Discover the Amazing Advantages of Going on a Luxurious Mobile Tented Safari

What I particularly like about mobile tented camps is that they are seasonal and can be removed during the rainy season or relocated to where the game is. Permanent structures in the bush have their advantages but a tented camp kind of brings you closer to nature. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to view game on foot and horseback from around your camp site? This article will discuss the numerous options and advantages of going on a tented safari in the African bush.

A tented safari doesn’t mean you have to resort to propping up your own tent in the wilderness and cook for yourself; it can be a lot more exciting than that...a lot more luxurious in fact, IF you let the professionals take care of the mundane chores whilst you sit back and enjoy the wilderness, wildlife, and the night sky as you camp around a fire grilling some delicious game meat. I’m going to assume that you want a break, right? Now let’s take a look at what you can expect to experience.

Mobile tented safaris allow you to immerse yourself in the wild, away from other tourists, away from the bright lights (typical with lodges) that deny you views of the African night sky. Not to mention, the annoying sound of generators that – in addition to providing power, pollute and sour the atmosphere. Permanent camps serve their purpose, but a mobile tent is by far more liberating in that, you can follow the game; you can find idyllic locations you may want to spend time in and camp there; it opens up a world of opportunities for an exhilarating African safari adventure. All laced with the amenities of large walk-in tents with comfortable beds, a tent to dine in, and a crew of people to take care of your 3 course dinners; serving your cold drinks; ensuring you get a hot shower and that you are comfortable. With a mobile safari camp not only do you enjoy privacy, you have the flexibility to plan the route you take, and perhaps most importantly, seeing the wildlife on your own terms. It also allows you to plan and schedule your own game drives with your guide. When you choose to leave camp, be it at dawn and returning by dusk, or you decide to stay in bed and then have a lazy breakfast and watch what happens from camp, is entirely up to you.

In summary: Safari camps in permanent structures are great and serve their purpose, but if you’d like to get closer to the wilderness and away from the roaring generators and the bright lights that deny you the sounds and scents of the wilderness and a clear view of the African night sky, consider a mobile camping safari. Having to prop up your own tent and to take care of all the mundane, yet essential, chores to keep you fed, bathed and tracking down where the action is can be a deterrent, agreed, but it doesn’t have to be that way. The tented safari experience has moved on to cater to the more discerning clientele who want to experience a bit of rough and still enjoy a bit of luxury. So the next time you’re considering an Africa safari, ask your tour operator to provide you with further information on mobile camping safaris.

About the Author: Anthony J. Namata is a creative travel writer who blogs at Blockbuster-Articles.com, and writes exclusively for tour operators on safari destination Tanzania.

How to Plan a Safari Holiday around the East African Safari Rally

When I was a little boy growing up in East Africa, I used to follow the East African Safari Rally with a lot of interest and enthusiasm. I remember back then I wouldn’t miss it for the world! Now if you’re a rally enthusiast and want to enjoy the best of both worlds—an exciting safari rally and a fabulous safari holiday—organizers of the Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally have unveiled their night stops schedule for this year’s competition that will run from November 18 to 29. This article will explore the safari holiday options along the safari rally route winding through the game parks and tourist resorts in both Kenya and Tanzania. So, if like me, you are a safari rally enthusiast, this article can help you get started with planning your trip.

The rally kicks off from the Sarova Whitesands Hotel in Mombasa, Kenya. Mombasa, an island separated from the mainland by two creeks, Port Reitz in the south and Tudor Creek in the north, is a coastal town steeped in history and the center of coastal tourism with some of the most fabulous beaches and marine life on the East African coast. If a holiday on the beach is what you desire, Mombasa would be an ideal place to enjoy your vacation and watch the rally start early on the morning of November 20. On that very day, the rally will finish deep inside Amboseli National Park at the Kilima Safari Camp…clearly, another location you may want to be at when rally drivers arrive. You can’t be at both places on the same day without having to join the race, so you’re going to have to choose: either you camp out in the Amboseli National Park to see them arrive and then enjoy a spot of game viewing when they’ve departed; OR see them as they take off in Mombasa. I like to see the cars in a more roughened-up state, in which case I would go for the latter.

On the second day the rally heads to Tanzania where the roads on this event are the toughest, and breaks at the Mount Meru Hotel in Arusha where the crew will spend November 21st and 22nd and then rally under the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro before re-entering Kenya. Your choice of safari holiday therefore, spans two East African countries from the Kenyan coast to the game reserves in both countries.

