The mountain gorilla inhabits the forested slopes of the volcanoes in Central Africa which range in altitude from 7,200–14,100 ft.  The volcanoes have created a fantastically lush vegetation which is very dense at the bottom of the mountains, becoming more sparse at higher elevations. It provides the perfect environment for these elusive creatures. The cloud forests where the mountain gorilla lives are often cloudy, misty and cold so they have evolved with thicker fur than their lowland cousins and are classed as a separate sub-species.

Although amazingly strong and muscular the mountain gorilla is actually a very gentle and shy animal. They are herbivores and the vast majority of its diet is made up of leaves, shoots and stems, as well as fruit, bark and insects. They need to eat all day long in order to consume enough calories to survive as they are large muscular animals. A male can eat up to as much as 30 kilos in food a day and this is their predominant activity. The other activities they spend a lot of time doing are sleeping and socialising during their lunchtime rest period. These creatures are wonderfully sociable and they live in secure and stable social groups. They show strong bonds between the male and females gorillas and strong attachment to their young. The lead adult male is the silverback who is the dominant male and he will defend his group above all else.  He will eventually be challenged by a younger stronger male and retire to the edges of the group or leave for another one. The gorillas are not territorial and move around areas in search of food.

The mountain gorilla is one of the most endangered animals on the planet. The mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) is listed as endangered on the official IUCN Red List which means that it has suffered more than a 50% reduction in population over the last 3 generations. At the last count in the spring of 2010, the estimated total number of mountain gorillas worldwide was just 790. The gorillas of Central Africa suffer from many threats including loss of habitation due to agriculture and logging, pollution, civil unrest and trafficking for the illegal pet trade.

There are many active organisations seeking to conserve the mountain gorillas of Central Africa. Dian Fossey was a leading conservationist who spent most of her adult life in close contact with the gorillas researching them and protecting them. The story of her life can be seen in the film “Gorillas in the Mist”. She and many other conservationists helped to turn these vital cloud forest areas into the protected national parks across the three nations and in doing so preserved their precious and unique habitat. The World Wildlife Fund and the International Gorilla Conservation Programme are the two main leaders in gorilla conservation at the moment

Suprisingly tourism is also fundamental in helping protect this rare species. After land was taken away from local people and turned into protected national parks some kind of recompense was needed to ensure that local people remained in favour of helping the conservation scheme. Limited tourism to visit the gorillas under strict permit schemes has successfully managed to bring a lot of income into the very poor neighbouring areas.  In 2008 roughly 20,000 tourists visited the gorilla populations in Rwanda which is turn raised approximately $8 million in revenue for the parks. The other national parks are also benefiting from large tourism revenue streams which cover the park costs and the wildlife authority in charge of protecting the gorillas. The park rangers that guide the tourists also are able to look after the gorillas as they are in closer contact with them, spotting any snare injuries or other health problems. They can also monitor numbers and hopefully divert any potential threats.

As Jubilee fever hits the UK over the next few weeks we thought we would take a closer look at the Royal Family and in particular their long standing connections with Africa. Africa has surprisingly played an important part in the Queen’s life in particular, with several major events taking place on African soil.

The Royal connection to Africa really started under the days of the British Empire when the first explorers set about claiming land for Britain. Across Africa there are still many remnants of this time bearing the name of the Queen – Victoria Falls in Zambia/Zimbabwe and the Victoria and Albert Dock in Cape Town being just two of them.

Since the Victorian era our current Royal Family has had many more trips to Africa. In 1947 Queen Elizabeth celebrated her 21^st birthday on a royal tour of South Africa and Zimbabwe (Rhodesia). In a speech she paid tribute to the people of the Empire and Commonwealth and dedicated her life to serving them. The Queen did not visit South Africa again until 1995, after the end of apartheid and they had had their first democratic elections. During this historic visit, South Africa rejoined the Commonwealth, which it had left in 1961. South Africa also hosted the Commonwealth Heads of State Meeting for the first time in 1999 and the Queen attended.

