A horseback safari in the wilds of Zambia
The sight of lions "lurking" in the grass lends a certain edge to most African riding safaris – but there are places where you can take in the continent's magnificent landscapes on horseback "without feeling like prey".
One such is Simalaha, said Sophy Roberts in the Financial Times. This roadless, 18,000sq km community conservancy on the banks of the Zambezi River in Zambia was founded in 2012 by two local Lozi chieftains, in collaboration with the Peace Parks Foundation, which works to rewild ecosystems stretching across national borders in southern Africa. Many species have been reintroduced, including roan antelope, eland, sable and giraffe. So far, however, there are no big cats, and recently a Zambian couple, Gail Kleinschmidt and Doug Evans, launched riding safaris here – the only tourism operation in the area. Most guests of Zambian Horseback Safaris fly into Livingstone, next to the Victoria Falls, and travel to Simalaha by boat – a glorious journey along the "colossal, swirling" Zambezi, past "belching" hippos and "fat" crocodiles "basking on bone- white sands".
The accommodation consists of four tented guest rooms on wooden stilts, each with a terrace facing a waterhole, and a kitchen hidden in a copse, where a Lozi chef, Henry Mununga, cooks up "spectacularly good" food (including flame-seared steaks, nasturtium and green leaf salads, and homemade ice cream). The 25 horses graze freely as a herd, and guests ride out twice a day – morning and evening – to beat the "sizzling" midday heat. Simalaha is on the Zambezi's flood plain – this is "big sky country" – and when I was there, shortly before the rains, the light was often magical.
There was lots of wildlife to see, including galloping herds of wildebeest; and plenty of time to chat with local villagers and cattle herders, or just to take in the heart-stopping views across the landscape, punctuated with "islands of waxen baobabs" and "lines of grazing game".
Safarious (safarious.com) has a seven-night trip from £3,270pp, excluding flights.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
New wave of African pride rises in the Caribbean
Augustine Ogbo works as a doctor, treating patients in clinics across the striking Caribbean island of St Lucia. When he returns to his home in the coastal town of Rodney Bay, he clocks in for his second job - as the owner and solo chef of a Nigerian takeaway. "Egusi soup and fufu, that's more popular... they love jollof rice too," Dr Ogbo says, reeling off a list of his customers' favourite dishes. The 29-year-old hails from Nigeria - population 230 million - but crossed the Atlantic for St Lucia - population 180,000 - to train as a doctor in 2016. He set up his home-based takeaway, named Africana Chops, in 2022, after being incessantly asked by his St Lucian friends for Nigerian fare. The takeaway is now thriving, Dr Ogbo tells the BBC, and not just because his island customers think the food is tasty. "They know that we all have the same ancestral origin. So most of the time, they want to get in touch with that," Dr Ogbo explains, adding that interest in African culture has grown "tremendously" since he arrived almost a decade ago. St Lucia is not alone in this phenomenon. Across the Caribbean, the desire to reconnect with the population's African heritage appears to have strengthened over the past few years. People across the Caribbean have been expressing African pride through cultural means, such as food, clothing and travel, while governments and institutions from both sides of the Atlantic have been meeting to forge economic ties. Africa has had a long presence in the Caribbean. A significant part of the islands' population descended from enslaved West and Central Africans, who were forcibly transported to the Caribbean by European merchants in the 17th and 18th Centuries. Slavery was abolished in much of the Caribbean during the 1800s, while independence from European powers came the following century. The descendants of enslaved people retained some African customs, but largely developed their own standalone cultures, which differ from island to island. In the past, there have been major campaigns to encourage African pride, as Dorbrene O'Marde, who runs the Antigua and Barbuda Reparations Support Commission, says. "It was particularly strong in the 1930s or so, and then again in the 1960s - we saw a major outpouring in sync with the [American] black power movement during that period," he says, talking to the BBC on the island of Antigua. Mr O'Marde believes the Caribbean is witnessing a renewed, more promising version of such "pan-Africanism" (a term used to describe the idea that people of African descent should be unified). "It has widened beyond psychological and cultural themes and we are now talking in broader economic terms, such as stronger transportation links between the Caribbean and Africa," he says. "We are in a different phase now of pan-Africanism – one that's not going to wane like before." One thing that separates this wave of African pride from the ones that came before is social media. Dennis Howard, an entertainment and cultural enterprise lecturer at the University of the West Indies, says a "significant" amount of Jamaicans are connecting with Africa through platforms such as TikTok. "People are learning more about black history beyond slavery," he tells the BBC from his home in the Jamaican capital, Kingston. Mr Howard also