Zimbabwe Archives - 国产吃瓜黑料 Online /tag/zimbabwe/ Live Bravely Tue, 17 May 2022 14:03:29 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://cdn.outsideonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/favicon-194x194-1.png Zimbabwe Archives - 国产吃瓜黑料 Online /tag/zimbabwe/ 32 32 How Fj盲llr盲ven鈥檚 Gamu Moyo Creates Women’s Clothes /outdoor-gear/clothing-apparel/fjallraven-designer-gamu-moyo/ Mon, 10 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/fjallraven-designer-gamu-moyo/ How Fj盲llr盲ven鈥檚 Gamu Moyo Creates Women's Clothes

The research and development designer shares her story and inspiration

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How Fj盲llr盲ven鈥檚 Gamu Moyo Creates Women's Clothes

Gamu Moyo got her passion for fashion and the outdoors from her father, a farmer with a deep appreciation for well-tailored clothing. She was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, in the years just after its emergence from decades of racial apartheid. She grew up embracing the ideals of personal excellence, perseverance, and academic discipline, and cultivated a defined sense of style and an abiding love of the natural world. These values led her to the in New York City for a degree in fine arts and鈥攏o surprise鈥攁 career crafting women鈥檚 outdoor and active apparel.


Strive for Excellence

鈥淢y parents raised us to excel and reach for the gold because it was always going to be hard for people who looked like us. And they instilled in us a fierce sense of pride and a belief that no matter what we wanted to do, we could achieve it.鈥

Create with Love

鈥淚 want the women I design for to feel strong and supported. I want them to know they can go farther and see more, because the gear that I鈥檓 working on will allow them to.鈥

Make It Work

鈥淥ur key challenges when designing for women are fit, feel, and function. Fit is particularly difficult, because women demand more and because body types vary so much. I try to think about complementing things that could live in a woman鈥檚 closet already.鈥

Applaud the Effort

鈥淎bleism is the main issue I see in the outdoors community. I wish that would dissolve a little bit, because it would help us get more people to just enjoy spending time outside. We really need to do a better job of celebrating people who get to the hill down the street, because that鈥檚 a feat in itself. That is being outside.鈥

Make the Journey

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to put pressure on people to think that they have to be at the highest level of performance just to enjoy the outdoors. I want them to know that being in nature is also about the experience you get from going out there鈥攆eeling independent and empowered, knowing that you鈥檝e accomplished something. Then you can take those core values learned on the trail into living with other people and living in cities as well.鈥

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Why You Shouldn鈥檛 Be Outraged By Elephant Hunting /culture/opinion/why-you-shouldnt-be-outraged-elephant-hunting/ Mon, 20 Nov 2017 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/why-you-shouldnt-be-outraged-elephant-hunting/ Why You Shouldn鈥檛 Be Outraged By Elephant Hunting

Take a deep breath everyone, trophy hunting is back in the news.

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Why You Shouldn鈥檛 Be Outraged By Elephant Hunting

Take a deep breath everyone,听trophy hunting is back in the news. Let鈥檚 see what we can do to calm the Internet outrage machine before it really gets going.

Here鈥檚 the backstory:听the Department of the Interior announced it was going听to begin allowing hunters to bring elephant trophies back to the U.S. from Zimbabwe and Zambia, then President Trump stated he was going to cancel that order.听The Obama Administration banned such imports back听in 2014, due to what it saw as .听

Elephants are among the most intelligent and social of animals, and their numbers in Africa have fallen from a pre-industrial high of 10听million to . So hunting them is bad, right? Well, that鈥檚 why everyone gets so outraged on the Internet about trophy hunting. But it鈥檚 not necessarily the reality.

Give me a few paragraphs to explain before you start shouting at your computer screen.

There are two major factors contributing to shrinking听elephant populations: poaching听and habitat loss. 听that the illegal trade in ivory could be worth as much as $1 billion a year, and that up to 23,000 elephants are being poached each year. That鈥檚 dramatic and dangerous, but the biggest threat elephants and other large animals听face听is from ever-expanding听human civilization, and the听towns, roads, and agriculture that eat away at their听habitat. People who rely on farming and cattle ranching value the land and the crops that grow on it.听Which means that the听elephants that graze on that land are听a threat to business.听听

Sport hunting, counterintuitively, can counteract听both habitat loss and poaching听by giving the elephants a legitimate monetary value. Elephant hunts cost tens of thousands of dollars; that profit turns the animals听from a nuisance听into a valuable commodity. If a land owner stands to profit more from elephant hunts听than he does from cattle farming, he'll allow more elephants to remain wild, and he also has the incentive听to protect the animals from poaching. Many of the owners of land where听elephants are hunted hire armed security teams to protect the animals听from poachers.听

For example, hunting has in Zimbabwe as government-owned habitat. Without the cash from hunting, that might not be possible. In northeast Namibia, the number of elephants living on hunting reserves increased from . Hunting helped increase the number of the rare desert elephants in the country .听听Of course, there are听also examples of the system failing elephants. Trophy imports from Zimbabwe were banned by the DOI after by poachers there, and not enough of the cash from hunting has gone back into fighting poachers.听

One thing trophy hunting does not achieve is an economic benefit to local communities. Due largely to corruption, , and government officials. There听is听some hyper-local benefit from hunting, as local villagers are given the meat from kills, and that鈥檚 often their best source of protein.

By听making elephants a source of revenue, the rich land owners听that听profit from elephant hunting are motivated to .听Teddy Roosevelt considered hunters the great conservationists. He once wrote:听

In a civilized and cultivated country wild animals only continue to exist at all when preserved by sportsmen.听 The excellent people who protest against all hunting, and consider sportsmen as enemies of wild life, are ignorant of the fact that in reality the genuine sportsman is by all odds the most important factor in keeping the larger and more valuable wild creatures from total extermination.

Why can鈥檛 photo tourism replace hunting?听An individual hunter spends large sums of money on a hunt, without requiring much听infrastructure. Tourism largely takes place in National Parks. Hunting takes place on private land. Hunting protects elephants and their habitat in areas other than National Parks, where they wouldn't otherwise have any protections.听

National Geographic sums it up well. 鈥淐onservancy lands given over to trophy hunting have the added benefit of keeping the wild, wild,鈥 .