Kenya became a part of the history of the British monarchy on 1st February, 1952, when the then Princess travelled to Kenya as part of a Commonwealth tour. The tour started normally enough. Elizabeth and Phillip were greeted by the Governor of Kenya, Sir Philip Mitchell, then driven to Government House where they attended a garden party. They also visited Nairobi National Park, and stayed at the Sagana hunting lodge which was a wedding gift from South Africa. The Queen apparently loved game viewing and was also enjoying the chance to escape from everyday life on the trip. Then on the 6^th February everything changed with the death of King George VI.

The Princess was staying at Treetops Hotel near Mount Kenya at the time of her father’s death. It was from there that she flew back to Britain and became Queen Elizabeth II two days later on the 8th February 1952. She was crowned the following year in 1953. Her personal safari guide and big-game expert Jim Corbett famously wrote in the Treetops visitors’ book: “For the first time in the history of the world, a young girl climbed into a tree one day a princess and, after having what she described as her most thrilling experience, she climbed down from the tree next day a Queen.” In those days Treetops was a rickety-looking, basic two-bedroom safari lodge built high above the ground on stilts with a viewing platform overlooking the habitat of elephant and rhino. Quite an adventurous choice for a member of the Royal family!

Kenya is still popular with the Royals today as it was near Mount Kenya that Prince William proposed to Katherine Middleton on 20^th October 2010.  Kate said in an interview at the time: “He’s a true romantic and we had a wonderful holiday . . . it was out there in a very quiet lodge and it was very romantic.”

The highest sand dunes in the world are to be found in the spectacular Namib desert in Namibia. The highest of these dunes reach up to a giddy 300 metres which  makes them one of the true wonders of the natural world. The area where the dunes are found is called Sossusvlei and this is Namibia’s number one tourist attraction.

The place has an immense beauty with just miles upon miles of nothing but enormous sand dunes. The stark beauty of the place is best captured at either dawn or dusk as this is when the light colours the dunes in the most dramatic fashion. The dunes are often turned blood red by the setting sun making them even more incredible and a wonderful subject for photographers and artists. The whole area (and much of the rest of Namibia) has a such a barren, dry and other-worldly atmosphere that it is truly unique.

Some of these dunes are star dunes which means that the dunes descend in a star shape due to the air currents around them. Most are wave or ridge patterns that run in a north-west to south east direction. The dunes of the Namib desert have developed over a period of many millions of years. Vast quantities of sand were deposited into the Atlantic by the nearby Orange river which flows through the Kalahari Desert. The Benguela current off the coast then brought the sand back onto land and is continues to be moved further and further inland by the Atlantic onshore winds. The wind is continually shaping and re-shaping the dunes by forcing the sand on the flatter windward slope upwards to the crest of the dune. From the crest they fall down in the lee of the wind and this makes their distinctive shape with leeward slope always considerably steeper than the windward side.

The local name for one of the biggest slopes is Big Mama and from the top you can enjoy some spectacular views. The bottom is the famous Dead Vlei whose blackened camelthorn trees stand out dramatically against the sand and make an iconic image of the desert. There is not much wildlife to be seen here due to the 40 degree heat during the day and the below freezing temperatures at night-time. However you can catch a glimpse of jackals, springbok, oryx and ostrich as well as plenty of birds and lizards.

The dunes of Sossusvlei are just one small part of this fascinating country. We will look at other highlights in Namibia in the future including the stunning Skeleton Coast, rugged Damaraland and Etosha National Park to name but a few.

Q: Where is you favourite place in the world and why?

A: My favourite place in the world is Cape Town, it is the first place I ever visited in Southern Africa. It was raining when I arrived and then the rain cleared, the sun came out and I got to view Table Mountain for the first time it was an amazing sight.

Q: What is you favourite part of Africa, when did you go there and why do you like it so much?

A:  My favourite part of Africa is Kenya and the Samburu National Park.  I travelled there in 2004 and the game viewing was great and the lodge I stayed in was one of the best.

Q: How many times have you been to Africa and where have you been?

A: I have been to Africa 12 times.  I have been to South Africa, Tunisia, Botswana (Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park), Zimbabwe (Victoria Falls, Harare and Bulawayo), Zambia (Livingstone) & Namibia.

Q: Where else in the world have you been to?

A: I have been to USA, Austria, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, France, Spain, Mexico, Italy, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Israel, Dubai, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Republic of Ireland, Netherlands & Switzerland.

