To sit and think what to write on one's very first post ever on a blog is rather daunting, where to start?, I thought for my first post I would give you a bit of insight to safari life, what it is all about and why we love it so much and also why people who do come on a African Safari come back again and again and again....
The word safari comes from the East African language Swahili that literally means journey, and a safari is probably one of the most exiting journeys you will ever make. People have been coming on safaris to Africa for many years and the early safaris were mainly hunters coming into the African bush for sometimes as long as three months at a time, with hundreds of porters carrying tents, cutlery, crockery, tables, chairs, white linen, food supplies, drink, and even a claw bath pretty much everything they will need in the bush for three months to live in comfort in old British colonial style. The concept "big five” that we use today (Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo, Lion and Leopard) comes from those early hunting safaris as it was and still is today the five most dangerous animals to hunt in Africa and has nothing to do with the size of the animal.
These early "great white hunters" as they were called together with their gun bearers (someone to carry a spare rifle) and trackers would travel through the entire African wilderness covering almost every African country in search of game species to hunt especially the "big Five" as those presented the biggest challenge. The animal that was in the biggest demand was the African Elephant as hunters were after the tusks. Many hunters made a living hunting Elephant and selling the ivory, one such hunter (and there were many) that comes to mind was a chap by the name of Karamoja Bell, who I believe personally shot over a thousand Elephants. There is a great coffee table style book that I came across once and it is great further reading about those early days with great pictures, it is called Safari a Chronicle of Adventure and you can get it on Amazon.
These early "white hunters" soon realised that they could share their adventures and lifestyle with paying clients and take them on guided hunting safaris in Africa. Big famous names came on these safaris and the 1909 safari of Theodore Roosevelt helped to make them even more popular with the rich and famous. Hunting Safaris in Africa became a dream for many people, it had an almost romantic aura surrounding it and many Hollywood films were made and books and novels were written about the subject. Films like Out of Africa and King Solommon's Mines inspired many people to come and share in these African adventures.......
