by Michael Lorentz
Our next few updates are breaking new ground for us in a couple of ways. Firstly, Sandor, Richard and myself all travelled to a destination together. That’s something that we’ve never managed before. Secondly, we headed somewhere that was, until a few years ago, way too dangerous to be on any tourist itinerary: the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Up to 2008, the DRC was being torn apart by a terrible civil war. Over the last couple of years, a measure of stability has returned to the country, though it’s still not entirely safe. We headed to Virunga National Park in the east of the country. It’s one of the most extraordinary places in all Africa. It has more species of mammals than any park in the world — 200 of them — and the diversity of its landscape is just mindboggling: from glaciers to active volcanos to rainforests and vast inland lakes.
Our hope was that we’d be trailblazing for future adventurous clients. As the situation in the DRC normalizes, it will become a place that more and more people will want to visit. All three of us went because it’s was a trip that none of us wanted to miss out on.
P.S. It’s a pride of lions, a leap of leopards and a bloat of hippos, but I have no idea what the collective noun for a group of safari guides is. Feel free to tweet your suggestions: @ml_lorentz