Q: What is your best travel memory?

A: Seeing Venice for the first time.

Q: What is your funniest travel memory?

A: When arriving at Karen Blixen Camp my luggage started vibrating as the hair chargers had come on by themselves!

Q: What was your worst travel experience?

A: Visiting Tunisia, we had some bad experiences and it’s not somewhere I would go back to.

Q: How did you get into the travel industry?

A: I originally wanted to work as cabin crew but I was too short and wore glasses so I studied and got an accounting qualification and started working for a tour operator in central London first in accounts then in sales.

Q: what is your number one tip for having a good holiday?

A: Don’t expect it to be like home!

Q: What other interests do you have other than travel?

A: Reading, theatre, cinema and going to see my favourite pop group Bucks Fizz (now known as The OBF) featuring Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston!

Q: What is your favourite book?

A: Anything by John Grisham.

Q: what is your favourite film?

A: My current favourite is ‘The Most Exotic Marigold Hotel’.

Thank you Paul! There will be more interviews with other Real Africa team members in the future so look out for them in our weekly blog.

Narrated by Oscar nominated actor Samuel.L.Jackson  the main story is that of Mara, an endearing cub who strives to grow in the footsteps of her mother’s strength, spirit and wisdom. Mara is a lively and curious six-month-old lion cub who is devoted to her mother, Layla.  Mara prefers to spend her days playing with her female relatives who make up the River Pride.  Layla is an experienced lioness and Mara is learning to follow in her footsteps.  But she must learn quickly for Layla is suffering from  an injury that is beginning to slow her down. Mara’s future is in question and she will face many challenges.

Other main characters are also introduced. Fang is the leader of the River Pride but it’s the lionesses who surround him that give the pride its real strength.  Fang is being challenged by Kali and has become battered and bruised by their encounters. He relies on the females to keep the pride intact and to support him but Kali continues to threaten him.

Sita is a tough female adult cheetah and a mother who’s fiercely protective of her newborn cubs.  She faces a truly tough juggling act as she must leave her brood to hunt for food, but being vigilant against possible attacks on them from other big cats including lions, hyenas and adult male cheetahs.  She travels for miles and spends hours every day hunting for food before returning at dusk to share her precious milk with the cubs. Eventually as the cubs grow bigger and more demanding she has to lead her brood away from the safety of their den across Kali’s land in search of food.

Kali is a powerful and agressive lion who leads the group of lions north of the river. But Kali and his sons cross out of their land to visit the River Pride again and again, testing Fang’s strength with the aim of one day gaining control of the pride. Mara, Layla and Sita will all be tested by Kali and will need to stand up to him to protect their families.

African Cats was filmed in the Masai Mara Ecosystem in Kenya from August 2008 to October 2010, and all animals appearing in the movie were filmed entirely in the wild. All the filming takes place within the boundaries of Mara North Conservancy – which is home to 5 prides of lion (amounting to 56 family members), 7 cheetah, and many leopards. This is area is one of the best in the world for viewing Big Cats – hence both Disney and the BBC filming in the area.

The film was released in the US last year but will be arriving in the UK shortly.

The Winelands is an area in South Africa close to Cape Town that is home to the majority of South Africa’s vineyards. The main wine growing districts in the Winelands area are Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl. Stellenbosch is the second oldest settled town after Cape Town.  During 1690 some Huguenot refugees settled in Stellenbosch, grapes were planted in the fertile valleys around Stellenbosch and soon it became the centre of the South African wine industry.

The region possesses a wide range of soils in the area which produce fantastic wine grapes rather than table grapes. The South African winelands produce around 1,000 million litres of wine a year and they are gaining respect across the world for the sophistication of flavour. The South African Cabernet Sauvignon is now one of the most popular wines in the UK.  The region has a Mediterranean climate. Summers are hot and dry and winters cool and damp, with snow on the peaks during August and September. And just like the Med it is a perfect climate for growing grapes. The scenery is diverse and often spectacular and so many peaks, valleys, cliffs, rivers, pools, waterfalls, canyons, springs, forests, caves and other natural features that make sightseeing in this area such a pleasure.

