Customer Comments: Festival of Wildlife 2010 - Pantanal Brazil

"I had a wonderful experience in the company of yourself, your colleagues and delegates attending the festival. I should like to comment on the excellence of the English speaking, Brazilian guides who accompanied all of us in the Pantanal, and the three guides who were my life support system in Rio; not only were they very knowledgeable in their chosen specialities, but most informative about such matters as the history, cultures, politics and other aspects of Brazil.

The sightings of jaguar exceeded my expectations and I am glad to report that I managed to get some good video clips of this beautiful animal, despite the fact that it is always difficult to hold a camcorder steady when on water, but not quite as bad as being astride an elephant in search of a tiger!"

JR Guest. Festival of Wildlife 2010.

To find out more about Festivals of Wildlife - click here

Festival of Wildlife 2010: Customer Comments - Charles K.

"The main reason for writing is to thank you both so much for all your hard work in making the Festival itself just a success. It more than lived up to my expectations and I know that you both worked extremely hard to ensure that we had the best time possible. The Jaguar sightings were amazing and I did not expect these wonderful animals to be so active during the day - swimming and hunting etc. In particular, the time when some of us observed a jaguar causing trouble to a family of Giant River otters and then successfully hunting a Caiman was one of the best hours of wildlife watching I have ever experienced! The bird life was quite extraordinary and both the birds and animals were easier to photograph than I had anticipated. In the talks, I learned an enormous amount about the wildlife as well as local tourism ane environmental issues. I alo greatly valued the time spent with me by the professional photographers to help me improve my photography."

Charles K. Festival of Wildlife 2010. Pantanal. Brazil.

Festival of Wildlife - Further details - Click here

Festival News - Alison interviewed for 'The Insider'

From 'Jungle Drums' Brazilian Travel Specialists:

"Hampshire-based Wildlife Worlwide is an independently-owned tour operator specialised in wildlife-themed trips to far-flung destinations such as Borneo, Malawi and the Arctic. Next year travellers will be taken to a one-off special tour to the Pantanal guided by a group of celebrity wildlife experts for their Festival of Wildlife. We spoke to Alison Bembridge, fresh from her experience in the lush wetlands to tell us more about the abundant fauna and flora. "

Read the full article from The Insider - click here

Festival of Wildlife 2009 - Tanzania - Staff Report by Mel Kinder

As far as the eye can see....

Nothing can quite prepare you for the expanse of the Serengeti plains. Driving to our private camp from Arusha in preparation for the 6th Annual Festival of Wildlife was a truly memorable experience for Alison and myself. With numerous bags loaded with Festival auction items, little customer gifts purchased at the Masai market, projector, laptops, a printer, banner and our personal equipment, we headed away from the ever-growing arable suburbs and bustle of the town and west towards the peak of Ngorongoro crater. Having carried out the necessary pre-Festival meetings in Arusha we were being treated to an afternoon game drive in the crater with top guide Ayoub, en route to our camp spot in the central Serengeti. As we climbed towards the rim of the crater the increasingly green landscape turned into what could almost be described as lush rainforest. Ayoub suddenly insisted we close our eyes and then, once instructed a moment later, we were gazing down into what must surely be one of the greatest natural wonders of the world. But where are the flamingos I insisted? I was overwhelmed by the landscape before me but intent on cementing my dream of witnessing the mass of elegant pink birds on the lake.

Soon we had descended the steep sides of the crater and were eye to eye with zebras, hyenas, Wildebeest, warthogs – you name it! But still no sign of pink. This is when you begin to realise just how big the 260 square kilometre crater is. We trundled along and although we had managed to see lions and 4 of the meagre Black Rhino population within an hour, it wasn’t until we neared closer to the soda lake that the blur of pink haze became thousands of individual birds….astounding!

Leaving the hospitable and comfortable Serena lodge bright and early in the morning we headed further west and down into the lowlands towards the Serengeti, passing solitary and regal Masai herders as the dark green turned into varying shades of yellow and brown. This is where the horizon becomes infinite and space unrestrained and this is where we were to host the Festival of Wildlife.

Turner’s Camp was the perfect base from which to witness the Great Wildebeest Migration – the reason for our presence in this location. At the end of the rainy season the ground here provides the perfect larder for the million or so White-bearded Wildebeest and Burchell’s Zebra which have arrived from the east. They did not disappoint. Having flown back with our Festival group into the local Seronera airstrip we were all warmly welcomed with cheery register calls of endless grunts resembling ‘here’, ‘here’, ‘here’, as we passed by the scattered and sometimes bunched brown cattle.

The welcome continued at camp with dancing by the local Wakuria tribe, poachers in a past life but now working with conservation tourism. Everyone was glad to have finally reached their home for the next 5 days.

