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Visit us there for great information on African Safaris, Polar Expeditions, Small Ship Cruises and Adventure Travel ideas.

Cold Recall - Reflections of a Polar Explorer

Images from Roald Amundsen’s expeditions to the Canadian North and Arctic.

March 18 to September 16, 2011

Exhibition Seminars:

March 18: Morten Høglund, Chair of the Standing Committee of

Parliamentarians of the Arctic region: Common challenges in the north.

April 16: Doreen Riedel, daughter of polar explorer Henry Larsen:

Roald Amundsen’s influence on Henry Larsen.

May 28th: Else Berit Eikeland, Norwegian Ambassador to Canada:

The Norwegian northern strategy.

Life in the Arctic

TeeKay Gallery, Vancouver Maritime Museum

1905 Ogden Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V6J 1A3

Tuesday – Saturday: 10am – 5pm | Sunday: 12pm – 5pm

This Botswana Safari only runs during the migration months of November through May, when the rains turn the Kalahari Desert into a colourful, life-giving wilderness.

Highlights: Nxai Pan & Baobabs, Makgadikgadi National Park, Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Scenic Flight in light aircraft. Click here for the detailed itinerary

Summer arrives in the Kalahari and with it the annual rain. Now the whole Desert changes and comes to life; the Impala drop their young, many migratory birds arrive and the vegetation turns to lush green. Great herds of Zebra, Wildebeest and Buffalo move from the Okavango Delta into the verdant Desert to feed on nutritious grasses and vegetation. These grazers are closely followed by large predators such as lions, and it is very likely that you will see big cats on this safari too.

Why choose the Summer Season?

• Rains usually consist of an afternoon thunder shower, a welcome cooling down after a long, dry day in the Desert
• Excellent for photography – much less dust and crystal-clear air
• Wonderful birding with migrant birds in breeding plumage
• The desert is green, beautiful and lush, and the skies are blue, dramatic afternoon skies with spectacular clouds and light
• Great value for money
• Much fewer people around – nothing like the busy East African migration

Come and experience the wonders of the Great Kalahari Migration with us this season! Contact Chris Boecker to join this very unusual trip.

This wonderful and fascinating trip is one that you will be able to enjoy when you next visit the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.

Route 62

There are several reasons – the main ones being:

• Born in Africa, I am passionate and knowledgeable about this continent!
• I deliver a high level of personalized service, professionalism and efficiency
• Our African travel partners support the local communities and practice sustainable tourism

AND – I have the answers to all of these frequently asked questions:

* What can I expect on a safari? * Should I join a group or plan a private safari?

* Can I travel with children? * Can I travel alone? * When should I travel?

* Do I travel by land or air when on safari? * What lodges/hotels do I choose?

Other FAQ’s: * Is Africa safe for travel? * What about security?

* Is the food & water safe? * What should I bring with me? * Do I need to take health precautions? * What about trip insurance? * What if I have special needs?

IS A WILDLIFE SAFARI THE ONLY KIND OF AFRICAN VACATION?

Actually TravelBoecker arranges all of the following:

• Luxury journeys – the best of Africa
• Classic Safaris- excellent value for money
• Budget Safaris, Eco-Safaris, Walking Safaris
• Beach Holidays and Desert trekking
• Gorilla and Chimpanzee trekking, Volcano Treks
• Mountain Climbing, i.e. Mount Kilimanjaro
• Train Journeys, Steam and others
• Horse-back riding & Elephant-back safari
• Wildebeest Migration
• Whitewater Rafting & Canoeing
• Therapeutic and Holistic travel
• Special Interest tours – winelands, botanical, whale watching, birding, diving, fishing, golfing, Culture and History, adventure
• Special Occasions, i.e. weddings, family reunions

At TravelBoecker we know that this is your special vacation and we’ll ensure that you have the best experience!

For AUTHENTIC JOURNEYS & UNFORGETTABLE MEMORIES contact Chris at info@travelboecker.com

Giants Castle

Covering over 600,000 acres in the Kwazulu/Natal province, the area consists of six game parks and six state forests. It is a world of spectacular sandstone cliffs, towering peaks – often snow capped – waterfalls, soaring buttresses and it’s the home of the bearded vulture, the Lammergaier.

Giants Castle is a favorite. An easy trail traverses the gentle foothill area, where the wildlife is incredible. Look out for baboons, many species of birds, unusual wildflowers and woody plants.

If you long for heights, Cathedral Peak is a good choice. This mystical area is also the home of many ancient Bushman paintings. I made it to the top and back in a day, and the view was overwhelming. On a clear day you can see every peak of the mountain range!

