The Adventure Issue

Live your adventure in 2022.

Leopard has had some wonderful new enquiries and bookings to start the year. The sense I get from people who are booking holidays right now is that after 2 years of monotony and routine, they are in need of an escape from reality and sweet new adventures to look forward to this year.

One booking in particular has given me a deep longing to get back into some of our remote and pristine wilderness areas. My brief was to find somewhere in Zimbabwe that was far from crowds and had the possibility of seeing painted wolves. Gonarezhou National Park in the south east of the country came to mind. It is not often that one gets a client willing to travel so far off the beaten track, with increased logistical costs, in order to reach less travelled areas such as these. This client is based in San Fransisco and has dreamed of travelling to Zimbabwe for 10 long years. It has been a privilege to help her plan her dream escape.

Gonarezhou is a special place, which only a few people will get to visit in our lifetimes. This is due to lack to accommodation options and accessibility. But those who do make it out this far, will have a holiday to remember forever. Gonarezhou means “place of elephants” in the local language, and it is a fitting name, being home to at least 11,000 ellies. Scott Ramsay writes on his website, “About 7 000 visitors come to the park annually. This may seem paltry compared to Kruger’s one million, but just a decade ago almost no one visited.”

If you’re looking for a wilderness escape, you don’t need to look very far for inspiration. To get off the grid, and disconnect completely from life as you know it, I suggest Mapungubwe, the Richtersveld, Namibia, Bangweulu Wetlands, Mana Pools or Gonarezhou. You can read recent blog posts about Mapungubwe here, the Richtersveld here, the Welwitschias of Namibia here, and the shoebills of the Bangweulu Wetlands here.

“You’re off to great places. Today is your day. Your mountain is waiting. So, get on your way!” – Dr Suess

I hope this February newsletter has inspired you to start thinking about your next adventure in 2022 or beyond. As always, we are here to support you in planning your adventure.

Happy travelling!

Diana

P.S. We have updated our website with some new photography and testimonials, take a look and let us know that you think!