Safari and Wildlife

The world’s largest aggregations of whale sharks (the largest fish) are in the Caribbean off of Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo, Mexico. The season for swimming with them is May 15-Sept. 15, with best sightings late July through August.

On trips of five to six hours offered by Ceviche Tours (Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo; phone [044] 998 135 4787… and in New York, NY, at 631/470-6315), up to 10 guests cruise for eight to 25 miles to find whale sharks, then swim with them or take photos from the boat.

My wife, Mary, and I started to travel in Europe in 1985. We would rent a car and drive around for three weeks with no reservations. We soon found out that one of the best parts of traveling was interacting with people.

In 1994 we started doing house trades and became involved with people even more. As time went by, we developed a love for southern Germany and Austria and decided to try to learn to speak German.

by Lynn Remly; Hudson, OH

I took the “Ultimate Africa: Botswana, Zambia & Zimbabwe Safari,” April 28-May 17, 2011, with Overseas Adventure Travel, or OAT (Cambridge, MA; 800/493-6824), visiting Chobe National Park and the Okavango Delta in Botswana; Kafue National Park in Zambia, and Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. It was 18 days from start to finish, 16 in Africa.

The southern region of Africa felt very relaxed, with none of the turmoil of the north. I found no anti-American slogans and, in fact, was most warmly welcomed everywhere.

11 days/nine nights. Highlights: From Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA, fly to Victoria Falls, ZIMBABWE/rainforest walk, sunset river cruise/game drives in Chobe National Park, BOTSWANA/in the Linyati Delta, view elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, antelopes, zebras. With air from New York or Washington DC, from $6,599. Single supp., from $1,130. Lion World Tours (Toronto, ON, Canada; 800/387-2706).

Seventeen of us, friends and family, followed the wildebeest migration in Tanzania, June 30-July 12, 2011, and it was the trip of a lifetime. We traveled with Africa Dream Safaris (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA; 877/572-3274).

We discovered Africa Dream online in 2005 and took a trip that we were so satisfied with, we used them again for our migration adventure, booking in August ’10. Because of our large group, we received a discount; our land cost was $5,087 per person. Round-trip air from Miami cost $2,130 each.

by David Tykol; Editor, ITN

“Wow! This is amazing,” our guide and driver, Saitoti Ole Kuwai, said.

In a small, grassy valley in northeastern Tanzania, I was one of four journalists sitting in a safari vehicle surrounded by hundreds of wildebeests.