Jody and her friend, Safari Duck

I was looking through some safari trip pictures and stumbled upon this one taken by Bill Chutes. Bill went on the South Africa safari trip, designed by Wild Rainbow African Safaris, and snapped this one of Jody and S. Duck. What a hoot! Little did Jody and Bill know at the time that Safari Duck was here to stay. It has been fun "shooting" this little guy at travel expos, pumpkin festivals and soon, more safaris. Please be sure to check out our trips on the website. Remember, if you have a destination in mind, other than the scheduled safaris we've posted, or would like us to create a personalized safari just for you, send us an email and we'll start planning your trip.
Thank you !http://www.wildrainbowsafaris.com

Meet Safari Duck!

This Duck gets around! He has already traveled to Africa, (check back here for more fun pix), and spent the weekend of Oct. 11 and 12 in Ukiah with the Wild Rainbow African Safaris booth at the Pumpkin Fest. It was great fun for Jody, Katharine, Alison, Kerri and me to meet the nice folks from Ukiah and plan their safaris. I just wish I could go on ALL the trips...they will be that much fun.

Check the website for these trips or to send an email if you'd like more information.

Thanks much and happy safari travels~http://www.wildrainbowsafaris.com/

Cathy

Animal Congregations...or, what do you call a group of....?

A Superb Starling joined us for breakfast one morning. I don't remember him actually singing...I think he was simply yawning. :)


I thought I'd take a look at what groups of animals in Africa might be called and stumbled upon a great list for mammals, birds, etc. Here are just a few of the ones I found:

• Apes= A shrewdness


• Badgers= A cete


• Buffalo= A gang


• Giraffes= A tower


• Hippos= A bloat (of course!)


• Leopards= A leap


• Monkeys= A troop or a barrel (ah ha! so that's where the expression comes from)


• Porcupines= A prickle


• Rhinos= A crash

and for our fine feathered friends...

• Flamingos= A stand


• Owls= A parliment


• Plovers=A congregation


• Starlings= A murmuration


• Storks= A mustering

There are many more but I thought I'd start with these few for now. Enjoy!

Cathy

WRAS on the road in Golden, Colorado

This is Sarah Fazedin, a marketing dynamo who joined us in on our July safari to Kenya.

Hello friends of Africa! Alison and I just returned from a weekend forum on travel to Africa and we had a great time. As president of the Northern California APTA (Association for the Promotion of Tourism to Africa) Alison attended on behalf of the 58 members of this local chapter. We were treated to panel discussions and break-out sessions on such timely topics as eco-adventures, sustainable travel and safe travel to Africa. There was also time for a silent auction and networking with friends.

Here's Alison scoping out a fabulous picture book of Africa.

Once again, we came away from discussions about Africa knowing why we want to send groups of like-minded men and women to Africa. It gets under your skin (in a good way!) and changes you forever. (For some incredible photos of Africa, taken by our very own clients, Jody and Alison, don't forget to click on the photo gallery of the website at http://www.wildrainbowsafaris.com).

Cathy

Kenya says "No"!

I snapped this photo while in Kenya last month. Get this-there is NO SMOKING allowed in all of Kenya. The country has banned smoking. What a concept, eh? For those who just can't go without, some safari camps have created smoking areas. It's usually a lone(ly) chair, placed out in the middle of a grassy area, perhaps under a tree. (The government says this is OK).
If you want a relatively smoke-free vacation, come to Kenya.

FGASA Guides 'R Us

Alison and Jody have both completed one of the world's strictest field guide courses for FGASA. Field Guide Association of South America exams entail a grueling month-long course covering such modules as astronomy, geology, biology and zoology. Of the 15 enrolled in their courses, only seven passed the exam. Two of those seven are our own safari gals....Jody and Alison!
Congratulations!

Off to Zambia!

Hello! Jody here sending you a message from Zambia! I'm here with a wonderful group of adventurers heading out into the bush for an amazing two weeks. I started my trip in Johannesburg where I was lucky enough settle in before trekking out to Lusaka and the beginning of our safari. Within the first few days, two of our guests had already experienced a safari-by-horseback, and that was just the beginning. By the time you get this, I will be somewhere on a tributary of the Zambezi river half way around the world. There will be lots of stories to tell, which I'll post here for everyone.

Alison is busy putting together our 2009-2010 safari season, including a special trip to Tanzania, perhaps two (!) If you need anything, she and my assistant, Kerri, are womaning the phone lines to assist you until I return.

See you back in the States in September.

Jody

Cathy & Alison in Kenya

Ahhhh...Africa! Alison and I returned late Monday night from our wonderful 11-day safari in Kenya. We were shuttled to and fro in small planes and open-top vehicles, staying at 6 camps and 2 luxury hotels. It was non-stop, for the most part, until we landed at Porini Lion Camp. The rest of our travel agents group split off for their connections and continuing vacations while we treated ourselves to a virtually private safari. About half of the camps are eco-friendly and we discovered that one really could take a hot shower...even though it was a bucket shower. The Masai staff would haul one 10 liter bucket of cold water and one 10 liter bucket of hot water to our tents, pour the water into a canvas bucket, hoist it up using a rope pulley and voila! we had a hot shower! We had delicious food, incredibly comfortable beds and guides who seemed to know everything. We saw enough birds and mammals to keep us talking about Africa for many months ahead.

Enjoy!

Cath

Alison & Jody are "IN the know!""!""!""!

Hello fellow safaris enthusiasts!! This is Katharine, the sometimes WRAS (Wild Rainbow African Safaris) online secretary, welcoming you to the WRAS Blog! We are just getting started, although Jody is already packing her bags for Zambia this week! Oh, the lucky travelers going with her on this adventure down the Zambezi River will have quite the experience. And talking about experience, both Jody and Alison (see their bios on the website) were in Africa completing their FGASA (Field Guide Assoc. of Southern Africa)training. This means that not only can they set up a cool safari here in the States, they are actually certified to guide you in the bush!

I hope you will stay tuned to this blog for all the stories of their exploits. When they can, Jody and Alison can blog directly to you, depending on the communication lines in the field. If they are out of cell range, you can depend on me keeping you posted on their whereabouts and fun and crazy things that tend to happen on the African Continent - nothing will be spared.

Thanks for reading - and I hope you'll join us for the WRAS Safari blogs throughout the year....

Katharine (for Jody & Alison)
Wild Rainbow African Safaris

Welcome To The WRAS Blog

We will be posting blogs as we are on safari.  Check back to read about our adventures while on safari.  You can bookmark this blog or just go to www.wildrainbowsafaris.com and click on the Blog logo located in the left hand corner of the homepage.

Nothing can take the place of actually being on safari in Africa but we hope you can live somewhat vicariously through our blog.

Cheers,

-WRAS