points to the global rise of Afrobeats, a musical genre from Nigeria and Ghana. He feels that in Jamaica specifically, the popularity of Afrobeats is partly down to a desire to reconnect with the continent. "Through the music videos, [Jamaicans] are seeing certain parts of Africa are similar to Jamaica and are developed. We had a concept of Africa as this place where it is backward and it's pure dirt road... the music is changing that." Asked about the view of some Jamaican commenters online - that islanders do not need to reclaim their African heritage as they have an equally valid, hard-won Jamaican heritage of their own - Mr Howard stresses that the two are not distinct. "Our whole culture is African, with a little sprinkling of Indian and European and Chinese. But for the most part it is African-derived. It is the most dominant part of our culture," he says. Those leaning into their African heritage are not just consuming the culture, but actually getting on flights and exploring the continent first-hand. The tourism authority in Ghana - once a major departure point for enslaved Africans being shipped to the Caribbean - told the BBC there had been a "notable increase" in holidaymakers from the islands in recent years. Similarly, Werner Gruner, South Africa's consul to the Bahamas, says that over the past two or three years, his office has seen a rise in local people travelling to South Africa, Ghana and Kenya. "I see a lot of interest in safaris and I think people also start to realise that South Africa and other African countries are actually very well developed," Mr Gruner says. Even Burkina Faso, an economically struggling country under military rule that is not well known for tourism, is apparently on some people's buckets lists. Mr O'Marde says some of his countrypeople want to visit the country because of the pan-African leanings of its leader, Ibrahim Traoré. Getting to the mother continent from the Caribbean can, however, be complicated, with travellers often forced to fly via Europe. Earlier this year, in a speech in which she referred to herself as a "daughter of Africa", Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley called for the construction of "air and sea bridges" between Africa and the Caribbean. "Let us make these changes, not just for heads of state, but for ordinary people who wish to trade, travel, and forge a shared future," she said. Key institutions like the African Union, African Development Bank (AfDB) and African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) have been working on the "trade" angle, hosting conferences and setting up memorandums of understanding with their Caribbean counterparts. Afreximbank says trade between the two regions could jump from around $730m (£540m) to $1.8bn (£1.33bn) by 2028, provided the right conditions are achieved. But at the moment, Africa and the Caribbean have some of the lowest indicators in the world for transport infrastructure, logistics quality and customs efficiency, according to the World Bank. In an attempt to reduce trade barriers, the prime minsters of Grenada and the Bahamas this year called for Africa and the Caribbean to launch a shared currency. Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis told delegates at an Afreximbank meeting in Nigeria they should "seriously" consider a single digital currency, while Grenada's Dickon Mitchell said: "Such a move would symbolically and practically affirm our shared identity not just as trading partners, but as members of a truly global Africa". Getting more than 60 countries to coordinate and launch a standard system would be no easy feat, but Mitchell said this must be done if the regions are to "take control of [their] own future". Back in St Lucia, Dr Ogbo says his attempts to bring egusi, fufu and jollof to local people are a small but worthy contribution to the strengthening of relations between Africa and the Caribbean. In June, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu signed various cooperation agreements with St Lucia during a state visit and Dr Ogbo sees Africana Chops as an extension of that. "I can say I'm working hand-in-hand with the Nigerian government and even the St Lucian government to promote the African culture," he says. The doctor and businessman is now trying to upgrade his food business to a full-fledged restaurant - and he hopes the "cultural exchange" between Africa and the Caribbean also goes from strength to strength. "It's awesome!" he says. "I'm really, really excited about that." You may also be interested in: Why the King can't say 'sorry' for slavery Ghana's love affair with reggae and Jamaican Patois 'There's power in names': Antigua unearths lost ancestors Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica BBC Africa podcasts Africa Daily Focus on Africa
Business Insider
12 hours ago
- Business Insider
US faces $9.4bn tourism loss from new $250 visa fee targeting African countries