Arusha, a city in northern Tanzania, is surrounded by some of the most famous landscapes and national parks in Africa. Situated below Mount Meru the city has its own National Park on Mount Meru and is close to the famous Serengeti national park, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Olduvai Gorge, Tarangire National Park, and Mount Kilimanjaro. When it comes to what to do and where to go, you will be spoilt for choice. My advice is you consult a tour operator on available options according to your budget and interests, and then please don’t forget to make your reservations early.
In Summary: With the Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally dates and routing now out, there’s no better time than now to plan a safari holiday that’ll see you soak up the Mombasa sun; swim and snorkel in the Indian ocean; and view game in some of the most exotic locations in both Kenya and Tanzania. If you love fast cars AND the safari rally, this is the time to plan a safari holiday of a lifetime. Just make sure you consult a tour operator on all available options, and try to stay updated on the safari event so you can plan your trip around it. 

About the Author: Anthony J. Namata is a creative travel writer who blogs at Blockbuster-Articles.com, and writes exclusively for tour operators on safari destination Tanzania.

Want Identity Theft Examples? 10 Unbelievable Identity Theft Cases

One thing is for sure. You never think it can happen to you. But when you read this countdown to the most incredible identity theft cases recorded, chances are you’ll think again because these identity theft examples will astound you.

A fraudster named Gerald Barnbaum lost his pharmacist license after committing Medicaid fraud. He got his credentials after stealing the identity of Dr. Gerald Barnes and went on to practice medicine under his name. A type 1 diabetic died under his care. And what’s even more astonishing is that “Dr. Barnes” even worked as a staff physician for a center that gave exams to FBI agents. He is currently serving hard time.

A man named Mark Tufano got his little joy ride by impersonating famed actors like Gary Oldman. In this identity theft example Tufano sent a video of himself as Gary Oldman portraying Andy Kaufman. And what’s even more surprising is that it actually fooled the man who wanted Oldman to portray Kaufman in Man On The Moon. The real Gary Oldman caught wind of the scam and got it busted.

Drug smuggler Marcelo Nascimento da Rocha impersonated Henrique Constantino, the brother of the CEO of Gol Airlines. He enjoyed the jet-set high life but then he got busted after sleeping with a woman who actually knew the real Constantino. Talk about identity theft examples, I think this one is hard to beat. Not sure? Let's read on.

Keep an eye on your wallet! The likes of Andrea Harris-Frazier had better not get their hands on YOUR wallet. When Margot Somerville lost her wallet on a trolley, two years later she was arrested. Andrea Harris-Frazier had defrauded several banks—using Somerville’s identity—out of tens of thousands of dollars. The real crook was caught.

Watch out for the innocent looking roommate

Brittany Ossenfort got a new roommate, Michelle, who got a haircut just like Ossenfort’s. One day Ossenfort received a call at her office from the cops asking her to bail herself out of jail. As it happens, “Michelle” had been hooking on the streets, literally posing as Ossenfort and was caught. What’s even more shocking is that it turns out “Michelle” was really Richard Lester Phillips, living as a woman.

Lara Love and David Jackson were a California couple who one day began tapping into a neighbor’s wireless Internet router. This led to them raiding the neighbors’ personal data. By the time this pair were busted, thirty victims had been affected.

Frederic Bourdin liked to impersonate missing children, including Nicholas Barclay, a missing teen. And he practically fooled the teen’s family, despite Bourdin looking nothing like Barclay (including different hair and eye color—amazing, isn’t it?). More stunning is that the family was fooled for nearly a year until fingerprints proved his real identity. He’s been in and out of jail since.

Ferdinand Demara was a daring serial imposter who used medical books to fudge his way through surgeries he performed onboard a ship during the Korean War… by impersonating Dr. Joseph Cyr. Prior to this caper, he had faked his own death and even went AWOL under a friend’s name when in the Army. Some of these identity theft examples are so elaborate, they'd spice up the plot to a bestselling novel any day of the week.

According to authorities, busboy Abraham Abdallah pulled off a massive identity theft and ripped off some of the richest people in America, including Steven Spielberg. Armed with basic information about the wealthiest people in the U.S. from Forbes Magazine, Abdallah allegedly used computers in Brooklyn libraries to get detailed confidential information about 200 of those listed. Then, posing as his victims, he tried get money from their brokerage or investment bank accounts. Read the full report on this stunning scam here.