In short, sport-hunting is a听for-profit private system that can help听conserve elephant populations.听If people are getting rich from elephant hunting, then those people are听financially听incentivized to protect those elephants.听That鈥檚 my quick-and-dirty explanation of how hunting can benefit animals like the elephant. Sadly, it doesn鈥檛 always work out as well as it should, and for every example of a well-managed, scientifically-sound elephant-management policy working in benefit of the species, there are short-sighted听assholes who fail to behave ethically to the benefit of the species. Pretty much all the countries in which elephants live and are hunted are not doing a good enough job of preventing poaching. And the international community is听not doing a good enough job of eliminating the demand for ivory.听Yet, on the whole, hunting is still crucial to animal conservation in Africa for the simple reason that the money it brings sets aside vast amounts听of protected habitat.听We don't have a better system to replace it with yet.听

It鈥檚 reasonable to want to find a better way to protect these animals听and find ways to live alongside them harmoniously.听But we鈥檙e not going to get there if we don鈥檛 at least start that discussion from a place of rationality and knowledge. Outrage and ignorance won't听help anyone鈥攅specially not the elephants.听

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The Last Days of Cecil the Lion /gallery/last-days-cecil-lion/ Fri, 15 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 /gallery/last-days-cecil-lion/ The Last Days of Cecil the Lion

When Cecil, the magnificent, 13-year old, black-mane lion was killed by an American dentist on an illegal trophy bow hunt last year, the world responded with shock and horror. Photographer Brent Stapelkamp, 38, was the last person to fit Cecil with a GPS satellite collar and to photograph him, just a month before he was killed.

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The Last Days of Cecil the Lion

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Southern Africa鈥檚 Tour de Tuli: 5 Nights, 4 Days, 3 Countries, 1 Mountain Bike /gallery/southern-africas-tour-de-tuli-5-nights-4-days-3-countries-1-mountain-bike/ Tue, 24 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 /gallery/southern-africas-tour-de-tuli-5-nights-4-days-3-countries-1-mountain-bike/ Southern Africa鈥檚 Tour de Tuli: 5 Nights, 4 Days, 3 Countries, 1 Mountain Bike

Once a year, Johannesburg-based Wilderness Safaris organizes its Tour de Tuli, a 300-kilometer (186-mile), four-day MTB ride through the Tuli Block of southern Africa, connecting Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.

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Southern Africa鈥檚 Tour de Tuli: 5 Nights, 4 Days, 3 Countries, 1 Mountain Bike

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Experience Heaven: Book a Star Bed! /adventure-travel/destinations/experience-heaven-book-star-bed/ Thu, 05 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/experience-heaven-book-star-bed/ Experience Heaven: Book a Star Bed!

Sleeping under stars is, simply put, awesome. The last sight you see before drifting off makes you marvel at the immensity of the universe and the beauty of those sparkling glimmers of light.

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Experience Heaven: Book a Star Bed!

Sleeping under stars is, simply put, awesome. The last sight you see before drifting off makes you marvel at the immensity of the universe and the beauty of those sparkling glimmers of light. Anyone who has ever camped can tell you that. And recently, hotels and lodges from California to Kenya are tapping into our stargazing urges and offering the intrigue of the night sky to guests who don鈥檛 particulary want to toss a sleeping bag on the ground. Their star beds have plush mattresses, soft sheets, plump pillows (mosquito nets if needed) and鈥攎ost importantly鈥攔oom enough for two.

Hwange, Zimbabwe鈥擫ittle Makalolo Camp

star beds
(Courtesy of Little Makalolo Camp)

罢丑颈蝉听, part of Wilderness Safaris鈥 collection, recently added an outdoor bed on a raised platform, safely overlooking Madison Pan. Twenty minutes from the main camp by jeep, it offers a feeling of being beyond remote鈥攕ecluded, star-lit and often graced with the stately presence of Hwange鈥檚 famed herds of elephants. Not for the faint of heart.


Saariskell盲, Finland鈥擪akslauttanen

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Staying in a glass igloo at this听听doesn鈥檛 actually mean sleeping outside, for obvious reasons (though there are also snow igloos for people who like to feel the cold). Heated, spacious and set up with basic bathrooms, the glass igloos are a perfectly comfortable base for heading out on reindeer safaris by day and watching the northern lights鈥攚hile in bed鈥攂y night.


Pench, India鈥擩amtara Wilderness Camp

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Head to just outside of Pench National Park and Tiger Reserve to experience the only star beds in India. The camp opened in January 2015 and is operated by . The three star beds here are inspired by 鈥淢achaans,鈥 or the local farmers who are known to pass the night in their fields to scare off wildlife. Each of the beds are placed on a platform, draped in Indian silks and are surrounded by high . They鈥檙e complemented with basic bathroom amenities, lanterns, and binoculars for stargazing and wildlife spotting. Plus, there are caf茅 tables for the coffee that you can have delivered first thing in the morning. And yes, you get your own night guard to ward off the animals.


Laikipa, Kenya鈥擫oisaba Retreat

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The star beds at this 鈥攖hink walking, rafting, and horseback riding safari with a touch of spa philosophy thrown in鈥攈ave dramatic locations: Some are set amid a kopje of rocks in one of the eastern valleys overlooking a watering hole, and others are cantilevered out over the Ewaso N鈥檊iro River, several miles from the main lodge. Get there by Land Cruiser, horseback, camel or your own two feet, and then settle into a four-poster bed, which can be wheeled under a partial rooftop or left out right under the stars.


Mancora, Peru鈥擪iChic

kichic mancora peru
(KiChic)

Surf all day and then crash out in the Himalaya Suite at this on the only tropical part of Peru鈥檚 Pacific coast, which has a terrace that鈥檚 big enough for staff to set up a bed outside. Its occupants can hear the close-by din of the ocean鈥檚 waves and feel the sea breeze (which also keeps beach bugs at bay) as they pick out the constellations. Bonus: There鈥檚 an outdoor shower here too.


San Jos茅 del Cabo, Mexico鈥擫as Ventanas al Paraiso

las ventanas
(Las Ventanas)

Like much of the beach town of Cabo, this is still being rebuilt due to damage from last year. When it reopens this spring it will still offer its popular 鈥淪leeping with the Stars鈥 program. Guests staying in Rooftop Terrace Junior Suites will have the option of having an intimate bedroom set up on the roof, where there鈥檚 a telescope in case you鈥檇 like to get a closer look at the skies.


Big Sur, California鈥擳reebones Resort

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You should sleep outside at least once in the California gem that is Big Sur. And while not quite as comfortable as the other star beds here鈥攊t鈥檚 BYO sleeping bags and pillows, though there is a futon mattress鈥攖he so-called 鈥溾 is a creative way to check off that box. The resort calls it 鈥渆xtreme eco-sleep.鈥 Guests hike into the campsite and bring their gear up a ladder and into a human-size nest made by a local artist of woven wood, where starlight shimmers through the spaces between the branches.


Canyon Point, Utah鈥擜mangiri

Amangiri
(Amangiri)

At Aman鈥檚 in southwestern Utah鈥攍ess than two-and-a-half hours from the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park and Monument Valley鈥攕taff will transform the daybeds on the terraces of the Pool Suites into proper overnight sleeping beds. It鈥檚 a popular option in summer, when nights are warm enough to enjoy the private plunge pool by star or moonlight.


Near Pisco Elqui, Chile鈥擡lqui Domos

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Astronomy is a focus at this several hours north of Santiago in an area known of its clear night skies. A favorite of bespoke adventure outfitter , the accommodations were all designed with the night sky in mind: The Observatory Bedrooms are wood cabins with glass panels in the angled ceilings above the beds, and the Dome Bedrooms are geodesic structures made of metal frames and PVC tents. Beds are lofted and rooftops can be opened up for open-air stargazing. And if you don鈥檛 get your fill of the Milky Way from your room, make sure you get a glimpse of it though the hotel鈥檚 own observatory, which houses two electronic.


