Blog
If you are chomping at the bit to get back on safari, you're not alone! With international travel now well and truly happening at last, we are very excited to be arranging your safaris again and helping Africa's people, wildlife and wild places get back on their feet after an incredibly challenging couple of years for everyone. We understand that some people are a little nervous about getting on a plane again after two years of no international travel, but we are here to help you through it and to make your African journey as seamless and hassle free as possible. There really is no better place to be than Africa right now with its wide open spaces and fresh air. When you visit Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania or Kenya, only an international certificate of vaccination is required (no longer a negative Covid test prior to arrival), making the whole travel experience much easier.
To celebrate our return to safari operations, you may have noticed that Matson & Ridley Safaris has an updated website (with thanks to Carly Willats from All Things Web) for you to explore. Take a look at our upcoming safaris (eyes right ---->).
The first one off the block later this year is my group safari in Rwanda from 5 - 15 December. Join me and the team in Rwanda to collect vital data for the Akagera Elephant Research Project over six days in two different safari camps in Akagera National Park. You'll receive basic training in how to identify elephants by tusks and ears and get a real 'behind the scenes' experience of how the park works and our ongoing elephant research program. All the lodges we stay at during our time in Akagera directly support the running of the national park and your very presence on this safari enables the research to happen.
Learn more about the Akagera Elephant Project here.
As well as spending quality time with the elephants, on this safari in Akagera you'll also spend time looking for lions, rhinos, leopards and giraffes, plus lots of other fascinating creatures in the vast lakes and mountains of this beautiful region. We will experience the wild on vehicles and by boat, and even on foot if you would like to do a walk along the park border.
My Rwandan safari then crosses over to the other side of the country to the home of the mountain gorillas, the Volcanoes National Park, where we will do two stunningly beautiful treks to two different families of mountain gorillas. This is a truly life changing experience for all who do it, and the benefits that flow back to the local communities and the gorillas are enormous. Gorilla permits in Rwanda cost US$1500 each, but we do our treks in December when there is a discount on the first permit to US$1050, a significant saving. Bear in mind this money all goes to gorilla conservation and the rangers who monitor them and keep them safe. Everyone I've ever taken to the mountain gorillas in Rwanda describes the experience as worth every cent. This is truly a life-changing experience, being eye-to-eye with one of the world's rarest primates and our near relatives.
Now is the time to book for my Rwandan safari so please contact me for more information if you would like to join this one-of-a-kind journey December. Also please get in touch if you are thinking of going on safari in Africa next year (2023) as there is limited availability on my other safaris. If you would like to travel in a small group safari with me or would like me to arrange your journey independently, we can make sure you are taken care of all the way through. With over two decades of experience in Africa, and a reputation for attention to detail and truly personalised experiences, we'd love to help you plan your safari.
Contact us for more information or for an itinerary.
"My trip to Rwanda to Akagera National park and the Mountain Gorillas with Matson & Ridley Safaris remains a highlight of my travels. Tammie is a fabulous guide, together with the Akagera and Mountain Gorilla local guides. I came home fitter and high on African wildlife!"
As we near the end of 2021, another tumultuous year across the world, we are looking forward to a new year for all filled with joy and hope for the future and wanted to wish you all the best from the Matson-Ridley team.
- INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS TO RESUME -
After a long pause of 18 months so far, and what will be close to two years of a hold on our African safaris, there are definitely glimmers of hope emerging and we are really looking forward to coming out of our chrysalis and spreading our wings again very soon.
It's the start of the winter school holidays in Australia, our favourite time of year in Far North Queensland. There’s lots of good news in this month’s blog and plenty to warm your heart from Africa.
In March this year, twenty years after the first genetic studies identified that central and west Africa's forest elephants were genetically distinct from savannah elephants, the IUCN finally recognised forest elephants as a separate species.