Phillip Cummings, a fat cat who worked for a software company, sold customers’ credit card reports to a Nigerian ID theft ring for $30 each—30,000 times. That’s an unbelievable $900,000 in illegal earnings. You wanted identity theft examples? Well there you have it!

Seriously?! Really, get identity theft protection!

Serengeti through the Lens of Academy Award Winning Cinematography

The feature film Serengeti Shall Not Die, released June 25, 1959, was written, produced, directed and narrated by German producer Bernhard Grzimek. It won an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Award for Best Documentary Feature - 1959. When I was still a kid growing up in Dar es salaam -- many years after its release -- I remember seeing this movie with my parents at the Drive In Cinema. I will remember that experience for the rest of my life. It was amazing. This article, through the lens of award winning cinematography, will discuss the Serengeti; how its beauty has inspired the movie industry; and how you too can experience its incredibly vast treeless plains -- 30,000 square kilometers of it!

The Lion King, a 1994 animated feature film from Walt Disney and its subsequent theatrical production, were inspired by the Serengeti.  The Lion King, a musical, garnered two Academy Awards and the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture. Elton John composed the songs and Tim Rice was lyricist with an original score by Hans Zimmer. This movie grossed over eight hundred million dollars worldwide and until 2003, it was the most successful animated feature film. To date, it remains the sixth highest grossing animated film and the highest grossing hand-drawn animated feature film. Disney didn’t stop there. They later produced a sequel, The Lion King II and Simba's Pride (1998); and a prequel/parallel, The Lion King 1½ (2004).

The fact that the movie’s inspiration came from the Serengeti speaks volumes. And to think that its ecosystem, wildlife and national park have not only inspired the movie industry, they’ve inspired, bedazzled and attracted many a tourist from all over the world, says a lot about this wondrous safari destination. Serengeti has well and truly earned its rightful place as one of the ten natural travel wonders of the world. It offers seemingly endless plains; the world famous circular migration of over two million mammal across Tanzania and Kenya; and a guaranteed front row view of an action packed tapestry of diverse habitats ranging from riverine forests, swamps, kopjes, grasslands and woodlands; and not to mention Wildebeests, gazelles, zebras, buffalos, giraffe, lion, leopard and cheetah to name but a few. To borrow the title of the movie that brought Serengeti to the world, I say, Serengeti shall not die!

In Summary: A Hollywood movie studio, inspired by the Serengeti, brought us blockbuster animated movie The Lion King. The movie grossed in excess of eight hundred million dollars around the world. A German producer, back in 1959, brought Serengeti Shall Not Die to cinemagoers around the world and won an Academy Award for best feature film that year. Tanzania’s Serengeti, to have attracted the attention of movie producers, and to have been appreciated and embraced by people around the world says a lot about what it (Serengeti) has to offer the world in terms of its ecosystem, wildlife and national park. To plan a trip to the Serengeti to see for yourself where the inspiration for all these incredibly successful movies came from, consult your tour operator and please do make sure that you book your safari holiday early.

About the Author: Anthony J. Namata is a travel writer and Internet marketing consultant to travel & tour operators. To book a safari in Tanzania, contact Arusha based tour operator Abrojaley Africa.

Walking Safaris in the Footsteps Of Famous Explorers

Designated a UNESCO World heritage Site in 1982, the Selous game reserve in Tanzania has a very diverse wildlife and virtually undisturbed nature. Named after Englishman Sir Frederick Selous, the reserve is one of the largest faunal reserves of the world. 

So picture this: A walking safari in a reserve area that spans 54,600 km² (21,081 square miles) and has a history of famous explorers, hunters and conservationists dating as far back as 1879. Wouldn’t that be extraordinary? Well, this article will aim to shed some light on some of the best walking safari opportunities Tanzania has to offer.

Sir Frederick Selous died at Beho Beho, a territory in the Selous, in 1917 while fighting against the Germans during World War I. Keith Johnston, a Scottish explorer, died in Beho Beho in 1879 leading a RSGS expedition to the Great Lakes of Africa with Joseph Thomson. Walking can be great fun, and when you know you’re stepping into an African wilderness steeped in history, even more so. 