Alentejo, Portugal鈥擫鈥橝nd Vineyards

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Set deep within the sprawling hills of Portugal鈥檚 Alentejo wine region, ten of the 22 suites at this (a favorite recommendation from travel designer ), have fully retractable sky roofs over their bedrooms, each with one wall that opens entirely to a terrace with a fireplace, as well as private plunge pools on their patios. When you鈥檙e not sipping vino or dozing off under the night sky, you can be soaring through it鈥攖his part of Portugal is known for its top-tier hot-air ballooning and skydiving.

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Your Travel Photos Are Helping Rhino Poachers /adventure-travel/destinations/africa/your-travel-photos-are-helping-rhino-poachers/ Thu, 17 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/your-travel-photos-are-helping-rhino-poachers/ Your Travel Photos Are Helping Rhino Poachers

Seeing a rhino in the wild is one of Africa鈥檚 quintessential safari experiences, and it's only natural to try to preserve that experience in a photo.

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Your Travel Photos Are Helping Rhino Poachers

Seeing a rhino in the wild is one of Africa鈥檚 quintessential safari experiences and a lump-in-your-throat moment for those lucky enough to realize the dream. This is what you came to the continent for, right?听

Maybe you鈥檒l zoom in with your SLR camera and snap some great shots that you鈥檒l edit later and share online with friends. Or perhaps you鈥檒l take quick pics on your cell phone and post on Facebook or Instagram within minutes.

Either way, what you might not realize is that the second you share that photo online, you could be helping a rhino poacher find his next victim.

Diceros bicornis Black rhinocer poaching geotagging rhinos outdoors africa namibia outside magazine outside online world wildlife fund
(Martin Harvey / WWF-Canon)

Finding Rhinos

The Hospitality Association of Namibia recently on its Facebook page of a sign hanging in a safari vehicle that reads: “Please be careful when sharing photos on social media. They can lead poachers to our rhino. Turn off the geotag function and do not disclose where the photo was taken.”

Geotagging is the process of automatically including geographic information in cell phone pictures. When you share your photos with others, the information is embedded within the photograph, and anyone with access to the Internet can extract that data from your picture.

Plug the longitude and latitude into Google Maps, for example, and you could discover the exact spot where the photo was shot, give or take a few feet. Combine that with the fact that rhinos are very sedentary and often hang out in the same general area for days at a stretch, and you have a potentially serious situation.

“If you鈥檝e got a fresh GPS coordinate for a rhino鈥攐r you know where it鈥檚 going to water every night鈥攊t鈥檚 very easy to quickly find and poach it,” explains Chris Weaver, director of the for World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Rhino poaching has dominated the news recently, as 鈥攁ll in an effort to sell the horns of the prehistoric mammals. Some believers of traditional Asian medicine think pulverized rhino horn will cure strokes, convulsions and fevers, among other ailments.

Though there is no scientific proof of such medicinal value, rhino horn is nonetheless highly prized鈥攕o much so that a single rhino horn can fetch $250,000 on the black market.

Ceratotherium simum simum Southern White rhinoceros. Adul
(Martin Harvey / WWF-Canon)

Faux Tourists

As more and more of the endangered rhinos are killed, conservationists and government officials in some parts of Africa have become extremely protective. In fact, they try not to discuss the animals publicly anymore.

“While Namibia would love to boast about its success with relocation of protected species into private parks and the growth of its rhino population and rhino tracking activities, unfortunately such positive news may draw poachers to our area,” said Gitta Paetzold, CEO of the Hospitality Association of Namibia. To combat this, several organizations have started educating travelers about how poachers can pluck GPS coordinates off photos that tourists post on social media sites.

Poachers can also examine your photos and identify markers in the background, such as a particular grove of trees or a mountain peak. And some , going on guided expeditions on game farms or in national parks. The first time this happened, in South Africa鈥檚 Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park, two men killed a pair of white rhinos. The men were later arrested. It鈥檚 , where poachers killed a pair of one-horned rhinos in Kaziranga National Park.

poaching outside magazine outside online namibia zimbabwe rhino geotagging orphan poachers watering hole
(Martin Harvey/WWF-Canon)

Guides, of course, lead their visitors right to where the rhinos are, and the faux tourists may then snap photos without raising any suspicions. Would-be poachers or informants can then send a photo with a location tag to anyone or return to the spot later to seek out the rhino.

Weaver was recently exploring the Namibian desert with some guests when he came across a group of tourists who took an unusual interest in two white rhinos. They snapped more than the typical number of photos of the animals with their cell phones and spent more time with them than Weaver has observed during his 20 years working in Namibia.

“I鈥檓 thinking, how would a person know that they鈥檙e not just forwarding these photos on to China or Vietnam and saying 鈥楬ow much will you pay for information on this rhino?鈥” Weaver said. “Pass that on, and five minutes later, you鈥檒l have an answer back: 鈥業鈥檒l give you X amount for that set of horns.”

It鈥檚 not a far-fetched proposition. In South Africa, for example, officials have become more vigilant about rhino tourism, documenting the names and visits of tourists. Weaver said he鈥檚 even heard of some spots where cell phones are forbidden on safari vehicles.

Diceros bicornis Black rhinocer poachers outside magazine outside online rhino black rhino namibia zimbabwe
(Martin Harvey / WWF-Canon)

How You Can Help

Although visitor photos may inadvertently help poachers on occasion, there is a silver lining: travelers can actually be a huge aid to rhino conservation efforts, especially in Namibia where tour operators work with community members who value wildlife and work tirelessly to protect it.

“You as a tourist are actually making a difference,” WWF鈥檚 Weaver says, explaining that a portion of tour payments go toward community conservation efforts. “Your tourist dollars create long-term incentives for people to set aside habitat for wildlife and live with wildlife.”

To ensure you鈥檙e not aiding poachers with your travel photos:

  • 听in the settings section of any smartphone you use to take photos.
  • 听on photos previously shot.
  • Be mindful of privacy settings on social media sites. if posting photos of rhinos, only share them with trusted contacts.
  • Pay attention to fellow tourists. If you see someone acting out of the ordinary or hear a few too many questions about where rhinos are and how long they鈥檒l stay there, alert national park staff or your guide. That person could be a poacher informant.
  • Be wary of sharing too much information with overly interested people, such as taxi drivers or hotel staff. If a line of questioning gets too detailed about the location of an animal you saw that day, answer vaguely.

听about what WWF is doing to stop rhino poaching.

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Daniela Ibarra-Howell on Saving the World’s Grasslands /outdoor-adventure/environment/daniela-ibarra-howell-saving-worlds-grasslands/ Wed, 20 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/daniela-ibarra-howell-saving-worlds-grasslands/ Daniela Ibarra-Howell on Saving the World's Grasslands

Desertification is out of control, but there may be a way to stop it.

