Drumbeat Winter 20/21

2 | www.aardvarksafaris.com 2020 has been quite a year. We continue to be bowled over by the support and positivity of so many of our clients. The continuing passion for Africa and desire to travel will make an enormous difference to the future of Africa’s wilderness and her people. As I write, countries across Africa are opening their borders and our first groups of intrepid clients have been to Kenya and Tanzania, enjoying near deserted national parks and incredible wildlife sightings. We are optimistic that it won’t be too long before we can enjoy more of the safaris we have been busy arranging or reorganising. With the flexible booking conditions currently on offer from many of our suppliers, now is certainly a great time to plan. Inside this issue, Francis reports on his trip to Ethiopia which he managed to squeeze in just before travel shut down. Even he, after 25 years travelling across the continent, was surprised by the intoxicating mix on offer here. We feature an array of exclusive use safari houses, camps, and islands – perfect for a post-lockdown safari with friends and family. Lucinda takes a look at some of Africa’s least known national parks and it isAnna’s turn in the ‘Ask the Expert’ hot seat. With our own African travel temporarily curtailed we’ve turned to Kenya, most recently visited by Becky and always a top seller, for some inspirational highlights, and we’re also excited to bringyou news of three hosted trips, one each led byAlice, Francis and Lucinda. So, while we wait in anticipation for African travel to fully re-open, we hope we can whet your appetite to plan some spectacular escapes ensuring that those safari dreams become a reality. After all, something to look forward to could be just the tonic you are after. The team are all here and would be delighted to chat about your safari dreams. RICHARD SMITH WELCOME TO AARDVARK SAFAR I S ’ WINTER 2020 NEWSLETTER 8 14 ETHIOPIA THE AFRICA YOU DIDN'T EXPECT KNOCKOUT KENYA COVER PHOTO: SINGITA EXCLUSIVELY YOURS