A walking safari in this part of the world is the perfect escape from the modern world -- with its vehicles for transportation -- to the old way of getting around, as did the explorers, on foot.  Imagine reliving the experiences of some of the world’s greatest explorers. I’m sure you will agree, just the thought of it is so tempting. Walking gets you closer to nature, in fact. You’ll get to see places you wouldn’t see from a vehicle; watch animals at close range without them even being aware of your presence. And by night you’ll take refuge in a fly-camp; enjoy hot bucket showers; and hot homemade meals around a camp fire. The adventure can be thrilling. 

And don’t you worry about the mosquitoes, sleeping units are equipped with mosquito nets; and for your walkabouts, there’s always the repellent creams and sprays to help keep them at bay. The best time to go on a walking safari in the Selous is from June to October. The rest of the year is unbearably hot and uncomfortable to walk.

In Summary: There are more ways than one to enjoy a safari in Tanzania. Walking is one full-of-adventure way of taking in the deepest African wilderness, where vehicles have absolutely no access, and natural habitat is so close you can touch it. Unlike the minibus tours that are, sadly, commonplace in the tourist circuit, walking safaris do away with the vehicles to take you deeper into the wilderness.

In Tanzania’s southern circuit Selous, where great explorers, hunters and conservationists set foot as far back as 1879 before us, is undoubtedly an idyllic location to experience Africa in its most natural. Travel to the Selous begins in Dar es salaam and heads south. You’ll have the option to fly there in light aircraft, or travel by road or by train.

For more information on what’s on offer and where to stay en-route to your walking expedition when you get there, make sure you consult your tour operator and make advance bookings as early as possible, bearing in mind that the best time to go on a walking safari in the Selous is from June to October. The rest of the year is unbearably hot and uncomfortable to walk.

To book a walking safari in Tanzania, contact Arusha based tour operator Abrojaley Africa. 


Anthony J. Namata
Creative Travel Writer

Billboard Producers Jittery Over Cher's Possible Trump Bashing During Awards Speech

Cher absolutely reviles Donald Trump and simply can't resist going after him Meryl Streep-style, at least that's the worry of Billboard producers who worry her acceptance speech could turn tawdry with the use of profane language to vent her anger and contempt for the President of the United States.

Production sources told TMZ ... they're dealing with what they believe is the inevitable -- Cher hates Donald Trump with a passion and will go on the attack Sunday night when she receives the Icon Award.

Here's the dilemma ... producers at Dick Clark Productions don't want to cut Cher's mic, because it will look like censorship and possibly even a pro-Trump move. It could also piss off the anti-Trump audience.

The flip side ... if Cher unleashes her considerable vocabulary of forbidden words, ABC could be in hot water with the FCC and then take it out on DCP.

Cher -- who is set to perform at her first award show in 15 years -- has been vocally against Trump, and has called him an obnoxious asshole and  a "f***ing" idiot. She also said, "He wants the adulation. He doesn't give a s**t about the work."

Source: TMZ

John Serba's Movie Review Suggests 'Alien Covenant' is a disappointment, despite Michael Fassbender

I've been a sci-fi junkie for as long as I can remember, and I would devour anything alien and Scary, as it were. That being said, Michael Fassbender playing a hyperintelligent android stuck in an existential quandary, or a monster with lots of claws and teeth and acid for blood makes the movie Alien: Covenant even scarier.

Well, we've seen the monster before, picking off spaceship crew members one by one in Ridley Scott's "Alien" (1979), swarming frightfully en masse in James Cameron's "Aliens" (1986) and being far less effectively scary in several other, lesser sequels.

Reading a riveting film review by John Serba on Alien: Covenant, that trails back to its predecessor, talks about Fassbender's unsettling artificial human, David, before, in 2012's "Prometheus," and his return for the follow-up "Alien: Covenant," which is the second in a trilogy set prior to the events of "Alien."

In his review, Serba asserts: the two new films, with middling results, director Ridley Scott wants this series to be more than just another bug hunt. Yet, that ambition is a narrative detriment, an awkward marriage between intellectual exercise and suspenseful creature feature. That isn't to say combining the two elements is impossible; it's just poorly executed here, the "Covenant" screenplay begging for another draft or three to work out its multiple lapses in logic and integrate its grandiose ideas into the subtext, rather than smacking us on the nose with them. Read the full article here!

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Anthony J. Namata