Sometimes when I see the pictures of modern African safaris I worry that the lodges and other facilities are becoming too civilized, too westernized. Then I remember that feeling of falling asleep under canvas while listening to the amazing sounds of nature. It is something no big city will ever be able to replicate.
And in particular, as many a painter or photographer will tell you, the light is different there. No one can exactly put their finger on it, but if you have a good eye for art you can see and feel a painting that was made by the artist in Africa vs one painted from a photograph, even if it was after a trip into the bush.
The same goes for paintings of wildlife. A lion is a lion right, wherever he is? Not so. His great mane, the glint in his eyes, his cubs playing nearby, all look different and take on a much more majestic hue and aura in Africa than a similar scene in a zoo in the USA or Canada or Europe.
Photo with thanks from AA Lodge Kenya.
I remember not being able to sleep well the first night on my cheap safari to Botswana because of the bright moonlight shining across the plains. Later I would learn to sleep close to the LandRover so I could put my head underneath it to get some moon shade! But every night when the sun went down it was almost a mystical break at the end of the day.
All around the world people love to watch sunsets, but where else are they so rich and vibrant? Where else do they illuminate great shadows and shapes of the simple local African trees and other fauna? Where else do they so clearly indicate the heat of the day is over and now you can drift off to dinner and sleep in peace knowing nature is more wonderful than any of man’s creations.
Feel your silver or gold elephant hair knot bracelet tonight as the sun sets wherever you are and use it as a memory talisman of the days you spent in south Sahara Africa.