Based at Tendele camp you can spend a week at the Amphitheater, hiking a different trail every day. Little wonder then that the ‘Berg’ are South Africa’s most popular backpacking and mountaineering area.

To plan your Hiking Safari contact Chris Boecker – Africa Travel Specialist

Gliding thru the Delta in a Dug Out Canoe

Today I’ll write about the Okavango Swamps in Botswana – stunning scenery and a paradise for wildlife, where I recently took my 10 year old daughter on a camping safari. Arriving in Maun, we took a low flight in a small plane into the heart of Moremi Game Reserve. The birds-eye view was spectacular!

Ronald – our guide awaited us in an open safari vehicle and soon we spotted our first Elephants – a family with a little baby, feeding at the side of the road.

On our first game drive we also spotted Lechwe antelope, herds of zebra, grazing peacefully amongst some giraffe, a black-backed jackal, impala and wildebeest in the shade of an Umbrella Thorntree (Acacia).  At sunset we arrived at the camp – tired and exhilarated.  Our cook, Richard and his crew had set up the tents and served a delicious, healthy meal. Soon afterwards we retired to our canvas accommodation, which was kitted out with comfy mattresses on stretchers, covered with crisp sheets and warm duvets. We even had an en-suite bathroom with a flush toilet and bucket shower, attached to the back of our tent.

Early in the morning we were off on another game drive. The grass shimmered with dew and the air was crisp and fresh. Not far from our camp we came across more elephants, many bird species, including fish eagle and saddle-billed stork and then we spotted a group of 7 cheetahs. What a thrill to watch these graceful animals interact with each other.

Later we enjoyed a mokoro ride – a dug-out canoe which glides silently through the maze of waterways that make up the ‘swamps’. The water is crystal clear, walled by tall reeds and dotted with beautiful water lilies. It’s so quiet and peaceful – we felt like we were the only people in the world.

On the last day our patience was rewarded with a sighting of 3 lionesses lounging by the side of the road. We watched them for a long time – just mesmerized by these powerful cats.

I am unabashedly smitten with the beauty of the scenery and wildlife of the Okavango Delta. Its reputation as the best safari experience is well-deserved.

This safari company’s policy of not mixing families with couples or singles on a trip worked very well for us. We could stop for as long (or as short) as we wanted to observe (or ignore) an animal, bird or landscape.  We could go to sleep as early as we wanted to – no-one to keep us awake when we were tired. The owner came by and joined us for lunch – wanting to find out how we were enjoying the safari, and if there was anything they could do better or different to make the trip more enjoyable. I was impressed with this level of service, since it takes about 5 hours of hard driving to reach us in the bush.

To book your Safari contact Chris Boecker – Africa Travel Specialist

It was a moment I never would have believed I would experience in my lifetime. I was on one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen, lying a couple of feet away from a baby sea lion. Staring into the eyes of this magnificent creature I thought to myself, life doesn’t get any better than this.

Little did I know when I started this adventure, a seven night cruise aboard a small vessel (16 passengers) through the Galapagos Islands, that it would have such a profound effect on me.

It began the moment we boarded the ship – watching sea lions climbing into and basking in a nearby vacant dingy, pelicans landing on our boat, frigates gliding over us as we began our journey.

Every day was like a new experience – each island different from the last. Each day we explored the islands, watching the waves crash against the volcanic rock or quietly wash upon the shore and admired the flora, fauna and wildlife of the islands.

We were totally amazed at how tame the creatures of the wild were. I remember sitting on a rock one day watching a male and female albatross engaged in a mating ritual (loud smacking of beaks) when a mockingbird flew onto a rock beside me. It sat there for several minutes just curiously watching me. Other times walking along the paths, we had to be ever so careful not to step on iguanas, baby seals or resting blue footed boobies. I was amazed at their indifference to our presence. Life just continued on. It was surreal.

Every day we swam or snorkeled in picture perfect clear turquoise water, and on a few occasions were joined by sea lions. They were quite curious and loved to play, finding us unique and, for the most part, willing playmates.

On many occasions we were able to experience nature taking its course. One day we came upon a mother sea lion nuzzling her new born, while – just a couple of feet away – a hawk was eating the placenta. We quietly witnessed this whilst nearby, a baby pelican, having just taken a fish from her mother’s beak, struggled to turn it around just right, so as to swallow it.

Day in and day out there were experiences that will be etched in my memory forever. I truly would recommend this adventure to those who have a love and appreciation for nature. The Galapagos Archipelago is a place not to be missed.