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Daniela Ibarra-Howell on Saving the World's Grasslands

While climate scientists are constantly worrying about the effects of climate change on our planet, one man is doing something to stop it. Allan Savory began work in Zimbabwe studying desertification and has become a passionate advocate for changing the way we see grasslands. I had a chance to talk with the CEO and co-founder of the Savory Institute, Daniela Ibarra-Howell, who is working with Savory to renew our land and maybe even save our planet.

Savory and Ibarra-Howell believe in , which involves careful planning, managed grazing, and accounting for the constant possibility of change.

How did you get involved in this movement?
It was a long time ago in Argentina. I was working on desertification control with the United Nations and the Argentine government in Patagonia. All the solutions we had at the time were unaffordable. I went to New Zealand to study more and I met my husband there. He introduced me to Allan Savory鈥檚 research.

The work made sense. I went to New Mexico to work on a plot of land with Savory. Then I knew I wanted to work with him.

When did it click that this was the right way to save our grasslands?
It was immediate. As soon as I went through Allan鈥檚 research all the pieces fell into place. It wasn鈥檛 just about better management, but about planning and understanding the complexity of the environment鈥攏atural, cultural, social, and political.

How did the Savory Institute come to be?
About three years ago we realized we needed a better model. We needed a bigger model in order to help our clients become more entrepreneurial, to empower others, and to inform policymakers.

How do you form relationships with the landowners who adopt your techniques?
Our work is completely community-driven. In the U.S. we work with local offices, whereas in Zimbabwe we work with smaller landowners. We learned something along the way. With private land there is more incentive for change because of the commercial interests of the owner. Unfortunately, in many of the countries we work in, there is no access to traditional financial markets.

So in order to work with a community we first find out what they want because inevitably new ways of land management will cause changes to tradition, but it must come with desire for change.

What is it like working in a diverse agrarian society like South Africa?
In South Africa we work mainly with native pastoralists with no access to markets so we have to figure out how to get funds for these people. Can we get commercial partners is always a big question. But we found in many communities that if we find the innovators in a community they will become the agents of change. These people are found in every community.

How do you deal with predation by large carnivores in places like Kenya?
We do no management of wildlife. What we do is try our best to understand its habitat needs. Everything is mapped and planned so that we are not stepping on land used for breeding at certain times of year.

In general, though, livestock do not know what to do when faced with predators, but we are experimenting with portable enclosures, which seem to be effective because lions won鈥檛 cross the barriers.

How do you train your clients?
Our training involves lots of different modules on planning, management, living with local wildlife, and sustainability. The more important question is can we execute? Sometimes we find that people understand our system in theory, but cannot put it into action for whatever reason. That鈥檚 why we like to create hubs nearby so that they can work with us.

Many areas of the world have already undergone terrible droughts and desertification. How do you start working in such challenging environments?
We will start in areas where work can still be done. In areas like the Horn of Africa and Central Australia, there is no hope without huge investments, but we start on the edges and tweak management to start rebuilding the land.

Australia actually has a huge holistic management culture in place. It鈥檚 a hugely pastoralist country and they are very aware of climate change. Our hope is that we can continue to expand to 100 management hubs by 2020.

How is the movement changing?
Producers are facing more and more climate-related problems and we think we are reaching a tipping point. We don鈥檛 have to push them; over 25 communities have contacted us to help change the way they manage land. We are sponsoring an international event at our headquarters in Boulder, Colorado, this June to talk about training and the future of agriculture.

Right now we have more demand than we can serve. That is why we want to create franchises in the communities so that they can function locally as opposed to needing our support.

But with the bigger organizations such as the U.N. and large countries, change comes slowly. They are not fluid, but we use large organizations to help us inform policymakers and to show them there are stakeholders on all sides of the issue.

Where is a country that you want to expand to, but haven鈥檛 met with success?
We would love to work in China. China is a huge country with lots of grasslands suffering from desertification. Unfortunately, current policies address the symptoms rather than the root causes of the issue just as in other countries. We don鈥檛 have enough connections though; we are just getting started in Asia, but if we got an indication that the Chinese government or businesses were interested in working with us we would jump at the chance.

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In the Doghouse /culture/books-media/doghouse/ Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/doghouse/ In the Doghouse

Alexandra Fuller's memoir recounts the trials of motherhood鈥攁nd crocodiles鈥攊n Central Africa.

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In the Doghouse

Ten years ago, Zimbabwean expat Alex颅andra Fuller burst onto the literary scene with Don鈥檛 Let鈥檚 Go to the Dogs Tonight, a memoir about growing up the child of white settlers in the former Rhodesia. This month Fuller, 42, who now lives in Wyoming, publishes a sequel, Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness (Penguin Press, $25.95). We caught up with her as the book went to press.

Your most recent book, The Legend of Colton H. Bryant, was set in Wyoming. Now you鈥檙e returning to Africa. What brought you back?
My mum was furious when Don鈥檛 Let鈥檚 Go to the Dogs Tonight was published. I thought it was a love story about Africa and my mother. She did not. What hurt her were the reviews that depicted us as nothing but a hardscrabble, poverty-stricken family. None of them mentioned how well-bred the family was. My mother is like George W. Bush when it comes to family politics: you鈥檙e either with her or against her. Having decided I was against her, she imposed sanctions. She wouldn鈥檛 pick up the phone for months.

In Cocktail Hour, she can鈥檛 even say the title. She calls it 鈥渢hat awful book.鈥
After Dogs came out, she said, 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 know a thing about me.鈥 So I decided to find out. We met in Scotland. I taped hours and hours of interviews.

Cocktail Hour is a memoir of your mother鈥檚 life told through your eyes. She鈥檚 an incredible survivor, kind of the last of the British stiff-upper-lippers.
If you choose to make Africa your home, then you鈥檇 bloody well better have a stiff upper lip. The culture of Central Africa doesn鈥檛 tolerate wallowing in grief. My mother lost three of her five children, but there were people around her who lost five.

She and your father are now living on a farm in Zambia?
Yes. Whenever I call, there are elephants in the bananas or a crocodile has eaten one of the sheep. The drama never ceases.

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Editors’ Choice /outdoor-adventure/snow-sports/editors-choice/ Sun, 14 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/editors-choice/ Editors' Choice

51. Sledding If you're over the age of ten or from outside the Midwest, we understand your reticence. But you're wrong. Trust us. 50. Yurts So round, so cozy, and usually situated someplace excellent, like practically any valley in Central Asia, the base of the Midwest's best little ski resort (Michigan's Mount Bohemia; mtbohemia.com), or … Continued

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Editors' Choice

51. Sledding

LL Bean goose-down vest

LL Bean goose-down vest

If you're over the age of ten or from outside the Midwest, we understand your reticence. But you're wrong. Trust us.