The United States could forfeit an estimated $9.4 billion in visitor spending over the next three years following the introduction of a new $250 'visa integrity fee,' according to industry groups, who warn the policy risks undermining tourism and costing thousands of jobs. The U.S. government recently introduced a $250 'visa integrity fee,' provoking concerns about negative impacts on tourism and economic activity. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the fee could generate $27 billion over ten years Industry experts however, claim the fee may lead to a loss of $9.4 billion in visitor spending and 15,000 travel industry jobs The United States' decision to introduce a $250 'visa integrity fee' on international visitors has triggered sharp criticism from the global tourism industry, with officials warning that the measure could deter millions of travellers and cost the U.S. economy billions. The $250 'visa integrity fee, ' part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed on July 4, 2025, will take effect later this year. According to immigration law firm Envoy Global, it applies to all nonimmigrant visa holders which include students, tourists, temporary workers, and business visitors particularly from African countries. The fee is non-waivable, non-reducible, and charged on top of existing MRV, anti-fraud, and reciprocity fees. The policy has drawn particular concern across Africa, where high travel costs, tariff barriers, and strict visa regimes already limit access to the American market. For many middle-class travellers from Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and Ghana, an additional $250 charge could turn U.S. tourism into a privilege reserved for the ultra-wealthy. Economic Fallout According to the U.S. Travel Association, the fee is expected to reduce visitor spending by $9.4 billion and tax revenue by $1.3 billion over the next three years. The group also estimates that about 15,000 U.S. travel jobs could be lost as a result of fewer international arrivals. Forbes reports that these projections stand in sharp contrast to calculations by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which expects the fee to generate $27 billion over ten years, roughly $2.7 billion annually, for the U.S. Treasury. However, industry economists argue the CBO analysis focused only on revenue collection, excluding the wider economic fallout of reduced travel demand. 'By longstanding tradition, the Congressional Budget Office does not incorporate macroeconomic feedback effects into its traditional cost estimates, ' a CBO spokesperson told Forbes. 'We didn't specifically do a dynamic analysis of this provision.' Similarly, Tourism Economics, a division of Oxford Economics, estimates the $250 fee could discourage 5.4% of international visitors, almost one million trips annually. Fewer visitors mean reduced spending on hotels, restaurants, retail, and cultural attractions, which in turn lowers tax income and weakens job creation. Erik Hansen, senior vice president of government relations at the U.S. Travel Association, said: 'Congress made the mistake of assuming that this worldwide visa integrity fee would not have a big impact on visitors from countries like India or Brazil. This is the exact type of armchair public policymaking that is going to get us into a big mess.' While Hansen highlighted India as a 'bright spot' for inbound travel, with Indian tourists spending $13.3 billion in the U.S. in 2024, similar growth has been recorded across Africa. Demand from students, entrepreneurs, and leisure travellers has been rising since the pandemic, with airlines such as Ethiopian Airlines, South African Airways, and Royal Air Maroc expanding U.S. bound capacity. However, a new supercharge from Washington could halt this trajectory. For African students in particular, the cost comes on top of visa application charges, SEVIS fees, and proof-of-funds requirements. Analysts warn that the fee risks slowing down people-to-people exchanges, business travel, and academic opportunities that have traditionally linked the U.S. and Africa. And could redirect African families to more accessible destinations such as Canada, the UK, and China. Refund Controversy Congress has described the fee as refundable once a visa expires, provided all conditions are met. But with most U.S. visitor visas valid for ten years, the refund process appears impractical. ' The idea that you're going to give the government money and then wait around 10 years and remember to ask for it back, even if you followed the rules, is just absolutely crazy,' Hansen told Forbes. The CBO itself acknowledged that only 'a small number of people would seek reimbursement' and noted that the State Department would require years to create a refund system. Tourism Competitiveness at Risk The timing of the new fee raises further questions about U.S. tourism competitiveness and openness, especially as the country prepares to host global sporting events like the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup. A World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) report in June forecast that international visitor spending in the U.S. could fall by as much as $29 billion in 2025, the only major economy projected to see a decline. 'While other nations are rolling out the welcome mat, the U.S. government is putting up the 'closed' sign,' Julia Simpson, president and CEO of WTTC, said. Outlook Unlike travellers from over 40 countries, including Japan, South Korea, most of Western Europe, and Australia, who enjoy visa-free entry to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program, no African country is included. This means African travellers, already burdened with strict visa requirements, will be disproportionately affected by the additional $250 fee. Fewer Africans travelling to the U.S. could mean reduced cultural, academic, and professional exchanges, weakening U.S.–Africa ties at a time when China, Europe, and the Gulf states are aggressively courting African travellers. The fee could also discourage family visits, cutting remittance-linked travel flows, and make it harder for African SMEs and startups to access U.S. markets.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
