Africa Overland with Absolute Africa

The Masai Mara is a world famous game park in south-west Kenya, nestled in the Great Rift Valley, not far from the capital, Nairobi.

But for just an estimated 5 months a year, this little game park sets the stage for a melee of African animals, the greatest drama of African Wildlife - the migration.

The herbivorous wildebeest, zebra and gazelle leave behind the dry plains of the Serengeti and muster their forces to travel into the Mara in search of better grass and water.

Closely behind however are the deadly predators, the majestic lion, the undisputed king of the jungle, the sleek cheetah, the fastest mammal on earth, the elusive yet deadly leopard, all masters of their game, forever hunting the migrating herds. Not to mention the crocodiles, hyena, the elephant, giraffe, rhino, hippo and over 450 species of bird who are all resident and make the Mara truly come alive. 

If looking to visit the Mara for the most action it is often best to look at trips travelling to Kenya from late June through to the end of October. We still have availability on many short and longer safaris visiting the Mara over this time. Don't hesitate to give us a call for more info. PH: 0208 742 0226

Stu and Fis Cunningham’s farm is the way camping is supposed to be! None of the luxuries of modern day camping, like flushing toilets, hot showers and DJ’s at the bar. Camping is about cracking a beer with mates and sharing stories around the camp fire. Taking the time to look at the sky and see natures magical midnight showcase........the stars! Oh, did I mention that they do horse riding?

Sweetwater National Game Reserve is a little wonder. With Mount Kenya as the backdrop what more can you ask for. Except maybe the BIG 5! And let me tell you folks, they are here! But that is not the highlight. Not even Max, the tame 3 year old white rhino that wanders the park can take it away from this truly entertaining species of animal, the chimpanzee! At Sweetwater they have given poorly mistreated chimps the chance to have a better life and the freedom that such an intelligent animal deserves. But be warned! You do get close! These chimp carry mental and physical scars from many years of mistreatment from their past human owners and they are not shy in showing there distrust of their most closest evolutionary relative, man!

Travelling through this reserve is a pleasure. The freedom to sit atop a vehicle and take those most memorable photographs that you can boast about back home to friends and family is made easy here. So sit back, enjoy the park, you will not be disappointed!

If the hippopotamus is your favourite animal, then you cannot go past Queen Elizabeth National Park. They are everywhere. In fact it boasts the greatest concentration of hippos in all of Africa. They are a grazing vagabond of the night. The only remnants of their passing are the fragile foot prints cast in the mud many kilometres from the water’s edge. Allowing the enthusiast a short time to contemplate their existence until the next rain. They are a peculiar lot. Large bodied. Large head. Big teeth and a temperament so cautious that they are ashamed to display their massive bulk in the daylight. Only willing to expose themselves in the safety of the night. But don’t be fooled by their cautious behaviour. They are the Jekyll and Hyde of the African animal kingdom. Able to change personality from the cute water-loving introvert into a crazed mass of aggression.

So, while in the park, sit back and enjoy the company of the hippo from the safety of a boat on one of the lakes of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Watch them frolic in the lake water with the buffalo in close company and the occasional Nile crocodile, laying motionless, blending into its surrounds. Watch Kingfisher birds diving behind the boat and catching small fish disorientated by the slowly passing boat. Enjoy the serenity of the lake and its 600 species of bird, with just the hum of the boat and the guides’ voice in the background. This is a great park. Its highlights are its hippos, but keep an eye out, or an ear. There are elephants, lion, hyena and leopard in the park. Oh, and be careful of the warthogs they like your food!

Written by Denis Grace, one of our trip leaders who recently visited Queen Elizabeth with his group on a November gorilla safari. Photo by Alex Pervanoglu, our new driver.

To find out more on our trips that include Uganda's Queen Elizabeth National Park please click here.

I  have just returned from one of your overland trips (the Absolute Safari  departing on the 24th Aug) and i just wanted to write to you to commend the crew – David and Moses.

David was an excellent driver who went out of his way to maintain the truck to the highest standards and always drove with great care and incredible skill on the bumpiest roads in Africa! He was also great at getting the truck into brilliant positions for game viewing on the game drives. He was really responsible and always went to bed early if he was driving the next day.

Similarly the tour leader Moses was fantastic - he was totally dependable and reliable in an emergency, for example, taking clients to hospital and always went out of his way to organise requests from clients.  He was great fun and very entertaining - he totally made the trip! his local  knowledge was incredible and he had a wealth of contacts which meant that we got to see a bit more of the country and got to meet more local people.

Having an African crew made a huge difference to the trip – they both spoke local languages, had more respect from local people,  understood the cultures in more detail and could speak from personal  experience. I met several other overland trucks that had non-African crew and  speaking to them found that their experiences were not as in-depth as ours. I  think that its important that a big company like yourselves put something back into the communities you visit, and employing local people is an excellent way  to do this and would certainly be a deciding factor in how I recommended friends to the trip.

Anna