Viewing elephants in the wild is a safari highlight for many travelers. © Dana Allen

This guest blog comes to us from James Hendry of Wilderness Safaris, one of our tour operators in Africa.

When I visit wild places, I am often torn between heading out on a drive or going for a walk. This pleasant quandary set me to thinking about what makes the two experiences so different.

Driving
I suppose for the inherently terrified this is the best option. Even if it is a false sense of security, sitting in a hulking great steel Land Cruiser does make one feel somewhat less threatened when viewing a herd of elephants or a pride of lions. In some areas, you can virtually park right near the cats to view them. Indeed, there are places where big cats will seek out vehicles for shade or the vantage that the bonnet provides.

If you’re a photographer and you want close-ups from a steady angle then there is no question that the back of a vehicle is where you want to be. You can obviously also cover more ground and see more from the back of a safari vehicle; important if you are on a once-in-a-lifetime African holiday.

There is, however, a sense of detachment that accompanies driving in the bush.

On Foot
Being on foot is different. No longer can you be merely an observer of nature. You are an active participant. For some this is a wonderful feeling and for others, it’s simply scary.

I remember my first experience of seeing big mammals on foot. I was on a ranger training course, utterly clueless and completely out of my depth. There were six of us in a group and, under the guidance of our trainer, we snuck up the back of a dam wall to view a small herd of buffalo drinking. There we sat in the shadows watching the eight large bovines about 20 meters off. They had no idea we were there.

Then, from the grass about the same distance off to the right, a huge male leopard stood up. I was awestruck. The leopard, who must have been a particularly gormless cat, eventually noticed us sitting in the shade and scarpered off.

I was blissfully unafraid.

This changed when I was sent out to walk a reserve unarmed and alone. Then I did feel threatened – actually the feeling was probably closer to sheer terror. Slowly, however, I came to appreciate the solace and pleasure of walking in the wilderness alone. It is quite unlike any other experience. My terror was so slowly replaced with caution and profound appreciation. Something primal, deep in the recesses of my genetic memory, began to speak to me.

Of course, walking in the African wilderness is not as unsafe as it might seem initially. Animals out here are generally terrified of us. Buried in their genetic memory is the knowledge that we have been hunting them since our ancestors first stood up and started throwing stones. Aggression from animals is almost always born of fear. Unless they feel threatened, even lions and elephants will keep their distance from a person on foot.

So which do I prefer?

Well, for viewing animals, driving is the way to go. Animals are simply not as affected by vehicles as they are by our upright human posture. In many areas it is possible to watch animals behave as they would without our being there at all. Much of our knowledge of ethology comes from the ability to watch, photograph and film animals so easily from vehicles.

Being on foot in the wilderness, however, presents a totally different sense of the wild. Walking is an immersion and connection with our pre-history and it delivers an “aliveness” that is difficult to achieve in any other circumstances.

© Wilderness Safaris. Reprinted with permission.

WWF Travel Blog

Orangutans are found only in the lowland forests of Borneo and Sumatra. WWF © WWF-US / Jay Sherman

A roundup of the latest interesting reads in travel and conservation …

• Fishing isn’t exactly a top 10 hobby of primates, though some species have been observed doing it. The latest among them? Orangutans in Borneo. A pair of anthropologists spent two years observing wild orangutans not just scooping catfish out of small ponds but also using sticks and other basic instruments to aid them in fishing, Wired reports.
• Deforestation as a result of gold panning is eroding parts of the Peruvian Amazon at alarming rates, Scientific American reports. As global gold prices rise, deforestation as a result of small-scale gold panning has increased sixfold.
• Central America possesses a remarkable number of deep cave systems, including the five-mile-long Barton Creek Cave network in Belize. The cave is one we by canoe on our annual tour to the Central American country and is spotlighted this week on The Travelers Zone.
• Using satellite images, topographical maps and navigational charts, researchers have discovered 657 new islands around the globe – nearly 31 percent more than previously charted, in 2001. The islands didn’t just pop up in the past decade, said researchers from Duke University and Meredith College; they were just misclassified or overlooked. The majority are barrier islands are along U.S. coasts, including a large number along the Alaskan Arctic shoreline.
• The adventures of British travelers Rick Politz and Sara Damergi in Kerala, India, aren’t precisely like what you’ll experience on our Southern India expedition. But their journal entry about cruising among hidden villages and lush forests of Kochi’s backwaters paints a lovely and apt picture of the natural setting you’ll see on our voyage.

WWF Travel Blog

WWF’s photo contest is aimed at raising awareness of species and land conservation issues. © WWF-US / Terry Macko

At WWF, wildlife and wild places have inspired us for 50 years as we’ve worked to protect threatened species, vital habitats and local communities around the world.

But we really want to know: What inspires you?

Share with us the natural things you think are truly precious, valuable gifts that need to be protected today and for future generations.

We recently launched our 50th Anniversary Photo Contest, “Life Grows On“, presented by CVS/pharmacy Photo. We invite you to enter up to 15 photos in these three categories:

• Wildlife: Whether a polar bear in the Arctic or an eagle by the shore.
• Wild places: From the mountains to the prairies.
• People connecting with nature: Your favorite people in your favorite places on Earth.

The winner of each category will receive an all-expenses paid trip for two on the Classic Polar Bear Photo Adventure provided by Natural Habitat Adventures!

How it works:

1. Submit your photos from April 22, 2011 through June 17, 2011. There is a $ 15 entry fee to submit up to 15 photos.
2. WWF judges will select the top 50 photos in each category by July 1. That means there will be 150 finalists, and each will receive a WWF hat in recognition of their amazing photos.
3. Fans will vote for their favorite photo from July 2 through July 15. You can vote once per day. And everyone who votes has a chance to win a WWF reusable mug.

Want more information? You can view the complete contest rules and details here.

WWF Travel Blog