I’m a big fan of delayed gratification; a little hard work beforehand makes the reward that much sweeter. For example, when eating lobster (my favourite meal), I’ll start with the legs and the little flanges at the tip of the tail, twisting and tweezing out even the smallest fibre of meat until I can barely […]
We all want to see lions, giraffes and elephants – these exotic animals have captured our imaginations from a very young age. For most tourists, a trip to Africa means a trip to see the lions, giraffes and elephants, but moving past this simple declaration they become quickly paralyzed by all the choice. This is […]
Okay, so you haven’t quite gotten around to planning that late December holiday getaway. You don’t need more guilt heaped on your work-weary shoulders. But you do need some help. The Christmas to New Year’s travel window is a busy one, so there’s no more time to waste. Here’s a rundown of of what could […]
At 6′ 5″ our Africa trip planner, Dan Achber, is a giant among men. But it’s his prowess as a planner of safaris and journeys in sub-Saharan Africa that really measures large. We’ve held him in high regard for years and were thrilled to learn yesterday that Travel & Leisure magazine now does too. In the upcoming […]
Special offers, particularly where travel is concerned, are imperfect for the most part. They’re either too restrictive, not really what you want, or more of a compromise than you would like. But then there are the rare gems you need to take a closer look at. For the second year in a row Wilderness Safaris is offering […]
Every time our Africa trip planner, Dan Achber, returns from a research trip (which he did just a few days ago) I hound him for photos from his journey. Dan has a knack for taking the kind of in-your-face wildlife photos that remind me it’s not merely what you see when you’re on safari, but […]
Nestled in the depths of the somewhat obscure Katavi National Park, far out in the western reaches of Tanzania, is a camp called Chada Katavi. If you look at a map it’s a touch closer to the Democratic Republic of Congo than to the Serengeti. In other words, the beaten path is nowhere to be seen. […]
Let’s go out on a limb and predict that the world isn’t going to end tomorrow. Christmas and New Year’s will come and go, and then those of us in the northernmost parts of the northern hemisphere will enter what one Trufflepig planner calls “the long, dark tea time of the soul.” Give your soul […]
We wax lyrical here at the Pig about the power and majesty of safari, but one thing we tend to neglect are the practicalities. When we speak to people the conversation invariably turns toward what the beds are like, how the food is and whether or not there will be clean drinking water. One thing […]
Sure, the flurries are a beautiful novelty right now. We’re all dreaming of a white Christmas too. But come January, escape is going to be the only thing on your mind. Plan your trip now with a few of our favourite suggestions for this January. You can call it a new year’s resolution if that […]
It’s the second last edition of our 100 things we love, celebrating our 100th newsletter. Here we cover number 40 down to 21. 40. The Boatshed on Waiheke Island—Just a short ferry ride away from Auckland, New Zealand’s capital, The Boatshed is a tiny retreat we’ve loved for years. In fact, our New Zealand planner, […]
Today we continue our countdown of 100 things we love, in celebration of our 100th Sounder newsletter, going out to all of your inboxes this week. Here we cover number 60 down to 41. 60. Our National Geographic “Tour of a Lifetime”—We’re not going to lie, it’s nice to see our name in lights after […]
Today we continue our countdown of 100 things we love, in celebration of our 100th Sounder newsletter. If you need some Christmas wish list inspiration, this is it. From 80 to 61: 80. The Nam Hai—Vietnam’s villa perfection is one of our very favourite hotels. Parked right on the beach outside the charming town of Hoi […]
The newsletter we send out to all you fine folks next week will be our 100th edition (get it here if you’re not on the list yet). To mark this special occasion, we thought we’d round up 100 of our favourite things—a little bit like Oprah does around Christmas, but with fewer free cars (sorry). […]
Let’s say you’ve been on safari in Africa a few times. If you’ve gone back more than once it’s pretty safe to say that you’re a fully-fledged safari junkie, and a traditional safari (a couple of weeks long with comfortable tented camps and two game drives a day) puts you right in your happy place. Let’s […]
The honeymoon’s over (and has been for a while)—now you have a whole family to consider, and you’re wondering how to make a safari work. We run down three properties that offer South Africa’s best; tailored specifically to babies, kids, and teenagers. Visiting Africa with a family requires plenty of special considerations. Malaria risk areas […]