Rent-a-camel When it comes to exotic adventures, few experiences can match a camel trek. In Tunisia, we joined other travellers on a tour offered by a camel-rental agency. Led by their caretakers, the camels plodded past sand dunes to a palm tree-studded Sahara oasis. Our excursion was in the late afternoon, when the sun stretched the shadows of camels and riders across the sand. Traversing the desert is like watching a movie in slow motion. As we observed women with tattooed faces, turbaned shepherds watering sheep at artesian wells and Berber tents punctuating the sandscape, we felt as if we were actors in a biblical epic. Walking safari We felt vulnerable outside of our vehicle when we began our Botswana foot safari. “If we meet unexpected wildlife, stay in a single file so that animals see us as a large unit,” advised our guide Gavin. “If elephants appear, back off slowly. If lions threaten us, stay rock steady. They’ll chase you if you run, because you’re acting as prey.” Gavin pointed to some elephant tracks in the sand. Each footprint was so massive that the two of us could stand in it. We approached several giraffes that were plucking acacia leaves from the treetops with their long tongues. A male kudu with a magnificent set of spiralled horns eyed us from a herd of these donkey-sized antelopes. After encountering them and other grazing animals, including waterbucks and zebras, a sense of awe replaced our initial susceptibility. 24 | www.snowbirds.org Travel
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