National Geographic’s Africa

Sometimes I rant about the trips we can plan and you just have to take my word for it. On this occasion, however, I have National Geographic Traveler backing me up. Check out our San Bushman Hunt & Kubu Island Safari—selected as the 2011 ‘Tour of a Lifetime’ in Botswana.

What if I told you that instead of going on a standard safari to see the big five, you could go to Botswana and hunt elands with the San Bushmen of the Kalahari? This is not just some crass and wasteful trophy hunt with high powered rifles. It is an ancient event loaded with significance for the community, and particularly for the young men who seek to sanctify their passage from boyhood to manhood with the completion of a successful hunt. We encourage you to get up close and personal with the San, and take advantage of this chance to spend some time with some of the last great hunters still living on this planet, as they continue their age old ritual.

When the hunt is over, you move on to the next part of the adventure. Travel to the vast and empty Makgadikgadi Pans, where you will set out from Jack’s Camp on quad bikes, heading towards the ancient and mysterious Kubu Island. Open the throttle and close your eyes, because there’s nothing to crash into. Time, space and direction don’t seem to matter when you’re blasting across the pans. Once you reach Kubu Island, you’ll see the extinct mouth of the Zambezi river, as well as what is likely the biggest flamingo breeding site in the world. We have a feeling it’s something you’ll be talking about for the rest of your lifetime.

National Geographic’s 2011 Tours of a Lifetime

Dan Achber has moved from Toronto to Bulawayo (Bula-where?), to run a collection of safari camps in Zimbabwe. Still a member of our Trufflepig family, you can look forward to his posts from the bush in the coming months.