Festival is always ‘full-on’ and this year was to be no exception. Joined by expert wildlife photographers Mark Carwardine, Suzi Eszterhas and Nick Garbutt, artist Mandy Shepherd and editor of BBC Wildlife magazine Sophie Stafford, not forgetting Selous Save the Rhino project leader Fraser Smith, Jackson Looseyia from Big Cat Live, local Masai and bushcraft expert Ole Kirimbai and Damian Bell from the local Honeyguide Foundation, we had a lot to pack in.

‘Water ready’ came the call in the dark at 5:30 each morning as our superb camp staff miraculously provided about twenty tents with hot water for washing before everyone congregated around a welcome camp fire for hot porridge and tea. Head torches blinding fellow participants, we headed for our designated vehicles in readiness for the mornings viewing. ‘Who heard the lion roar last night?’ exclaimed a voice ‘It was really close!’ In fact much closer than we had realised. At dusk a lioness was spotted a few dozen metres from camp, surveying the territory atop the nearby kopjes.

Festival is all about sharing wildlife knowledge and information flows freely from dawn till dusk as the melee of participants, experts, camp staff and the Wildlife Worldwide team share stories, witness events, listen to presentations and attend workshops in their preferred subjects.

Varying workshops this year included beadwork with the Wakuria ladies, bushcraft with local Masai guru - Ole Kirimbai, birding with Nick Garbutt, painting with Mandy Shepherd and the ever popular photography skills and manipulation. The pace is fast but there is just so much to do and see in the space of the event so a few nodding heads just after lunch are all part and parcel!

Everyone’s back in camp for brunch at 11am and the stories are coming thick and fast – lions in abundance in trees, leopards spotted both in trees and wandering through the thick grass, Wildebeest in their thousands and a solitary python trying to hide unsuccessfully in a termite mound!

Once fed and watered presentations follow, taking in subjects like ‘Last Chance to See’ with Mark Carwardine previewing a couple of antics from the forthcoming series he has been filming with Stephen Fry, ‘Tales and Tragedies from Tiger Land’ by Nick Garbutt about his recent India trip and ‘Life as BBC Wildlife Editor’ by Sophie Stafford.

Workshops and further game drives ensure everyone is kept busy followed by a quick bucket shower before sitting down to the delights created by Leonard the camp chef and stories around the camp fire. Having never visited the Serengeti before, I understand now that May and June are excellent months to visit; before the numbers of visitors really kick in. As a reasonably large group taking 8 vehicles out each morning, we rarely came into contact with more than one or two other vehicles at most stopping to view a similar event. Our local Tanzanian guides were extremely knowledgeable and attentive to the needs of the group. Aware that other vehicles would encounter equally exciting events, they did not jump to grab a radio resulting in situations of vehicle overload, as can so easily happen when wildlife viewing.

There is also another wonderful way of getting a different perspective on the whole area – a balloon ride. Six of us braved the 4:30am wake-up call and headed wearily to the take-off point. Packed like pigeons into racing baskets, with only heads protruding as we sat in our advised astronauts position. Slowly the heat built into the balloon and we were upright again and gazing out towards the rising sun and the magnificent plains. Soon we could see for miles and the rising and falling to turn of the balloon, allowed us unparalleled wildlife sightings as we skimmed vulture nests in acacia trees, saw lion cubs darting into the undergrowth and gazed in awe at the aphid-like mass of black which described the head of a huge Wildebeest herd and the tail stretching for miles behind.
Everywhere the abundance of wildlife is staggering. Big cats lounge nonchalantly in acacia branches, well fed and seemingly unconcerned by the stampeding of nearby hooves. Giraffes in their dozens browse gracefully as they create acacia topiary and hyena and jackals roam freely on the off-chance of a grabbed meal. All this and thousands of Wildebeest on a mission. I couldn’t help but draw an imaginary comparison with the bison roaming on the former plains of the USA and the cartoon by the great cartoonist Gary Larson where he has drawn a traffic report helicopter entitled ‘Herd Report’ circling above a mass of cattle with a bubble from the pilot stating ‘It’s bad out there today folks....Noses to derrières as far as I can see.

Of course we can never take these incredible spectacles for granted, and the Festival ethos is one of conservation and learning to highlight issues and promote discussion regarding solutions. We always try to raise as much money as possible for different conservation groups in whichever destination we happen to be. This year we are raising money for Save the Rhino International, The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation and the Honeyguide Foundation. Even in this year of cutbacks and credit crunch, people realise the importance of wildlife conservation and we are proud to have raised £5,135 during this Festival trip alone. The Serengeti is a vast and unique wildlife reserve without boundaries which is constantly under treat from land usage, poachers, climate changes and more. Let’s try and ensure that its fate is not sealed as below……

If you would like to find out about next year’s Festival trip to the Pantanal in Brazil then please click here.