50. Yurts
So round, so cozy, and usually situated someplace excellent, like practically any valley in Central Asia, the base of the Midwest's best little ski resort (Michigan's Mount Bohemia; ), or beneath a cirque of toothy peaks (as is the case with many you'll find at ).

49. The Gorge Amphitheatre
Like Colorado's Red Rocks? You'll love this ridiculously, um, gorgeous venue in George, Washington.

48. A Goose-Down Vest
Warm to the core. $49;

47. Nepal
Sure, Kathmandu is a tourist junk show, but the locals continue to embrace trekkers. This despite the fact that no Nepali ever walked for fun. Stray just a bit from the rutted Annapurna Circuit or the Everest Base Camp queue and you'll be invited to drink yak butter tea with monks, share the last of a family's rice for the season, or dance drunkenly around a bonfire. Yes, some will see you as a walking ATM, but Nepal remains nothing less than the world's friendliest country. Once, when I found myself alone in a dusty highway town in the southern plains, a gang of teenagers mysteriously took it upon themselves to teach me how to ride a motorcycle. Each night for a week, we lurched around under the stars on a borrowed single-cylinder Honda, a new rider's-ed instructor shrieking commands from the back. Bhutan may be more “authentic,” whatever that means, and the Karakoram more stunning. But only in Nepal do the locals say, “Pahuna dyeuta ho,” or “A guest is God.” Trippy.
–Eric Hansen

46. People Who Never Say Die
People like Casey Fulp, who dreamed of being a Green Beret but was nearly killed in a motorcycle wreck in July 2008. He had a ruptured spleen, damaged lung, torn stomach, broken bones, and brain trauma鈥攁nd, as a result, was dropped from the Special Forces training program. Today he's gearing up for a 2,176-mile hike of the Appalachian Trail to support other disabled veterans. It's the same spirit I see in Steve Baskis, who lost his eyesight in an explosion in Iraq in 2008. Baskis went on to climb a volcano in Mexico, and last year he ran a half Ironman. These people teach by their example: There are a lot of good reasons to give up鈥攂ut none trumps the reasons to raise our ambitions even higher. –Eric Greitens, 国产吃瓜黑料's C.I.O. [Chief Inspiration Officer]

Biking in Amsterdam
Amsterdam

PBR

PBR P.B.R.

James Brown, In the Jungle Groove

James Brown, In the Jungle Groove In the Jungle Groove

45. A Strange New City
as seen from a bicycle.

44. Huckleberry Bearclaws
at Polebridge Mercantile, in Montana, after backpacking in Glacier National Park. Civilization never tasted so good.

43. P.B.R.
We don't care that it's no longer based in Milwaukee (HQ is now outside of Chicago). And we don't care that hipsters order it by the truckload to supply their kickball leagues. When we need to fill the cooler for a river trip, we look for the can that proudly trumpets a blue ribbon from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. (And you thought Cubs fans had it bad.)

42. Catching a Native Trout
Browns are European; the hatchery rainbows that flop for beat-up flies from New Mexico to Iowa originally came from California's McCloud River. (And thanks to the forces of piscatory globalization, of course, you can also catch introduced rainbows everywhere from Japan to Kyrgyzstan to New Zealand.) But pull a plump, 14-inch west-slope cutthroat out of a sidewalk-wide stream in Montana, a grayling from a high lake in British Columbia, or a brookie from an icy rivulet in interior Maine? You believe you're raising something from a better realm, and when it hits your hand, its spots and colors don't make you acknowledge that you're fooling yourself. Sound fun? See , a compendium of native fish鈥攁nd some good hints on their whereabouts.

41. Empty Trailheads

40. James Brown's
In the Jungle Groove. Our favorite running album. Track most likely to light a fire under your ass: “I Got to Move.”

Verana Hotel, Mexico
Mexico's Verana Hotel

Victorinox Infantry

Victorinox Infantry Victorinox Infantry

39. Going All In
Even when cash is tight, we need to check out from the world every now and then鈥攁nd spare no expense doing it. At least I do. I'm a great advocate of the well-timed splurge. It's not only necessary; it's good therapy. By making money no object, we sign a contract with ourselves to stop sweating the small stuff. As Ray Charles put it, “If you wanna have a ball, you gotta go out and spend some cash.” For me, the best way to exercise this profligate impulse is to recharge in an outlandishly fine hotel. Once, after covering a weeklong ultramarathon in the broiling Sahara, I booked one blissful night in Marrakesh's legendary La Mamounia, where Churchill wrote his memoirs. No regrets. In the Amalfi Coast town of Ravello, my wife and I blew our kids' college nest egg to stay just a few nights in a 12th-century palazzo with a restaurant headed by two-star Michelin chefs. No regrets. But the best splurge I ever had was last spring, at a magical place called Verana (), on a jungle hill 30 miles south of Puerto Vallarta. Created by two European set designers/builders, Verana is a triumph of primitive-chic minimalism crafted entirely by hand and maintained entirely by hoof. (Everything in this roadless paradise has to be hauled up by burros, including your luggage鈥攂ut not you.) The total aesthetic manages to be both ragged and clean-lined, sumptuous and spare. There's a fabulous library, a spring-fed pool, a gourmet restaurant with a dead-serious tequila collection, and eight stylish suites open to the thrumming jungle. Call it flip-flop luxe. I found the place so inviting, so calming, so effortlessly in tune with nature, it actually repaired my soul. Of course, the bill was astronomical. But…no regrets.
–Hampton Sides

38. A Great Survival Story
Like this one, from conservation biologist Greg Rasmussen: “One moment I was flying my ultralight low over the Zimbabwe savanna, tracking a rhino. The next, I was falling from the sky. Turbulence sent me into a fatal wing stall. I remember screaming as the trees and rocks rushed upward. The crash knocked me out. I came to with petrol gushing onto my face. I lay sprawled on the hot earth, knowing from my years working as a biologist in Africa that I was in terrible trouble. I knew I had to get out. My legs had been smashed to jelly, so I dragged myself from the wreckage. I realized later that my pelvis and both femurs were broken. I had no food or water, my radio was shattered, and I was 70 miles from the nearest road. Even worse, I had crashed far from my planned route, where rescuers would look. I watched two vultures land on a nearby mopane tree and thought, Bugger off, I'm not ready for you yet. Blood began to pool in my ankles, so I spent over two hours taking my boots off, lest I get gangrene. The temperature soared. I had to get out of the sun, and I could hear my bones crack as I crawled under my plane's wing. I sat straining to hear the drone of a rescue aircraft but, instead, heard footsteps: a stalking lioness. She edged closer until she crouched just two meters away. I knew my only weapon was surprise, so I grabbed an aluminum strut and banged it fiercely on the wreckage. It worked. Nightfall provided a break from the heat. But now I had a new worry鈥攈yenas. We call them “bone crushers”; their jaws can pulverize bone like it's balsa wood. I fought to stay alert. Toward dawn, I heard the unmistakable stilted gait of hunting hyenas. They must have smelled my blood. I scared them off by beating on the plane. In the morning came the sound of an aircraft overhead. I waved the strut, hoping the reflection would signal the pilot, but the plane disappeared, and I began to lose heart. I didn't hear the Land Rover approach or the sound of running footsteps until they were almost on top of me. I opened my eyes, saw three people, felt a hand on my back, and heard a voice say, 'It's all right now.' “
–As told to John Moir

37. Slightly Risky Spots
You don't want to cross the borders into Iran or North Korea, but sometimes you can find paradise in places other folks don't want to go to. Like Kiwayu, offthe coast of Kenya, a tiny island with incredible beaches and two rustically elegant “camps”: Munira Island Camp () and, just across the bay, the Kiwayu Safari Village (). Somalia is just 20 some miles away, and you can sometimes see warships off the coast.

