The great escape
“When I want to get away from it all and leave behind the screens, the noise, the crowds and the urban grit, my mind drifts to some of my favourite African escapes and activities. A special place to enjoy a braai (barbeque) while camping on the edge of an otherworldly crater is at Brukkaros Mountain in Namibia, a place at which I revere the sense of space, especially under a star-studded night sky.
“Searching for the massive napoleon fish while scuba diving from Pemba Island (pictured) in Tanzania provides adventure, purpose and a sense of ease forgetting about the world on land. But perhaps the place where I wash away big city living most enjoyably is the Okavango Delta, where I escape to its crystal clear waterways, exotic birdlife and the occasional elephant. There is something hypnotising about relaxing in a mokoro (canoe) and enjoying the myriad waterways at eye level.” WOUTER VERGEER, SAFARIBOOKINGS
“Africa is full of extraordinary escapes, so to select one is always tough. But during this challenging time my focus is on the herds of the great migration in the vast plains south of Ndutu, to the Makao and Kakesio areas. This is outside of the relative civilisation of the allowing for off-road exploration – necessary, as defined tracks are as rare as the wild dogs that we always hope to encounter. A sea of verdant short grass eventually runs into a surprising wall of abrupt mountains. It feels primeval and unchanged over some 3.6 million years, since the oldest known hominin footprints on Earth were discovered nearby at Laetoli in the Ngorongoro Highlands.