Festival of Wildlife Customer Testimonials - Tanzania

"Alison, Mel,

A BIG thanks to both of you for an excellent festival. Paul and I had a great time. Everything was just FAB. We really liked the experts, loved the game drives, everyone at the camp site was great, and every moment of the day there was lots of fun. OK the bucket showers took a bit of working out – 20 litres sounded lots but on the first day I hadn’t even got through the wash cycle so had to have 2 buckets - got the hang of it however as time moved on. "

Jackie Bench

"Dear Chris, Alison and Mel
Now sleeping fairly normally again after the most excellent week in the Serengeti, I should like to thank you all for your enormous hard work and really perfect organisation. Although I am an experienced 'safari-goer' and traveller, I had never imagined what your festival was going to offer, with all the expertise by most pleasant and helpful people and the tremendous attention to detail in all respects. For me, it turned out to be a considerable success, and I am very glad now that I was able to join you. I also found the camp organisation really first-class - and the charging facility on the vehicles was particularly brilliant (and saved me from disaster!)."

Morley Pecker

"Dear Chris, Alison and Mel,
Once again, it was a super enjoyable Festival – all the staff at the camp treated us superbly, food was excellent and tents spacious. The site was relaxing and well laid out and it was nice to see old friends again.
I was fascinated by the plains covered with swirling wildebeest as far as the eye could see, almost sounding like a motorway in the places where there were milling around, and of course the zebras with them were as sweet as ever. I loved seeing so many stately giraffes, pretty coloured birds large and small. The hippo pool was a beautiful place even without hippos, but it was fun to see and hear so many.
The most amazing thing for me was to see the lions in trees (and so many not) – no more will I think to climb a tree if in danger of a lion!! It was great to see the leopards, cheetahs, buffalo etc. and finally the elephants.
I enjoyed all the talks/experiences of the celebs and as usual enjoyed painting with Mandy, always so enthusiastic about everything.
Many thanks to you all for all you did to make this a very happy celebration of wildlife."

Diana Garfitt

Festival of Wildlife in Brazil 2010 - Click here

Festival of Wildife 2009 - Customer Comments - Ballooning!

"The balloon flight was one of the highlights of the Festival for me. I never realised how much wildlife can be seen from a balloon and how much the pilots can manoeuvre the balloon in order to get closer to the animals. Giraffe, buffalo, hippo, wildebeest, a hyena, a cheetah and even a serval and I lost count of the number of lions we saw! "

Charles Kinsey, Festival of Wildlife 2009

Staff Report - Recce the Festival of Wildlife 2010, Pantanal, Brazil

Brazilian Mission - by Alison Bembridge

The mission : “To recce the Festival of Wildlife 2010, Pantanal, Brazil” (translated to: see, do, learn, take note, explain, organise and experience as much as possible in as short a time frame as will allow)”. This is a mission I had to accept.

Four flights and 30 hours later I arrived in Cuiaba, Mato Grosso, Brazil (obviously not the simple, more direct route that I will take with the clients in 2010!). A short rest and I met my host Andre. He bundled me into his little blue jeep and off we went on the adventure into the wild Pantanal.

Day 1
My initial impression was of the intense and immense heat. Hot, hot, hot, humid and hot! Having come from snowy North Yorkshire it was a shock…luckily the little blue jeep had AC!
Andre and I chat and discuss the ethos and programme of the Festival of Wildlife as we zip through the countryside. We stop a couple of times and exit the little blue jeep to ensure that we remember how hot it is in the real world – but the focus is getting onto the Transpantaneira (the dead-end road into the Pantanal) and Andre’s lodge – Araras Eco Lodge.

Andre is a tall, thin, strong, blue eyed, fair shoulder length haired individual – if you looked around quickly you would swear it was Crocodile Dundee! He even wears a similar hat – and I knew that whatever happened over the next three days it was going to be fun, wild and I was going to experience everything.


December is the beginning of the rainy season – so the landscape is seriously green and the grasses, bushes and trees are sprouting to get the most of the water during this period. The landscape is flat, and horizon can be seen during the breaks in the forest, but the Transpantaneira road is long, red and very straight. Very quickly Andre is pointing out bird after bird after bird. We have to stop every two minutes so that I put the binoculars to my eyes and get the camera out. A Bare-faced Ibis, then a Little-blue Heron, a White-necked Heron, a Jaciru Stock (the emblem of the Pantanal), a Muskovy duck, a Snail Kite, a Southern Lapwing, an Amazon Kingfisher, over flys a Toucan – phew – I’m not sure were to look or how I’m going to be able to take everything in!

We arrive at the lovely Araras Eco Lodge and a cool fresh fruit juice is waiting for me – delicious. I’m refreshed and ready to explore! But first lunch. It’s a hearty affair, taken under the shady area next to the pool (which I later discover contains such beautiful warm water that it’s like a hot tub without the bubbles). The food is good, honest and simple – almost all of it coming from the organic farm associated to the lodge.