36. Unpopular Ranges
Five beautiful, off-the-radar mountain playgrounds you should check out: the Trinity Alps, in California; the Ochoco Mountains, in Oregon; the Purcells, in British Columbia; the Black Hills, in South Dakota; and the Jemez Mountains, in New Mexico.

35. Victorinox's Infantry
Classic, uncluttered, self-winds, and can take a beating. If you own only one watch…$495;

Duluth AWOL bag
Duluth's AWOL bag

34. Room 99
There's nothing particularly remarkable about the Alta Peruvian Lodge's Room 99. It's a dorm room with six double bunks, a shower down the hall, the air foggy with the funk of 60 years' worth of wet ski boots. There are assuredly nicer places to stay in Alta, Utah鈥攈ell, even on the same hallway鈥攁lthough you'd be hard-pressed to find a cheaper one. But if you love skiing, I mean really love it, you must stay in Room 99 once in your life. There's the low-wattage thrill of slumming it in the crappiest room at Alta's scruffiest lodge (a yellow-pine palace whose employee housing is known as the Slave Ship), but it's more than that. When you walk into Room 99 after a day of hucking mineshaft drops into talcum drifts of the Greatest Snow on Earth to find 40-year-old investment bankers sitting in long underwear around a 12-pack of Bud and a bottle of Jameson, you understand that Room 99 is a time machine, spinning you back to an era, not so long ago, when you could still shrink the world down until you had no cares except the pure feeling of cold snow under your skis, the startling sound of your own laughter in the trees, and the taste of cold beer afterwards. A place like that is a treasure, no matter how bad it smells. From $107 a night, all meals included;
–Christopher Solomon

33.
It's where your weatherman goes every morning.

32. Tarps
No, not for sleeping under (bugs, breezes) or covering your stuff (sags, leaks). For glory! For example: Take two canoes, use a paddle as a mast, and make a catamaran. Figure it out. If you send a wake rolling toward those gawking Boy Scouts, you're doing it right.

31. Duluth's
AWOL bag. Cut from full-grain cowhide, modeled after the ones servicemen carried in WWII, and just big enough for a weekend's worth of stuff. $200;

30. Lifetime Guarantees
Especially from companies that still take time to repair worn-out gear, like Chaco: Send them your blown-out sandals and they'll fix the buckles or straps鈥攐ften at no charge and always fast. For complete repair info, see Chaco's .

Telluride
Telluride

Woolrich Buffalo Check Shirt

Woolrich Buffalo Check Shirt Woolrich's Buffalo Check Shirt

29. Homegrown Hurt
As in locally organized, down-home events. Some, like the Dale Ball Buster, a 13-mile trail run that correspondent Katie Arnold puts on here in Santa Fe, involve no entry fees, goodie bags, or even so much as an RSVP. You just show up. Others, like the Vapor Trail 125, a 125-mile mountain-bike ride鈥攐r “celebration of suffering,” according to the race director鈥攊n the mountains outside of Salida, Colorado, require a bit more organization, but the goal is the same: Go out and have fun.

28. Mountainfilm in Telluride
Still our favorite. Not only does it attract A-list filmmakers, explorers, and journalists鈥攍ast year we bumped into New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof, and this year Three Cups of Tea author Greg Mortenson is on the docket鈥攖he laid-back atmosphere makes it remarkably easy to actually meet and talk to (and, ahem, take 2 A.M. shots of tequila with) all the attendees. May 28鈥31;

27. woolrich's
Buffalo Check Shirt. Wool + plaid = perfection. $90;

26. Wee Mountains
A while back, I was at a party where everybody was making an annoying fuss about this hairy overachiever who climbed K2 last year. I asked him how long it took, and he admitted that, from “training” to “recovery,” he'd spent an outrageous five months getting up one lousy mountain. “You know how many mountains I usually climb in five months?” I said. “About 50.” He gave an incredulous grunt, so I reeled off a few conquests: Blue Hill (934 feet), in Blue Hill, Maine; Cold Spring, New York's Breakneck Ridge (1,264 feet); the little drumlin on my hippie neighbor's property in Chapel Hill, North Carolina (100 feet?); and dozens of others. The K2 man shook his head and did more grunting鈥攊n amazement, I suppose. Though I'm aware many of my fellow mountaineers believe the only worthy summits are those reached with frost-blackened fingers and a bellyful of your frozen friends, I prefer the convenience-size peak. In about the time it takes to do a load of laundry, you can enjoy a moment of windswept victory on a minor crag and return to “base camp” in time to catch your favorite TV show. Not challenging enough? Use my special low-altitude adventurer's diet鈥攈alf a case of beer and a chicken-fried steak every night before bed鈥攁nd a scramble up a 400-foot knoll will feel like you've conquered Denali.
–Wells Tower

25. Cat Skiing
No, it's not as sexy as heli-skiing, but it's a helluva lot cheaper and you're not grounded when it's puking powder. Plus it's suddenly more accessible than ever. Two operations have opened up in the past year in Colorado alone: Powder Addiction (), outside of Winter Park, and CS Irwin (), in Crested Butte.

Postcard
Postcard from China

Surly Big Dummy

Surly Big Dummy Surly's Big Dummy

24. Tofino, Vancouver Island
The best surf town in North America is in Canada. Who knew?

23. Postcards
from places very far away. The one above is from contributing editor Patrick Symmes while on assignment in deepest China.

