A safari in the African bush is an experience like no other.
Open Heart Safari is a safari like no other.
Come Join Us On Our Next Trip: July 17-31, 2013
Optional Botswana Extension July 31-Aug. 2
Space limited.
What did you do on your summer vacation? Did you…
A Very Profound Impact
“I just want to express my gratitude to you for running this trip and inviting me to be part of it. It has had a very profound impact on me. … I am definitely still deeply affected and unusually open to whatever is and whatever comes next. … I’ve been feeling overall very loving and attentive toward [my wife] – she’s probably as happy as I am that I went on this trip. … I’d say I’m still a poster child for the transformative experience of the Open Heart Safari. … I’m grateful for your leadership, companionship, and inspiration on our trip that has continued to be with me.”
— 2012 Trip Participant
- Track lions and leopards on foot?
- Converse with tribal elders in a traditional African rural village?
- Practice yoga, surrounded by the calls of hundreds of species of wild birds and the other unique sounds of the African bush?
- Share the joy of African children and their parents as you volunteered at a community center in a poor urban informal settlement?
- Notice an elephant stroll by your bedroom window?
- Meet inspiring, award-winning conservationists?
- Reflect on exciting new experiences in council with new friends in a conscious, open-hearted community?
- Drift safely off to sleep to the night music of hippo grunts, hyena whoops, and lion roars?
If you answered no to any of these questions, you probably did not participate in OpenHeart Safari Zambia.
Our Two-Week Trip Will Include:
South Luangwa National Park. Three-plus days in “one of Africa’s best [parks] in terms of wildlife abundance”1 but without the crowds of tourists encountered in the major parks of South Africa or Kenya.
Kafue National Park. Three days in an isolated roadless area in one of the largest parks in all of Africa. Opportunities to track lions on foot with noted lion expert Chris McBride, who has studied lions for 30 years and authored 3 books about them. Wildlife viewing from a boat on the Kafue River, floating by hippos, crocs, and exotic shore birds.
Victoria Falls. One of the “seven natural wonders of the world.” Our visit will include a boat trip to an island at the edge of the falls, offering a particularly spectacular view.
A glimpse of Zambian life. We will spend a day and night visiting a traditional rural Zambian village, learning about and sharing in village life; a day volunteering on a construction project in another traditional village; and a day volunteering at a community center in a poor urban area, getting a taste of modern urban Africa.
Increased understanding of African wildlife conservation. We will learn about conservation from a variety of perspectives: from heroic activists (including a Goldman Award winner) working on the front lines of conservation, from an elder of a tribe displaced by conservation efforts and from members of a community board charged with wildlife management.
Contemplative Practices. Our experience of the African bush will be heightened, as we open up our awareness and deepen our sense of wonder through simple practices of meditation, yoga, guided movement, and personal sharing.
Throughout we will stay in comfortable, esthetically pleasing accommodations, with all meals (delicious and plentiful) and transportation (comfortable and safe, including three domestic flights) provided. Thanks to careful research and negotiations, this trip is a great value.
Optional Extra in 2013: Botswana’s Chobe National Park. Two days in Chobe’s Riverfront area, famous for its tremendous herds of buffalo and elephant, as well as opportunities to see rare antelope species, and get close to lions and other predators.
1 Audubon Field Guide to African Wildlife