"It's crazy what you see" – campers urged to treat Dartmoor National Park with respect after reports of flycamping
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. It was a landmark ruling widely celebrated in the outdoors community - the right to wild camp on Dartmoor was enshrined in a court ruling in May. But now reports have emerged of an increase in fly camping in the national park, with claims that some people are using the wilderness "like a festival site". There have been reports of campers heading into the national park with large family tents and items like generators, mini fridges and boom boxes. Trash left behind, roadside camping and irresponsible fires have all been reported too. Sam Le Bailly, a national park ranger, said, "It's really crazy what you see. It still surprises me." Richard Drysdale, director of conservation and communities at Dartmoor Naitonal Park said: "There has been a real rise in the number of people thinking that within this incredible area that they can treat it like a festival site". This comes after the right to legally wild camp across parts of the national park was restored by the Supreme Court in May following a legal challenge against wild campers by a wealthy landowner. Wild camping and fly camping Deputy head ranger Ella Briens added, "We want to be really clear about what backpack or wild camping is and what's fly camping." Wild camping is a form of camping that takes place away from designated camp sites. It typically takes place high up on open access land by individuals or small groups who follow the Leave no Trace principles by camping discretely and leaving the environment as they found it. Fly camping does not adhere to the Leave no Trace principles and often involves indiscrete groups pitching tents near the roadside down in the valley. Discarded trash, tents and ruined sites, as well as anti-social behavior are commonplace, with fly campers often leaving scorched earth due to campfires. Fly camping epidemic This all comes a month after we reported on fly campers around Ullswater in the English Lake District. Local residents said that they were "frustrated" that more wasn't being done by the local council and national bodies like the National Trust to challenge fly camping. In a separate incident last week, Keswick Mountain Rescue was called out by local police to carry out a welfare check on a tent pitched at an inaccessible location above the Lake District's Langsrath Valley. At the time, the region was in the grip of a named storm – Storm Floris – adding to both the urgency of the potential rescue and also the difficulties the rescuers could face. As it turned out, the tent had been abandoned and contained the remains of food and a sopping wet sleeping bag. "Yet another case of fly campers" Keswick Mountain Rescue bemoaned on its official Instagram feed. Dartmoor camping in the news again Wild camping in Dartmoor National Park has been in the news a great deal over the last few years. It's the only place in England where it's currently legal to wild camp, though the practice is generally tolerated across the country if the Leave no Trace principles are adhered to. However, the right to wild camp on Dartmoor came under threat after a legal challenge by wealthy hedge fund manager Alexander Darwall and his wife Diana, who own the 4,000-acre Blachford Estate in the south of the national park. After a nail-biting seven month wait for Right to Roam campaigners, the right to legally wild camp in large parts of Dartmoor was restored and the Darwalls' appeal was thrown out by the Supreme Court. It's a result that has galvanized all who would love to see the right to legally wild camp extended across all of England and Wales, just as it is in neighboring Scotland. However, instances of fly camping continue to harm this cause, providing landowners with a legitimate argument against opening up the land to all. We Wild Camp campaign In June 2025 the British Mountaineering Council – the national representative body for climbers, hill walkers and mountaineers – launched its We Wild Camp campaign. The campaign is designed to improve education around responsible camping and deal with the rise of fly camping while raising wild camping's profile, leading to reform and sharing best practice. One of the ways the BMC is combatting fly camping is via the Wild campers tackling fly camping Facebook group, a forum to "discuss how to leave the countryside better than we found it". The campaign is also calling for six key changes to allow for reform. These include: National Park Authorities to be given the power to create wild camping zones to help manage responsible wild camping and tackle fly camping. Guidance on how to wild camp responsibly to be included within an updated version of the countryside code. Additional funding for National Parks, National Landscapes, and land managers to support responsible wild camping in the right place. A substantial new investment in young people's outdoor education to help improve understanding and skills needed to wild camp responsibly. The best 2-person tents: for backpacking and car camping The best camping stoves: backpacking and double burner stoves Solve the daily Crossword