22. Utilitarian Bikes
Like Surly's Big Dummy. This steel beauty, designed specifically for the Xtracycle cargo extension, will take you and, say, a couple of kids on a long haul to the park and still have plenty of room to pick up a load of groceries on the way home. Imagine the possibilities. $2,000;

21. McCann's
Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal. Add hazelnuts, walnuts, dried cherries, raisins, and maple syrup and get out there. No, they don't do instant, but you won't be hungry again anytime soon. $7;

20. P-Cord
It's easy to imagine an expedition without paracord. I just picture a world falling apart at the seams, with nothing to tie it back together: My tent has come untethered and blown away, my food sack has tumbled from a tree and been consumed by bears, half my gear has come loose from my pack, and my boots are unlaced and falling off. To say that I rely too heavily on paracord鈥攐therwise known as parachute cord, p-cord, or 550 cord鈥攊s to trivialize an item used to keep WWII Airborne troopers attached to their parachutes. Soldiers on the ground were quick to recognize the versatility of string thinner than most shoelaces but rated to 550 pounds, so they scavenged lengths of it from discarded 'chutes. It became the general-purpose cord of choice for a generation of men who learned that the difference between good gear and bad gear can be the difference between life and death. My old man was a forward observer in WWII, working ahead of the front lines, and he continued to carry paracord until his death, six decades later. As far as I can remember, he never once embarked on a camping or fishing trip without a couple of 25-foot rolls. Today, I buy the same Type III paracord through army surplus. It has an almost sentimental value to me; it's the one piece of gear that has remained nearly unchanged from my father's time to mine. Not only does it span the years; if used properly, it can keep them wrapped up, tethered, and lashed down.
–Steven Rinella

Rob Machado
Rob Machado

Patagonia catalog

Patagonia catalog Patagonia catalog

Helly Hansen base layer

Helly Hansen base layer Helly Hansen base layer

19. Kiehl's Face Protector
It's SPF 30, fragrance-free, and, because it doesn't contain any water, won't freeze. $19;

18. The Patagonia Catalog
There are plenty of copycats, but none of the others has what makes this one so coffee-table-worthy: brilliantly edited, sparely captioned, stunning photographs taken in some of the last truly wild places left on the planet.

17. Watching the Boston Marathon
Thanks to Patriots Day, the Maine-and-Massachusetts-exclusive holiday, the entire city turns out to cheer and drink and generally enjoy the biggest party of the year.

16. Helly Hansen's Stripes
The ones on their base layers. From $45;

15. Rob Machado's Hair
(He surfs pretty good, too.)

Sorel Caribou Boots

Sorel Caribou Boots Sorel Caribou Boots

14. Any Book Written By
Peter Matthiessen. Killing Mister Watson is a good place to start.

13. Dawn Patrol
It doesn't really matter what you're doing鈥攕kiing, surfing, cycling, hunting, running. It's the fact that you're up with the sun, doing something long before work. And the smug feeling is so justifiable.

12. Southwest Airlines
The on-time arrivals, free baggage, Wheat Thins, democratic seating process (and absence of Premier Gold Super Executive Extra-Special All-Star members). We love it so much we'll even excuse the flight attendants' painful attempts at intercom comedy.

11. That Feeling of Lightness
after taking off a heavy pack and walking around camp.

10. Sorel's Caribou Boots
Blizzard-proof as ever. $120;

Cascade Designs
Courtesy of Cascade Designs

9. Chocolate Milk
Few things taste better after a long run or ride. It's also the foundation of the world's most perfect postworkout smoothie: Combine 8 oz Nestl茅 Nesquik Chocolate Low Fat Milk, a banana, and a few spoonfuls of peanut butter in a blender and hit puree. Calories? Ratio of protein to carbs? What the hell is your problem? Just drink it.

8. Selective Hitchhiking
A raised thumb guarantees you not only a ride but also fraternal conversation in certain places. Like any ski town, the state of Vermont, or Europe鈥攅specially Ireland. Specifically the country's west coast, between the peninsula of County Kerry and Galway; it's the world's premier hitchhiking destination, due to the views of the moody Atlantic (it's always close), the friendly locals, the tiny fishing towns, and the tinier bars.

7. The WhisperLite
Twenty-five years later, MSR's WhisperLite Internationale is still our favorite backcountry stove. Simple, durable, burns white gas, kerosene, unleaded…$90;

6. Apr猫s-Ski Hot Tubs
Yeah, yeah, yeah: You're not supposed to drink beer in there, either. Pffft!

5. Rope Swings
And vines. Hanging along riverbanks and lakesides.

Socrates Sculpture Park, Long Island City, NY
Socrates Sculpture Park, Long Island City, New York

Chris Malloy

Chris Malloy Chris Malloy

4. Film Cameras
Which instantly take you back to a time when each snap mattered, when you were more thoughtful, more deliberate, more discriminating鈥攖he way a good photographer should be.

3. Walk/Bike-In Theaters
Because sitting on a blanket among hundreds of other people sitting on blankets turns every movie into a big slumber party, whether you're in midtown Manhattan (Bryant Park Summer Film Festival), downtown Boulder (Boulder Outdoor Cinema), or Marin County, California (Film Night in the Park). And unlike at a drive-in, nobody leaves early to beat the traffic.

2. Growing a Winter Beard
We're especially in favour of unruly ones, like filmmaker Chris Malloy's.

1. Beginner Surf Spots
Like Faria Beach and Sunset, in Southern California. The breaks are long and gentle, and “party waves,” where everyone goes at once, are acceptable. Because if you eventually want to catch a wave like this one, at California's Shell Beach, you gotta start somewhere.

Not on the List

Doggles

Doggles Doggles

1. Zip-off pants.
2. “Doggles.” Goggles. On your dog. Stop it.
3. Second tracks.
4. Trunk-mount bike racks. They're a pain in the ass to affix to your car. They make getting into the trunk hazardous. And they scratch and dent. If you're even moderately serious about cycling, get a hitch-mount or roof rack.
5. $100 lift tickets.
6. The word amplitude (unless referring to the magnitude of change in an oscillating variable, of course).
7. Anything鈥攅specially a multitool or cell phone鈥攃lipped to your belt. You're not Batman.
8. !@#$ing mosquitoes.
9. The way your running shorts smell after a while, no matter how much you wash them.
10. An empty passport.

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Stealth Safaris /adventure-travel/destinations/africa/stealth-safaris/ Mon, 15 Oct 2001 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/stealth-safaris/ Stealth Safaris

ON FOOT As the low, rumbling growl reverberated from the bushes, we froze in our tracks, every sense on red alert. The growl鈥攕o deep and powerful that it seemed to emanate from the earth itself鈥攚asn't a threat, really, just a reminder. “I am the king of beasts, and I stand at the top of the … Continued

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Stealth Safaris

ON FOOT

As the low, rumbling growl reverberated from the bushes, we froze in our tracks, every sense on red alert. The growl鈥攕o deep and powerful that it seemed to emanate from the earth itself鈥攚asn't a threat, really, just a reminder. “I am the king of beasts, and I stand at the top of the food chain around here. For now, I choose not to kill you鈥攁s long as you don't do anything stupid.”
We'd been tracking the pair of lions on foot in Zimbabwe's Matusadona National Park for almost an hour. And although we caught only occasional obscured glimpses of them鈥攖he closest from perhaps 200 feet away鈥攖he thrill of the chase and the adrenaline rush of our discreet encounter were something no checklist-toting game-viewers could ever experience from the safety of their minivan.

Quite simply, everything changes when you are on foot, on the animals' turf, playing by their rules. (Of course, we held the ultimate trump card in this game: a .458 Mauser rifle in the hands of Steve Carey, our hunky blond Zimbabwean safari guide. “It'll stop an elephant, “he assured us. “And the one behind him.”) Shortly after the lion encounter, we dialed down the adrenaline meter and lolled silently under an acacia tree for an hour, waiting to see what might walk by. Nothing did, but Steve suddenly jumped up and said, “I heard something. Let's go.” Ten minutes later we came upon an antelope, skin still warm to the touch, its neck crushed by a leopard鈥攁nother reminder that we were puny interlopers in a land where the beasts still rule.