The area is not only full of beautiful scenery but is also full of history.  Since the area was settled by Dutch colonials it is home to many very pretty Cape Dutch colonial houses and very picturesque towns and villages. A feature of this kind of architecture are the curved gabled roofs of the buildings and pretty white facades.

The Winelands are popular with tourists not just for the fabulous wines but also because the area is also home to many world beating restaurants with a focus on fine dining. One of the most popular ways to spend a day in the vineyards is to enjoy a wine tasting tour and walk around the vineyards followed by a fantastic lunch at a table in the stunning gardens.

The new tram which we mentioned at the beginning is being introduced this spring and will operate along the old railway line in the Franschhoek valley. It will be guided so that visitors can learn all about the history of the Winelands en route and it will transport tourists between the vineyards allowing them to safely sample South Africa’s finest at their leisure.

Firstly the Tanzanian scenery is just awe-inspiring. Watching the sunrise at dawn over the African continent spread out before your feet is just one of those epic moments in life.  Mount Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain on the African continent at 20,000 feet and the highest free-standing mountain in the world. It is actually made up of three separate volcanic peaks, Mawenzi, Shira and Kibo. The first two are extinct but Kibo is merely dormant and could possibly erupt again one day.  Standing in snow in the middle of Africa is a pretty amazing experience.  Although this may not be the case for ever as the snow cap is shrinking every year due to global warming and could be gone in as little as 20 years time.

Secondly the physical challenge. The trip usually takes around 10-12 days and you climb for about 9 of them. You climb through every kind of terrain on the trip starting with cultivated farmland, through rain forest, then onto heath and moorland, before reaching the alpine desert and finally the arctic summit. It starts off very hot and proceeds to get very cold which can be challenging in itself.  However spare a thought for South African Bernard Goosen who has climbed Mt Kili in a specially adapted wheelchair! Approximately 25,000 people attempt to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro annually and roughly two-thirds are successful. The people that don’t make it have usually been affected by bad altitude sickness. However it is recommended that you only attempt the trip if fit or after having done some kind of aerobic training to ensure that you get the most from your trip.

Thirdly the organised expedition means you have help every step of the way. Porters carry all the camping equipment you will need and guide you up the tricky parts of the climb. Usually a team of around 15-25 porters will accompany a small group and they will carry everything for you. They go ahead to set up camp each night making sure everything is ready and in place by the time you reach them. You are looked after extremely well, in fact a recent group complained that the food cooked for them was so good they didn’t lose any weight at all hiking up the mountain!

Finally, did you know that almost every climber who has reached the Uhuru Peak, the highest summit on Kibo’s crater rim, has recorded a note in a book that is stored in a wooden box at the top of the mountain? Now that would be a truly fascinating read!

If you are looking for a combination of adventure and relaxation then a romantic safari staying in tented camps combined with a beach stay on the Indian Ocean comes highly recommended. What could be better that sitting out under the stars watching the embers of the fire glowing and reminiscing about the wildlife seen on the game drive earlier that day? Safari lodges and camps hark back to an earlier time and their very history is romantic in nature.

Then heading off for some well deserved relaxation you find yourselves on the edge of the Indian Ocean. Lying under palms trees, wading through the turquoise warm waters and exploring the long white sandy beaches before heading to a beachside restaurant for a lunch of locally caught fish – what could be better? The hotels and resorts on the Indian Ocean coasts of Kenya, Tanzania and the island of Zanzibar take some beating when it comes to romance and relaxation. There are some fantastic small, boutique hotels with only a handful of rooms which epitomise a romantic beach hotel. Zanzibar in particular offers some wonderful places to stay. There are some very historic hotels in Stone Town offering wonderful views of passing sailing boats with rooftop restaurants to watch the sun setting over the sea. The hotels in this part of the world range from barefoot luxury beach resorts to tiny, intimate places to stay, all on fabulous beaches.

If you and your other half fancy a bit of culture or sport then I would heartily recommend South Africa as a fantastic honeymoon destination. Sporting activities range from world beating golf courses to diving with sharks and everything in between. If cultural activities are more your thing then the bright lights of Cape Town beckon. If food and drink are more your thing then a tour of the beautiful South African winelands is a must. How about lunch on the lawn of a pretty Dutch colonial farmhouse followed by an afternoon of wine tasting before heading back to your hotel? Then if you wish to add on a great beach extension you can head to the white sandy beaches of Mozambique or Mauritius for some diving or even just some good old R&R.