Contact Vancouver Travel Expert Chris Boecker to book this wonderful journey.

Then we came across a herd of giraffe – there must have been at least 11 or 12 of these graceful and inquisitive creatures. Some were grazing the tops of Umbrella-Thorntrees, but some were lying down. I had never seen resting giraffe before. Their high blood pressure does not allow them to put their elongated necks and heads down, but they had managed to fold those long legs under, so they could sleep. I suppose a ‘giraffe pillow’ would be useless.

After seeing Impala, Warthog, Wildebeest, Kudu, a Monitor Lizard and many bird species we suddenly spotted him – Ngani, the bull elephant!  He was quietly grazing and we were downwind of him, so we cut the engine and settled in to watch quietly for a while. But Ngani had other plans and moved away. We wanted to follow, but the Landrover did not! Now we had to push-start the vehicle with an elephant no more than 100 meters away ~ needless to say, we pushed quickly! Ngani took to the road, so we had a good view of his huge back-end, swinging rhythmically from side to side with every stride. When Ngani took a short cut through the bush, we managed to get ahead of him and waited. Ngani came closer and closer ~ we could now smell him and hear his breathing! By now he was about 5 meters away, flapping his ears and snorting at us… we moved on quickly. Playing ‘chicken’ with an elephant is exhilarating ~ but the elephant always wins!

My senses were awakened to the bush again – I walked barefoot on the red earth, heard the shrill sound of cicadas, the songs of dozens of birds, the snorting of gazelles and warthogs. I felt the heat, smelled the elephant dung… and at night a cacophony of chirping crickets competing with croaking frogs and other nocturnal animals struck my ears, while I lay staring at the Southern Cross constellation shining brightly in the dark African sky!  Africa is in my blood and it always will be.

Contact Vancouver Travel Consultant Chris Boecker for more information on the many Game Reserves in Southern Africa!

I began my journey at Matetsi Lodge, upstream from Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and enjoyed this luxurious camp and the game drives in open Landrovers. My bungalow had it’s own little pool and a great view of the Zambezi. From there I couldn’t hear or see another person – just the song of the crickets and the occasional laughter of a hippo.

The Victoria Falls are something to behold. The African people call it ‘Mosi-i-Tunga’ : the Smoke that Thunders. All my senses were bombarded – the roar of the water plunging almost 1000 meters, the spray that soaked me in minutes, the view into that unbelievable chasm … I was in awe. The famous bridge that connects Zimbabwe with Zambia is a favorite spot for Bungi-jumping. I decided to keep my feet on terra firma!

Most of the canoe trips start and end at Lake Kariba, so I made my way there and spent a night in a rondawel at the shores of the lake. At night the hippos would graze on the lawns – so I stayed indoors and read a book. Next day we were off in a truck on our great adventure – it began with crossing the Kafue River on a hand-drawn pont (ferry) en route to Kiambi, our base camp.

After a hearty breakfast we climbed into our canoes and headed for Kualefu (the ‘Far-away Place’) – 90 km’s downstream. It was a 3 day trip along the shores of the Lower Zambezi National Park A strong headwind during the first few hours made my shoulders and arms protest, but after wonderful lunch on the river bank under a shady tree and a quick massage I was encouraged me to carry on. Luckily the wind subsided and it was easy going from then on.

Gently floating down the river we saw lots of birds – just the thing for me! The Fish Eagle is the national bird of Zambia and according to our guide, Dickson it calls every hour from dawn to dusk. There is nothing quite like sitting in the front of a canoe on a huge expanse of water and watching the eagles swoop down to catch their dinner – just a few meters away from us…

There were lots and lots elephants frolicking in the water and the odd buck and buffalo came down to drink. We even saw a lioness having a nap and of course we made a wide berth around all those hippos. Once though a hippo surfaced quite close to our canoe. I don’t know who was more surprised, but when the hippo gave a mock-charge we suddenly learnt that canoes could do low-level flying too! The adrenaline rush propelled us into some really quick paddling.

We had real washrooms at most campsites, but on one occasion we where taken to a sand bank in the middle of the river for a swim and bath. Morat and Dickson held onto the boat and kept an eye out for crocs while the other guides, Iton and Peter prepared a scrumptious dinner over the fire.

The best thing about this trip was the feeling that we were the only people in this wonderful world of water and wildlife. Saying good-bye to such a beautiful country was not easy…

Contact Vancouver Travel Consultant Chris Boecker to plan your African Safari!