Our safari was organized by Graeme Lemon Walking Safaris, whose trips can be booked in the U.S. through African Portfolio (800.700.3677; www.africanportfolio.com). Cost is $210-$240 per day, plus $50 for boat transfers to and from Kariba. Accommodations are roomy tents equipped with cots.

By Sailboat

As the 15-strong herd of elephants鈥攂ulls, mamas, and babies鈥攕tood haunch-deep in the shimmering blue waters of Zimbabwe's Lake Kariba, placidly grazing the lake bottom near the shoreline, our safari vehicle approached to within a few yards. Suddenly, a big bull turned to glare menacingly at us. Did we worry? Naah.

Our safari vehicle, you see, was a 30-foot sailing catamaran. We hovered just off-shore, impervious to any pachydermatous attack save for a good hosing down, which we would have welcomed on that hot afternoon. Our three-boat flotilla of Wharram Tiki 30s鈥攆ast, stable, gaff-rigged cats that sleep six in slightly cramped quarters鈥攕pent four days cruising the remote 170-mile-long reservoir. Each night we'd pull into protected coves along a shoreline that just might shelter more large mammalslions, rhinos, zebras, buffalo, and hippos鈥攁nd fewer people than any lake in the world. Although most clients sail the boats themselves, Sail Safaris owner Lance Reynolds commands the flotilla from a lead “mother ship.” Fluctuating water levels and the thickets of Daliesque dead trees make navigation tricky for newcomers, however polished their sailing skills.
Mine were definitely tarnished. Although a veteran windsurfer, I had never sailed a boat. Under Reynolds's tutelage, however, I quickly picked up the basics, and I don't doubt his claim that any weekend dinghy sailor can hand the Tiki 30 with a brief checkout. A staff captain can accompany nonsailors. But for all the fun of sailing, this trip was mainly about the animals. I've already forgotten how to furl the jib, but I'll always remember the look in that bull elephant's face.

Sailing safaris can be booked in the U.S. through African Portfolio at 800.700.3677 or www.africanportfolio.com. For a group of four, a four-day trip costs $1,825, a seven-day trip, $2,730, including meals, national park fees, and taxes.

By Mountain Bike

To become truly intimate with the animals of Africa, you must travel as they do: under your own steam. A mountain-bike safari is a great way to explore the bush, and southern Africa is the most bike-friendly of safari regions. At the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary and the Mkhaya Game Reserve in Swaziland, a five-hour drive east of Johannesburg, I rented low-tech mountain bikes and rode with local Swazi guide on a network of good dirt trails that ranged from relaxed to technical. From my bike saddle I saw zebra, impala, giraffe, hippo, and the rare black rhino, and rode in the middle of a pack of bounding springboks. Mkhaya's accommodations are comfortable safari tents, while Mlilwane's digs are more rustic鈥攖hatched “beehive” huts and cabins.

For more creatures and comforts, head into South Africa. Faw-Mbili Game Lodge in the Thornybush Nature Reserve adjacent to renowned Kruger National Park, is a friendly, luxurious bush lodge that accommodates up to ten guests. You can take a guided walking safari in the morning, a mountain-biking tour midday, and a Land Rover safari after dinner. The terrain here consists of easy, sandy roads, and the wildlife is abundant鈥擨 rolled among the “Big Five”: lions, elephant, buffalo, leopards, and rhinos. Which means that the guides pack pistols along side their CamelBaks.
Guided mountain-bike safaris at Mlilwane cost $6.75 per hour (including bike rental), and park lodging is $5 per person per night for camping, $13 per person per night for beehive huts, and $28-$32 per person per night for cottages (including breakfast). Mkhaya accommodates groups of five or more in luxury safaris tents for $87 per person per night, including meals and safaris. Contact Big Game Parks at 011.268.404.4541; www.biggame.co.sz. Kwa-Mbili Lodges charge $113 per person per night, including all meals, bikes and guided safaris (walking, biking, and driving). Contact 011.27.15.793.2773; www.kwambaili.com.

By Canoe

Feather your paddles, sit tight, and slip past the elephants drinking at water's edge. Watch out for cruising crocodiles and the occasional loony hippo launching a high dive into the river from a steep bank while displaying a lethal set of choppers. All part of another leisurely day canoeing an idyllic stretch of the Lower Zambezi River, from Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe to Kanyemba on the Mozambique border.

Here in one of the richest wildlife areas of southern Africa, the Zambezi is flat and glassy and broad as a lake, bounded by waterside villages on the Zambian side and by riverine forest thick with mango trees, itala palms, and towering natal mahoganies on the Zimbabwean shore. Watch for kudus and warthogs by day, lions, leopards, and hyenas by night. Narrow, meandering side channels teem with bird life鈥攈arons, egrets, hornbills, and ibises.
Local outfitters Ruwesi Canoe Trails, Natureways, Shearwater, and Safari Par Excellence negotiate the hazards on three- to nine-day trips. You can choose your side of the river鈥擹ambia or Zimbabwe鈥攁nd your style of trip鈥攁 “fully serviced” safari (staff go ahead by truck to have tents, hot showers, and dinner ready), or a “participatory” safari (you tote the gear, help prepare meals, and help set up the tents).

The cost ranges from about $400 for a three-day drive-in, participatory trip to $1,200 for a four-day fly-in trip. Book through African Portfolio in the U.S. (800.700.3677; www.africanportfolio.com) or in Harare, Zimbabwe, (011.263.4.481117).

On Horseback

As your horse lopes across the high grassland of Malawi's Nyika Plateau, your approach is likely to flush out a clutch of roan antelope, reedbuck, zebra, or eland. Or head south toward the rocky peaks of Vitinteiza and Mwanda, where klipspringers bound like pogo sticks over stony ground. Much of the great treeless plateau in the country's far north is unlike any other landscape in Africa鈥攂are as the Scottish moors or the rolling grasslands of Montana. It's the site of 3,000-square-kilometer Nyika National Park, Malawi's biggest, where the upland wildlife is staging a comeback after having lost numbers to local poachers and cooking pots.

There are few roads across the plateau and vehicle traffic is restricted in the park, so the best view of Nyika is from the back of one of David Foots' fine thoroughbred or Boerperde horses. Foot can tailor a trip to suit from two to six novices or experienced riders. You'll set out from the chalets of Chelinda Camp, then stop at remote safari camps (walk-in tents, bucket showers) along the North Rumphi and North Rukuru rivers. You'll cover a lot of the landscape on the seven- and ten-day trips, which cost approximately $200 per night per person, including accommodations, meals, horses, and equipment (airfare not included). Call Equitour at 800.545.0019; www.ridingtours.com.

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