Travel
On safari
Carol Wright
In recent years winter holidays have become more and more popular — especially the long-haul variety. With packaged holiday prices ready to fall any moment, longer-range holidays are likely to become a viable proposition for even more people who have a limited amount of time to spend on a winter break, but still long to do something adventurously different with the time allotted.
The Caribbean of course, offers value for money. James Vance Travel is offering stay-put holidays from £300. The Indian Ocean however should and could rival the Caribbean. The Seychelles, the latest virgin beach find, is popular since its airport opened last year. Houlder Brothers are offering two week holidays there from £193. Further south Mauritius, a country rather than a large island, starts at £206 demi-pension for two weeks and is linked daily by Air France services via Paris.
The East African countries of Uganda, Tanzania and, Kenya between them provide the combination of beach and scenic safari touring. There are the excellent, if humid, beaches in the Mombasa area with a spread-out chain of beach hotels. South of Mombasa are the favoured beaches of Diani and Shanzu and, to the north, Malindi's bay. Inland are the game parks, but unless one makes a sortie from Nairobi to the city's game park near at hand or drives back from the coast to Tsavo, seeing the game costs at least another £60 on top of the holiday and must be booked well ahead, for accommodation in the lodges is short. United Touring Company are one of the largest ground arrangement firms and have tours in all three East African countries based on the main tourist centres.
At Ngorongoro the world's second largest volcano crater holds the game as in a giant cup; herds of zebra, widebeeste and elephants stream past, a lion encircled by cars regards the cameras with a bored MGM yawn. At dusk when the natives herd their cattle and drift to their huts, the jeeps turn back to the lodges or the soft cushioning of Lake Manyara hotel with its swimming pool on the terrace lawn and views down the lake.
Then there is the Hollywood-flavoured version of the white hunter's camp, the Mount Kenya Safari Club. Sterner, more British upper lip is Treetops, the tree house dream of every child. Rooms are cramped and simple; I hung my clothes over a convenient, passing-through branch and lay in my bed peeping through the window at a wart hog below.
The choice of safari tours is wide. Internal airlinks make coverage more extensive. Entebbe airport in Uganda is near Lake Victoria and popular tours are to the crocodile home in Murchison falls. Uganda, less publicised than her neighbours for safari, offers the splendid Queen Elizabeth National Park, lakes and waterfalls. Kenya with Nairobi only an hour's flight from Entebbe, is a springboard into Tanzania via Arusha airport and on by road to the big game parks of Ngorongoro, Manyara and filmfamed Serengeti.
Travelling in Africa, though slickly arranged, is still an adventure at the mercy of nature. Trees fall across roads, mud bogs cars down; the rains come early and wash away a road or elephants sit immovable on the tarmac. Though selfdrive cars are available, it's wiser away from the coast to stick to a group. The East African AA does, however, issue thoughtful advice on driving conditions and, an excellent handbook.
With inclusive holiday prices starting at £153 for two weeks in Nairobi (on the Houlder Brothers brochure) and including balanced tours at £299 covering Entebbe, Murchison falls, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Manyara and a week on the coast with a choice of Dar es Salaam, Malindi or Mombasa, East Africa provides a non
boredom holiday with plenty of sun and I fresh air, and a starring cast of the big animals against a backdrop of some of the most beautiful and exhilarating scenery in the world.
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