Safari and Wildlife

Dear Globetrotter:

by Julie Skurdenis (part 3 of 3 on Balkans)

The first third of “Antarctic Wildlife: a Visitor’s Guide” by James Lowen (2011, Princeton University Press. Stiff, large-format paperback, 240 glossy pages, $22.95) has general tips on spotting wildlife, then it lists plant, sea and bird life by geographic regions. Densely illustrated with photos (both juvenile and adult animals), the rest tells how to identify varieties of seals, whales, dolphins, gulls, penguins, ducks, etc., with short text descriptions of their behaviors.

In February ’11, eight people, including our guide, met for dinner at the majestic Taj Mahal hotel in the heart of Delhi. The members of our group had traveled to India from several different states but had one thing in common: we all had taken trips, which had been spectacular, with Rothschild Safaris (Denver, CO; 800/405-9463). Rothschild’s first venture into the wildlife safari experience in India, this trip was a departure from their usual African tour offerings.

As a tour operator, I was on Midway Atoll in March ’11 escorting a group of 15. Part of the Hawaiian Archipelago, the atoll is an unincorporated US territory, but everyone needs a valid passport to visit, even US citizens. Midway is probably best known as the site of the Battle of Midway, during WWII the turning point of the war in the Pacific.

REPORT ON MALTA…

I went on a birding trip to China called “Birds and Culture,” April 16-May 1, 2011, with Victor Emanuel Nature Tours, or VENT (Austin, TX; 800/328-8368). The land price was $7,175 per person, all inclusive.

Our tour included the crane migration at Xianghai Nature Reserve in Baicheng, Inner Mongolia, as well as reserves at Tumuge (wetlands) and Momoge (grasslands).

by Randy Keck (Third of three parts, go to part one or part two)

The final portion of my February-March 2011 exploration of Kenya and Tanzania began with a drive from Ngorongoro Crater to Olduvai Gorge, where Mary and Louis Leakey painstakingly excavated the remains of some of the first humans to ever walk the Earth in an upright position. Many of their fascinating finds are on display at a small museum overlooking the gorge.

The Anantara Golden Triangle Resort & Spa (229 Moo 1 T.Wieng, Golden Triangle, Chiang Sean, Chiang Rai 57150, Thailand; phone [66] 02 877 5803 04), on the Mekong River in Chiang Sean, northern Thailand, is offering guests a “Jungle Yoga, Elephant & Spa Experience.”

by Randy Keck (Second of three parts, go to part one or part three)

My tour of Kenya and Tanzania in late February 2011 continued with my flying from the Masai Mara back to Nairobi, where I had lunch at the Carnivore Restaurant, known far and wide for its meat-on-a-spit selections which are hand carved at tables by roving waiters.