In the afternoon I don my hat, suncream, anti-bug juice, grab the bins and the camera and we are off to explore. Andre gives me a grand tour of the lodge and surrounding grounds. We walk a little and I have to quickly get over my fear of Caiman. They do have big teeth and look every bit as irksome as one would expect – but they do (pleasing) slip gracefully into the water as soon as they realise I have my Canon lens ready to shoot at them!

We also cross some of the areas of the lodges numerous hectares in the little blue jeep – which is a jolly good job as I experience a tropical rain shower – ‘shower’ in terms of a heavy, warm power shower, with great big drops making one exceedingly wet exceedingly fast! I’m honoured by Andre’s gentlemanly ways as he insists on opening the gates along the track (being a girl does have good advantages!). One of the gates leads us into the farm, the rain stops for a brief moment and we jump out to look around. It’s then that I realise that the loud, squawking, shouting noise coming from the trees above is none other than about fourteen Hyacinth macaws being rather miffed that we are staring at them. They are every bit as beautiful, blue and large as they are made out to be. Flying in pairs, they soon settle down at the top of a tall tree, with the sun behind them, making my already poor photography skills no match.
However over the following few days, and several more Hyacinth macaw pairs later, I get a photo that is about acceptable!

Dinner and a night drive later I can scribble another 20 birds on my growing list, as well as a Crab-eating Fox, a Crab-eating Racoon, a Great Black Hawk eating a crab, a few dozen caiman and a few hundred mosquitoes.

I download onto my laptop my 250 photos and fall into a deep sleep with the cacophony in my ears of frogs and insects enjoying the night outside my room.

Day 2
What feels like 2 minutes later is in fact 6am and Andre is rapping on my door excitedly telling me that I just have to get up and see the stunning sunrise. (We had arranged a 6.30am start, but it seems Andre is an early, early riser!).

Today we are to bounce in the little blue jeep 140 km south along the Transpantaneira to Porte Jofre for me to look at the hotel there and spend some hours looking for Jaguar. My eyes are peeled to the trees, grasslands and shores. My binoculars are up and down and the camera is on overdrive. The river is a muddy red colour and the shores are a combination of grasslands, forest and small sandy beaches. It’s all so beautiful and the wildlife is all around. I feel that this is their home, and I am just a passing guest.

We stop for lunch on the river bank – and who do we see in the tree above us?…..an adorable porcupine. Our guide in this area is a local man called Eduardo from the nearby Jaguar Ecological Lodge. He travels on the river on the look out for Jaguar about five times a week and has not seen a porcupine in over three years.

We also see a very brave little Agouti crossing the river Cuiaba. A manoeuvre of great risk for such a small mammal, with the strong current and the jaw snapping caiman!

The six river otters playing happily infront of me have been a highlight of the day, along with the amusing flying fish which flew directly into the boat and the Green Kingfisher scooping a fish just ten feet away.

At 5pm we have to head back, which is unfortunate as the Jaguar has not come to say hello to me yet. However, during September, it is much drier and the probability of seeing this elusive and magnificent cat increases ten fold when the lush green grass (that I have so praised) is not in the line of sight!
The journey back along the Transpantaneira brings me to my bed by midnight.

Day 3
After the intense day yesterday I opt to catch up on notes, planning and discussion meetings with Andre this morning and then a short horse ride in the afternoon.
My peaceful horseride turned into more than I bargained for though – and I won’t go into detail but it involved the horse, me, bees and a whole heap of adrenaline!

Day 4

Calm restored this morning, Andre and his lovely wife Akhila take me on a beautiful sunrise walk. The dawn chorus is in full swing when we glimpse the Tapir padding softly into the undergrowth. We also see a snake speedily crossing the path through the forest.

We have breakfast at the lodge annex 3 km from the main lodge and then the little blue jeep shows it’s 4x4 capabilities (heaps of muddy water splashing and sideways motion over the water logged track – great fun!) as we go to investigate where the canoes are launched from. On arrival at the river we are gifted with a heron having freshly caught its lunch…magical.

We then have to return to the lodge, have a final planning meeting before I am taken to Cuiaba for my flight back to Rio.

I’ve certainly had an adventure during my three days in the Pantanal. The Festival of Wildlife 2010 is going to be unique, spending six days exploring a tiny (but wildlife packed) part of the planet’s largest wetlands. I’m so excited about it!
September will be drier, less humid and the wildlife more concentrated than my experience – which stuns me…because how much better can it get?

For further information and how to book on the Festival of Wildlife 2010 please click here,

or contact Alison (alison.bembridge@wildlifeworldwide.com) or Mel (mel.kinder@wildlifeworldwide.com)