaxing nights in the Cape Winelands or for more safari adventure in South Africa’s Kruger National Park. With our first-hand experience and passion for Africa’s treasured places, we’ll work with you to create a once-in-a-lifetime trip, whether it’s your first visit or your fifth.

In addition to our custom safaris in Africa, we offer small group adventures to other exotic destinations with superb wildlife viewing. This year, we offer an exceptional Borneo Wildlife Safari (April) and Brazil Jaguar Safari (August) with renowned naturalist Allen Bechky. Call us today to learn more.

We’re always happy to hear from you, so call 1 800 562 7298 to discuss your Next Adventure, and, if you have friends ready for a safari, we also appreciate your referrals.

Warm Regards,
Kili and Louise McGowan

The programme will be hosted by UK wildlife presenter Michaela Strachan and will be broadcast on National Geographic Wild, as well as online at www.natgeotv.com. Game rangers and wildlife trackers from Singita, along with veterinarians and ecologists, will also share insight into Africa’s conservation issues, as well as specific initiatives taking place in the Kruger National Park.

Here’s the link to the story…

This year, the show will be broadcast live for the first time; and also for the first time, live filming will go on through the night.

“We’re hoping to reveal the nocturnal habits of the big cats as well as the stuff that happens during the day,” says producer Colin Jackson. “As for precisely what will happen… we have no idea, but what we do know is that every year the cats surprise us.”

You can see live streaming video and the latest update from the team at www.bbc.co.uk/bigcat.