Last month 5 intrepid (okay, strike intrepid, insert "fun-loving") travelers from the US went on safari in Botswana, Zambia and South Africa. This bestseller (do 3 copies make a book a bestseller?) is available for your viewing pleasure...Safari, so very, very good!
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Michael and I are in Kauai visiting our daughter and adorable 3 week-old grandson and sunscreen is an important topic in this beautiful garden isle! Plus, we hope you'll consider joining us in Botswana, Zambia and South Africa next Spring (2011) where SPF consideration is also a must! So, enjoy this article about how hippos make their own sunscreen!
From animals.howstuffworks.com:
On a sweltering day, when most people are cooling off at the pool or lying motionless under a high-powered fan, Dr. Brady Barr found himself decked out in a 196-pound (89-kilogram) armored suit smeared with mud and dung. In the name of scientific discovery, the scientist was on a mission to collect a wild hippo's sweat before it dried.
You're probably wondering why anyone in their right mind would risk their life by approaching one of the most aggressive and dangerous animals in all of Africa. Considering that hippos cause more deaths than any other animal on the continent, it's a reasonable question [source: Harlow].
But this isn't just any run-of-the-mill sweat we're talking about. This mucuslike secretion -- which initially led people to believe that the animal sweat blood because of its deep red color -- not only helps to control the body temperature of these 5,000- to 8,000-pound (2,300- to 3,600-kilogram) animals, it also acts as a potent sunscreen and antibiotic [source: Hughes, Saikawa].
It turns out that fair-skinned humans aren't the only ones who need to worry about SPF when they venture outside. The two species of hippo -- the common hippopotamus found in central and southern Africa, and the rare pygmy hippopotamus, a smaller species found in West Africa, weighing around 440 to 605 pounds (200 to 247 kilograms) -- structure their days around the harsh glare of the African sun [source: African Wildlife Federation].
The semiaquatic land mammals spend up to 16 hours a day submerged in rivers or lakes to stay cool, venturing out to graze only after nightfall [source: Hughes]. They nibble on their main food of short grasses until dawn, when they return to their refreshing sanctuaries.
While the water prevents the lumbering beasts from getting overheated, it doesn't offer much in the way of skin protection, which is where the blood-red sweat comes in and hippo sunscreen is created. Though it's not technically sweat since it's produced by glands underneath the skin rather than in it, the gelatinous, oily secretions act much the same way but with a few extra perks thrown in.
On Safari in Southern Africa
Barbara and I have had a love affair going with Africa and we want to share some of our best experiences. To that end we have worked with one of the great Southern African companies – Wilderness Safari and Londolozi to offer a unique experience in safaris – we are traveling to the game parks in Botswana and South Africa and stopping along the way at one of the wonders of the world – Victoria Falls – the “Smoke that Thunders” We are planning to leave the last week of March 2011 (dates may change a bit to try and insure we have the lodges we want). The areas of these lodges are rich with wildlife and in Botswana we will probably not see other tourists at all – the lodges are that remote. Please check out the websites for the properties we have selected – these can be found at the bottom of the email. We can also help book air and of course you MUST have trip insurance and we can also handle this for you.
Because we are only taking five couples we expect to have a full group within the next 45 day to 60 days.. Please call us with questions or comments – but please – if you can – do not pass up this unique opportunity.
Day one arrive Johannesburg – spend evening at Intercontinental Hotel at the Johannesburg Airport (we are met and greeted to South Africa by a Wilderness rep who will assist us to check in at the hotel)
Day two – Meet in lobby where a Wilderness rep will take us to check - in for our flight to Maun, Botswana; arrive in Maun and transfer to Sefofane for light aircraft transfer from Maun to Duba Plains; afternoon game drive at Duba Plains
Day three – full day at Duba Plains where we have sole use of the camp
Day four – after morning game drive and breakfast – transfer to air strip for light aircraft transfer to Savuti Camp; afternoon game drive at Savuti camp
Day five – full day at Savuti camp where we have sole use of the camp
Elephants near Savuti Camp
Day six – after morning game drive and breakfast, transfer to air strip for light air craft transfer to Kasane Airport; then again light air craft transfer from Kasane to Livingstone Airport; clear customs – purchase visa, then we’ll be met and transferred to the Royal Livingstone Hotel and in the evening take a cruise aboard the African Queen – sundowner cruise – on the Zambezi river above the falls.
Day seven – meet in the lobby after breakfast for a private tour of the falls; then collect luggage and private transfer to Livingston Airport; Commercial air flight (South African air) from Livingston to Kruger Airport – clear customs and transfer by light aircraft to Londolozi air strip. (not sure if we will arrive in time for game drive)
Day eight and nine – spend at the Londolozi Varty camp
A Leopard near Londolozi
Day ten after morning game drive and breakfast – transfer to air strip for flight to Johannesburg (those who are not going to Cape Town)
End of these services
Total price is $10,968 per person plus $1790 internal air fights and air transfers
Deposit is 20% of the landed costs and in Africa, since most of the lodges book their rooms 6 to 9 months in advance – with very little chance of rebooking cancelled rooms – the deposit is non refundable.
Does NOT include:
Here are the websites for the camps and Royal Livingstone Hotel
Duba Plains – www.dubaplains.com
Savuti Camp – www.savuticamp.com
Londolozi – www.londolozi.com
Royal Livingstone - www.royal-livingstone-hotel.com
WE HAVE A THREE NIGHT EXTENSION TO CAPE TOWN, A FOUR NIGHT EXTENSION TO CAPE TOWN AND THE STELLENBOSCH WINE COUNTRY; A TWO NIGHT EXTENTION IN JOHANNESBURG; AN EXTENSION TO THE SEYCELLES OR TO MOZAMBIQUE – PLEASE JUST REQUEST THIS FROM US.
Sincerely,
Michael & Barbara
Michael and Barbara King
Email michael@greatgetaway.com or barbara@greatgetaway.com for details
From Wikipedia: “The phrase Big Five game was coined by big-game hunters (people who kill animals for sport) and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot. The term is still used in most tourist and wildlife guides that discuss African wildlife safaris. The collection consists of the lion, the African elephant, the Cape Buffalo, the leopard, and the rhinoceros, either the black rhinoceros or the white rhinoceros. The members of the big five were chosen for the difficulty in hunting them on foot and not their size.”
Below are some photos Michael took of the Big 5 on various recent safaris:
