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Last week the location was Rongai Number Three a wooded hill with a

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Last week the location was Rongai Number Three, a wooded hill with a panoramic view of the plain and the distant Ngorongoro mountain. Camouflaged among the trees were six double-tents for guests, each with an awning for sitting out and an annexe for private dining, a large mess tent for communal eating, and a huddle of canvas for the 12-strong staff.Being about 1,700 metres above sea level, the evenings can be shiveringly cold, so a hot-water bottle is essential. Meals are served on white tablecloths with crystal wine glasses, and the evening begins, after the rapid equatorial sundown, with pre-dinner drinks around a roaring log fire which helps to deter unwelcome four-legged intruders. But the best amenity of all is natural: the unforgettable sight as you zip back the tent-flaps at dawn and the Serengeti is laid out before you like a giant watercolour.On the morning drive, it takes Mohamed an hour to locate the migrating horde. Individually, the animals may be unremarkable, but collectively they are phenomenal They have leaders who decide on the best route to take.

Some form of daily conclave takes place, assessing the grazing conditions and sources of danger The zebras are posted as look-outs. At ground level, the grouping appears to be random, but from the vantage point of Naabi Hill, their spacing and formation can be seen to have an almost military regimentation. One day soon, they will suddenly get up and go, covering 30-40km without a break. This may be sufficient to shake off their predators, but the two-legged guides from the mobile camps will doggedly remain on their trail.TRAVELLER'S GUIDEGETTING THEREThe writer travelled with Rainbow Tours (020-7226 1004; www.rainbowtours.co.uk) which offers seven-day safaris from £2,675 per person. This includes return flights to Dar Es Salaam, transfers, full board at Ngorongoro Crater Lodge and with Tanzania Under Canvas, game activities and national park fees.BA (0870 850 9850; www.ba ) flies to Dar Es Salaam from Heathrow, Kenya Airways (01784 888 222; www.kenya-airways ) via Nairobi, Emirates (0870 243 22 22; www.emirates ) via Dubai.The environmental cost of a return flight from London to Dar Es Salaam is £14, available through Climate Care (01865 207 000; www.climatecare ).FURTHER INFORMATIONBritish tourists require a visa (£38): 020-7569 1487; www.tanzania-online.gov.uk.. It's 10 years since my first trip to Brazil Back then it was strictly turismo.

Rio and then on to Salvador de Bahia, where I hung with the afro bloco, Olodum (a group founded in 1979 to highlight African heritage through music, dance and art) This would be my second professional visit. As a DJ, broadcaster and producer, Brazilian music has always featured in my repertoire and even though my Portuguese is weak, the pull to this massive and distant land goes way beyond the ball and the beach. This time I was heading to Brazil with Brahma beer to create a six-part podcast. While there, I was going to be interviewing some of my heroes and I would also get the chance to spin in Rio and Sao Paulo. I had just done two shows in Scotland with Soil & Pimp Sessions, a jazz outfit from Japan, and then flown to LA for the Coachella Festival. Then it was on to Brazil; next stop, Rio de Janeiro! At last, we - eccentric North London poet and performer Earl Zinger and I - were off. Check this, George Bush International in Houston to Tom Jobim Airport in Rio Says it all. I was presenting my Worldwide Radio 1 show from here courtesy of ISDN - thank God for technology.

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