As we in the UK bask in a gloriously unseasonal heat-wave my mind turned to the unusual weather and how it really has changed dramatically over the past few years. We seem to be having heat-waves in March and October and chilly summers and winters. The weather is becoming truly much more unpredictable not only here in the UK but also across the world.

Having said that there are still weather patterns that are still apply to Africa and make it easier to work out when to go and when to avoid sitting on the beach in the rain!

The traditional rainy seasons for East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda) are March and April with a shorter rainy period in November. These tend to be the cheapest time of year to travel and you can have some great game viewing and you often get the place to yourself. Sometimes it may rain only for a couple of hours at a time. However the downside – apart from the rain! – is that you may well encounter problems due to muddy tracks and roads which become impassable.  The hot dry period is over Christmas and New Year and then again in the summer months when the annual migration takes place. This is a spectacle not to be missed as the predators follow the herds and the game viewing is amazing. You do have to book well in advance as August and September get very booked up early and the safari lodges and camps have limited space.

Down in Southern Africa the weather is quite varied depending how close you are to the Equator. In general in southern Africa in places like Botswana it’s dry from May or June through the summer months before peaking in October, then it rains from November  through to April.  However further south around Cape Town and the Cape in general they are best visited in our winter months i.e. from November through to March as this is their summer. October is the best time to go if you are interested in whale watching around the Cape and Garden Route and game viewing is good in the Kruger National Park all year round.

Sometimes it pays to be even more precise depending on what you are hoping for on your holiday. If you want to see Victoria Falls at its finest then you should do during the rainy season or just after when the Falls are at the fullest and most magnificent.  Just before the rainy season is a good time to go game viewing as animals tend to congregate around the diminishing waterholes and these are often the ones closest to your safari camp!

At the Cango Wildlife Park in South Africa their aim is to promote awareness of the dangers facing these wild animals and to inspire people to do something about it. Their method is to operate “Natural Encounters” where you can meet amazing creatures and physically inter-react with them. The well being and welfare of the animals is their main concern and they operate on a very careful and sensitive basis with hand–reared animals that are born in captivity and used to human contact. The hope is that encounters with these magnificent creatures will encourage compassion and support in the plight that these species face. Once you have come into close contact with them it is impossible not to be moved by them and to genuinely want to help. Personally I find the big cats are some of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring species on the planet and my visit with the cheetahs inspired me to get involved with the WWF and their various sponsorship programmes that work towards protecting endangered big cats.

The Cango Wildlife Park breeds cheetah and tigers as part of their programme to promote and fund the conservation of cheetah and other endangered species through captive breeding, research and public awareness.

Highly specialised, the cheetah is the fastest land animal on earth, achieving an incredible top speed of 120 kms per hour. Unfortunately this very skill which is used for hunting has placed the cheetah in direct conflict with man. In order to achieve these high speeds, the cheetah requires open flat land – the same land that farmers require for agriculture. This loss of habitat, linked to low reproductive success caused by poor gene diversity, has reduced cheetah numbers to less than 10,000 worldwide. The cheetah is on the endangered animals list and a huge effort is needed to try and protect and build the breeding stock of this amazing hunter.

The Cheetah Preservation Foundation operated by the team at the Cango Wildlife Park was founded in 1988, with the principal aim of ensuring the survival of the cheetah and other endangered species, as well as educating visitors about the plight of the these animals. The Cheetah Preservation Foundation also gives visitors the opportunity to become pro-active in the conservation of endangered species, by joining as members and thereby contributing financially to our various conservation projects. With public involvement and contributions the Cheetah Preservation Foundation was able to save many cheetahs, increase breeding stock across both national parks and in zoos worldwide, and also contribute to various other wildlife programmes in across South Africa, Kenya, Australia, Nigeria, Namibia and New Zealand. They work with other species such as tigers, African wild dogs (one of the most endangered species in the world), lions and crocodiles.